Make An Impact With Game-based Solutions – Rob Alvarez

Rob Alvarez, Professor Game, was eye-opening as he and David Chislett discussed how to Make An Impact With Game-based Solutions during their 2021 Playful Creative Summit conversation. If playing games is hard work, developing them and introducing them to their players is even harder. Intelligent, successful game design involves careful research to understand what you want to accomplish with the game, how you can measure whether you achieved your goal(s), who your participants are, and what will be effective play elements to achieve those goals. And then put out that first effort, that prototype. Just do it. Refine, test, refine again.

Games can be used in infinite variety, from team-building in a business to teaching in academic settings to motivating people to exercise. My favorite use:encouraging engagement in civic life, with a game named Cast Your Vote, created by iCivics, founded by Sandra Day O’Connor. In other words, anyone can get creative and try to introduce play into their efforts, but take care. Maybe don’t ask an introvert to be competitive; don’t give rewards to someone who is motivated by checking off the tasks on a list.

And OHMIUNIVERSE – a bonus, just a nugget Alvarez mentioned – BoardGameGeek, an online community sharing all about board games. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! D & D NEVER needed to go digital…