Gamestorming

Gamestorming is a set of practices for facilitating innovation in the business world. A facilitator leads a group towards some goal by way of a game, a structured activity that provides scope for thinking freely, even playfully.

Gamestorming as a term suggests the use of games for brainstorming. It is the title of a book by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown and James Macanufo, published in 2010.[1] They document what amounts to a pattern language of 83 games, noting for each the object of play, number of players, duration of play, rules how to play, strategy and origin. Previously, in 2007, Luke Hohmann popularized the term innovation games to refer to 12 games for primary market research.

A game may be thought of as an alternative to the standard business meeting. Most games involve 3 to 20 people and last from 15 minutes to an hour and a half. A game suspends some of the usual protocols of life and replaces them with a new set of rules for interaction. Games may require a few props such as sticky notes, poster paper, markers, random pictures from magazines, or thought provoking objects. Gamestorming skills include asking questions (opening, navigating, examining, experimenting, closing), structuring large diagrams, sketching ideas, fusing words and pictures into visual language, and most importantly, improvising to choose and lead a suitable game or invent a new one.

The Gamestorming book is used in classes on interactive design and user experience [2],[3] and social media marketing [4] and referenced in innovation [5], product development [6], visual note taking [7] and self realization [8].

Contents

Origins of Games

The gamestorming culture originated in the 1970s in Silicon Valley.[9] Some of the games have earlier roots, as documented in the Gamestorming book; for example, Button is inspired by the Native American Talking Stick tradition, and Show and Tell is known from elementary school.

See also

References

  1. ^ Gray, Dave; Brown, Sunni; Macanufo, James (2010). Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers. O'Reilly Media, Inc.. 
  2. ^ Wharmby, Mary (2010). "Comment on Interactive Narrative Design curriculum". Gameful. http://gameful.org/groups/gameful-writers/forum/topic/interactive-narrative-design-curriculum/. Retrieved 2011-02-09. 
  3. ^ Pittman,, Jon H. (2011). "Design as Competitive Strategy, course syllabus, Spring 2011". UC Berkeley, Management of Technology Program. http://mot.berkeley.edu/berkeley_students/Students/Courses/Course_Descriptions/DesignSylSP11.pdf. Retrieved 2011-02-09. 
  4. ^ Avampato,, Christa (2010). "Step 214: A Review of Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers". Christa in New York. http://christainnewyork.com/2010/08/02/step-214-a-review-of-gamestorming-a-playbook-for-innovators-rulebreakers-and-changemakers/. Retrieved 2011-02-09. 
  5. ^ Ponti,, Franc (2010). "Trends in innovation for restless people". Escuela de Alta Dirección y Administración. http://www.eada.edu/en/community/alumni/activity/si-funciona-cmbialo?calmonth=10&calyear=2011. Retrieved 2011-02-09. 
  6. ^ Mondry,, Mark B. (2010). "Visions, October 2010, Resources Coming to You Over the Web". Product Development and Management Association (PDMA). http://www.bus.emory.edu/individuals/asood/documents/visions201010-dl.pdf. Retrieved 2011-02-09. 
  7. ^ Strong,, David R (2010). "Facilitating Collaboration Through Drawing". Pennsylvania State University, Personal Web Space. http://www.personal.psu.edu/drs18/blogs/screaming_red_ass_sock_monkey/2010/09/facilitating-collaboration-thr.html. Retrieved 2011-02-09. 
  8. ^ College Eight, Environment & Society (2011). "Real-izing Your Dream". UCSC, Learning Technologies. http://ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/index.php/Real-izing_your_Dream. Retrieved 2011-02-09. 
  9. ^ All, Ann (2010). "How 'Gamestorming' May Change the Way We Work". IT Business Edge. http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/blogs/all/how-gamestorming-may-change-the-way-we-work/?cs=42421. Retrieved 2011-02-09. 

External links