Tickets: Up to 63 available. If more than 63 players register, a waitlist will be created.
Reading: You will be sent some brief documents and/or videos prior to game day. Please read these materials so we can spend less time teaching and more time playing.
Registrations close @ 11:59 PM on Saturday, 10 October 2026.
This is an in-person only event! Sorry, we cannot accomodate remote participation for Playtest 1!
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It's Spring 2027, and the AI age is upon us.
Labs push harder and harder to build the best frontier models.
Great Powers bicker with weapons and words while struggling to grow and regulate the AI sector.
Tech Firms race to capitalise on the AI boom however they can.
Investors scramble to invest in the winners.
The most significant technological revolution in human history is underway, and it's impacting the world right now. Many writers and speakers are telling us that AI presents a threat to civilisation, but it's very difficult to understand the true scope of the problem if we do not actually attempt to holistically understand the nature of the global AI ecosystem. But it is very important to try to understand the problem. Whatever future awaits humanity, it will be a result of humans making human decisions based on their own incentives.
The incentive structure is complicated, possibly dangerous, and hard to communicate through an academic paper or a keynote lecture.
Let's try to simulate it instead.
The Commons Problem is an AI Governance-themed Megagame designed by Philip Harker. In The Commons Problem, 30-60 players take on the roles of the most powerful people in the AI world today. Some players are CTOs trying to develop better and stronger AI products, some are politicians writing policy and playing the game of diplomacy, some are finance managers dealing in growth and investment. Every player has a small role to play as they, faciliated by the Game Masters (GMs), simulate the next few years in AI governance outcomes.
At the start of a game of The Commons Problem, nobody knows what will happen. Not even the GMs. Each Faction has their own individual objectives that they are moving towards, and at the end of 5 rounds of play, each Faction who has met their objectives will win. But as the game progresses, the GMs will reveal more and more information about bad actors, misalignment, and global crises which could threaten the entire world if not addressed carefully.
The 21 Factions in The Commons Problem will collectively have to make a decision: what do they care more about? Will they make sacrifices to ensure the greater good in the face of potential catastrophe? Or will political and economic incentives cause selfish behaviour, leading to a tragedy of the commons on a global scale?
Economic collapse. Cybersecurity crisis. Bioengineered viruses. A Third World War. Misaligned Artificial Superintelligence. Anything can happen in The Commons Problem. It is up to the players alone to steer humanity away from crisis and towards flourishing.
What: The first public playtest of The Commons Problem, an AI Governance Megagame. Read the full breakdown here.
When: Saturday, 17 October 2026. Doors open at 9:00 AM, hard start time 9:30 AM. Wrap-up at 3:30 PM.
Where: Metropolitan United Church (56 Queen St. East, Toronto, ON)
Cost: $20 CAD, payable by Interac e-Transfer or Paypal (bursaries available)
Included: Coffee, donuts, snacks, drinks, catered lunch
Tickets: Up to 63 available. If more than 63 players register, a waitlist will be created.
Reading: You will be sent some brief documents and/or videos prior to game day. Please read these materials so we can spend less time teaching and more time playing.
Registrations close @ 11:59 PM on Saturday, 10 October 2026.
This is an in-person only event! Sorry, we cannot accomodate remote participation for Playtest 1!
===
It's Spring 2027, and the AI age is upon us.
Labs push harder and harder to build the best frontier models.
Great Powers bicker with weapons and words while struggling to grow and regulate the AI sector.
Tech Firms race to capitalise on the AI boom however they can.
Investors scramble to invest in the winners.
The most significant technological revolution in human history is underway, and it's impacting the world right now. Many writers and speakers are telling us that AI presents a threat to civilisation, but it's very difficult to understand the true scope of the problem if we do not actually attempt to holistically understand the nature of the global AI ecosystem. But it is very important to try to understand the problem. Whatever future awaits humanity, it will be a result of humans making human decisions based on their own incentives.
The incentive structure is complicated, possibly dangerous, and hard to communicate through an academic paper or a keynote lecture.
Let's try to simulate it instead.
The Commons Problem is an AI Governance-themed Megagame designed by Philip Harker. In The Commons Problem, 30-60 players take on the roles of the most powerful people in the AI world today. Some players are CTOs trying to develop better and stronger AI products, some are politicians writing policy and playing the game of diplomacy, some are finance managers dealing in growth and investment. Every player has a small role to play as they, faciliated by the Game Masters (GMs), simulate the next few years in AI governance outcomes.
At the start of a game of The Commons Problem, nobody knows what will happen. Not even the GMs. Each Faction has their own individual objectives that they are moving towards, and at the end of 5 rounds of play, each Faction who has met their objectives will win. But as the game progresses, the GMs will reveal more and more information about bad actors, misalignment, and global crises which could threaten the entire world if not addressed carefully.
The 21 Factions in The Commons Problem will collectively have to make a decision: what do they care more about? Will they make sacrifices to ensure the greater good in the face of potential catastrophe? Or will political and economic incentives cause selfish behaviour, leading to a tragedy of the commons on a global scale?
Economic collapse. Cybersecurity crisis. Bioengineered viruses. A Third World War. Misaligned Artificial Superintelligence. Anything can happen in The Commons Problem. It is up to the players alone to steer humanity away from crisis and towards flourishing.
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The Commons Problem Playtest 1 is made possible by BlueDot Impact and the Toronto Event Generator. Thank you for your support!
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