What is gamestorming?
The word gamestorming immediately makes you think of games and by extension, the practice of brainstorming through the medium of play. As its name suggests, the gamestorming method developed in the United States applies game-like rules
to brainstorming techniques. The aim of the process is to generate new ideas through play and creativity, and to more easily identify practical solutions to real-life problems. Gamestorming is fun as well as educational, and a refreshing technological innovation in teaching techniques.
What are the main features of this approach?
Why incorporate play into a training course? To avoid boring, seemingly endless training sessions, bland discussions and “vanilla” meetings. Gamestorming can be a great tool for building team spirit, creating an environment conducive to collaborative work and facilitating problem solving. People really do learn best through play.
Play is an effective way to learn new skills and improve existing ones. In their book “Gamestorming – A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers” written by Dave Gray, James Macanufo and Sunni Brown, who are considered the pioneers of this concept, explain how gamestorming works (cf. also the feature in our online magazine) and show how to use play to successfully manage new projects or resolve problems relating to the working environment.
Benefits of gamestorming
This teaching method offers multiple benefits
- An innovative learning practice;
- A simple technique that requires only minimal material resources: post-it notes, pens, felt-tips, paper, etc.
- A good way to motivate and engage co-workers
- Collaborative work conducive to collective intelligence
- Great for making meetings more fun and impactful
