Communicating complex problems can be difficult. How do you get others to realize the intricacy of the issue? Do they know the restraints involved in solving it? What can you do to help them recognize the importance of the situation? One unique way of explaining aspects of a difficult dilemma is to create an educational game. Fortunately, Tasty Cupcakes’ Agile Game Incubator provides the perfect opportunity to do so. This fun strategy is both intriguing and innovative, and will help participants gain a greater comprehension of the many factors involved in specific obstacles.

Timing: 1 hour

Ingredients:
• Internet access

Players (5..8 recommended):
• Business Manager / Business Owner
• Employees / Team members

Directions:
Clicking on the image to the right will take you to an “instant play” game at innovationgames.com, where you can organize your thoughts on how to create a game to solve an issue. Here, you will see the same image being used as the “game board.” This simple chart consists of 5 sections, representing the 5 steps of the game-creation strategy which conveniently form the acronym PLAID (pronounced “played”). There will also be various icons in the upper left corner of the chart that symbolize the ideas for each category:

  1. Problem – red squares, what you want to solve
  2. Lead Objectives – stars, what you hope to gain from solving the problem
  3. Aspects – purple squares, the different parts of the problem
  4. Invent – blue squares, the game created to solve the problem
  5. Debrief – light bulbs, how the game worked out

Players add their ideas to the chart by dragging icons to the respective categories and describing what each represents. Once the chart is complete, participants will be ready to create their own game to educate others about a complex problem.

All moves can be seen in real time by each participant, so everyone can collaborate to edit the descriptions and positions of the ideas. Use the integrated chat facility to communicate with your participants. Encourage players to expand on their ideas and motivate them to penetrate the knotted aspects of a problem.

Key Points:
This game incorporates collaboration and critical thinking, inspiring players to see past the surface of a dilemma and dig deeper to understand its complexities. By visually organizing the aspects of an issue and dividing it into 5 simple steps, players can teach each other the tangle of factors involved in certain dilemmas while gaining a genuine comprehension of the predicament themselves. Play Agile Game Incubator to motivate participants to learn-by-doing and to create fresh to solve problems.