Game Thinking: How To Apply Game Mechanics To Engage People – Bruno Setola

Bruno Setola, in discussing Game Thinking: How to Apply Game Mechanics to Engage People with Alyea Sandovar for their 2021 Playful Creative Summit conversation, simplified a lot of complex, difficult concepts so “non-players” can use them. I hope I’m translating accurately. He defines “game mechanics” as “the rules of the game.” The rules of a game can be drawn up to direct behavior, to require cooperation instead of competition as one example. Rules can’t compel emotions, but behavior supports emotions. In other words, games can teach new behaviors and reframe emotions. The more engaging, fair and fun the games are, the more effective they are.

He asks, “Can you find a power-up boost to give an employee to help him/her/they solve a problem?” “Can you give students a headstart, let them take the final exam on the first day of class, with the understanding that they’ll fail, so they see what the year will lead to?”

He used his D9 dice to answer ice-breaker questions.