Britain's Industrial Revolution · 1790s
The Industrial Revolution
Steer a coal district through steam, money and crowded towns.
- Ages
- 13 to 15
- Time
- About 20 minutes
- Shape
- 3 decisions and a defense
Part 2 of 3 in the series Grow or Hold
The situation
Before about 1760, Britain ran on water wheels, animals and small workshops. As forests shrank, coal became the main fuel. Mines went deeper and flooded, and steam engines were first built to pump them dry.
Cheaper coal made engines worth running, and more engines let miners dig deeper. Each change fed the next.
Your teen steps into an imagined 1790s coal district with one year's budget, and traces what each choice sets in motion.
The background is real. The decisions are an imagined game set in it, so your teen can practice the same kind of reasoning. What really happened is shown only after your teen writes a defense.
What it builds
Following first, second and third effects through a connected system, and seeing who feels each one.
Weighing trade-offs
Names what is gained and lost for each option and chooses on purpose.
Using evidence
Backs each claim with a specific fact from the simulation.
Seeing ripple effects
Traces second- and third-order effects through the system.
Seeing other sides
Explains how other players see it and predicts their moves.
Subjects it touches: History, Economics, Science. It sits beside your core curriculum; it doesn't replace it.
Try the first decision
A short preview. It has no AI and saves nothing. Want two minutes with the background first? Try a mission free
Decision 1 of 3 · Preview, no AI, nothing saved
A mine owner in an imagined 1790s coal district has a pumping problem. Water is rising in the deepest shaft, and the horse-driven pump can't keep up. Coal is expensive here. There is money for one improvement this year, and no stream nearby for a water wheel.
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