Exploring the magic in games and simulations
Peggy Pusch joined me to facilitate a session where we mined the wisdom in the room. We worked in four table-groups. Each table had a VisualsSpeak ImageSet that contained 200 images.
To start out, each person had a 12 x 18″ piece of construction paper. We asked:
What makes games and simulations magic?
Each person selected images that spoke to the question. After looking at some of the visual language displayed in the arrangement of images, each person had the opportunity to share the story of their image.
Each group was then asked to create an image together, making sure to include wisdom from everybody. They could use a larger white piece of paper, or the construction paper for a background. Markers were available for those who wanted to add words.
These are the notes from each group as they were explaining their process. Here is what they came up with:
Group 1
General reaction words
CHAOTIC, ALL ENCOMPASSING, LIGHTHEARTED
Bottom: the complexity and the patterns, using simulations and games to simplify the process we are trying to understand.
Process is to the left, stepping into someone’s shoes, process that you are trying to identify with, different perspectives coming in, pattern of the game to demonstrate what you are trying to address–like walking into someone else’s shoes.
Process at a different level: Learning–everywhere, everyone,–trying to understand, stretching.
Strive to reach the stars and clouds and to have a whimsical, magical approach to an uplifting experience
Process: Decisions on the use of the color were unanimous and then they started placing images; some were linear and some were floating, an organic process that ended up with the final picture. (I expect the left brain people will sneak in and sort it out and get it organized.) This has been a very balanced group, going from left to right brain.
Group 2
End result: it gets people out of their comfort zone and changes them, puts them in a new role, looking at themselves differently, successful results but also having fun.
Tied it together: gaming is a spiraling process and it is an outward movement that has a core…we started with fun and engagement and moved outward . Other growth happens. Some of the dynamics are similar whether they are connecting individuals or large groups of people, leading to uplifting thoughts, and ideas and perpetuating growth to your company environment and co-workers, The picture flows from the center through the spiral.
Inspiration: Training will still have impact down the road. Whole metaphor is a spiral “life is like a box of chocolates,” you are never sure of what you will get. it can spiral out of control as well as lead to deeper learning. Tried, in building the image, to eliminate the distractions, the games and simulations focus your attention and there is a need to avoid the distractions.
Went through the chambers of achievement.
Group 3
Looked first at the process: simulations and games start from the trainers and facilitators who work them through. We are hoping to take something from here to use as we climb up the hill. We see that old and broken things can be fixed and new things can emerge from them. Always good to have a trick up your sleep.
Link to the organization. Conflict between the people who are going through the training and those who did not when they bring back what was learned to the organization. With all training, there has to be a way to measure it. This allows people to work through an alternative experience. Simulations can clean up the messes that have been created. It is fun, It is diverse. There is a bottom line impact and variable success. Trainers/Facilitators only start people down the path. There are wide horizons and you/they do not know what you/they are going to get but they will discover what that horizon is.
Group 4
Only group that did not come up with a pattern, an organization of space.
Process: We started with where we were before we started the individual assignments. We had lots of stuff around the side, everyone put something in and then we “edited” and it was not until the end that it became a cleaner space. Very chaotic at the beginning…did not know where it was going to go.
Interplay of themes, different ideas that mixed in with other ideas. Simulations and games provide an opportunity to have a much closer look at the common and ordinary to grasp the extraordinary. Juxtaposition of lots of things to reach some order. A process of enjoying and learning. Variety of experiences, always provides surprise and engages all the learning styles. It needs a safe environment and individuals have to trust each other. Starts out as a closed flower and opens us.
Group engagement in a good group means people come together and join. Have to play different roles, sometimes contrived and others real, have awe and wonder that gives value.
The unexpected, sometimes we think that what happens is unexpected but can link to things that are familiar so it is not always unusual and strange.
In the center, the ooh and ah of the experience.
Conclusions:
Very possessive about my original images and then I had to give up things to the interest of others. Hard to let go but it got more creative. Have to put it in play with other people
Expected to keep and add on to what we have but we ended up ditching a lot of the original pictures because while I liked what I had on my own, it did not fit with the group.
Looked for themes that they all carried out and picked each others’ pictures that they liked.
So what is the magic for you in games and simulations?
