Format: 7-hour intensive workshop
Participants: 24-30 professionals
Price: $12,000
Setting: Client's facility
What Happens:
Teams of 5-10 participants physically create board games that model a real business challenge. Through the design process, they discover insights about user experience, system dynamics, feedback loops, balancing complexity, and iterative improvement—all while having fun and building team cohesion.
Workshop Flow:
Morning Session (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM):
- 9:00-9:30: Welcome, introductions, objectives setting
- 9:30-10:30: Game Design Fundamentals
- The 9 Core Game Mechanics
- What makes games engaging vs. frustrating
- How games create meaning and learning
- Business analogies for each mechanic
- 10:30-10:45: Break
- 10:45-11:45: Business Challenge Framing
- Client presents specific challenge or strategic question
- Teams discuss and refine understanding
- Game design brainstorming: "What game would reveal insights about this?"
- Initial concept selection
- 11:45-12:00: Concept pitches (60 seconds per team)
Lunch (12:00-1:00 PM):
- Catered at venue
- Informal networking
- Facilitator circulates for questions
Afternoon Session (1:00 PM - 4:30 PM):
- 1:00-3:00: Rapid Prototyping
- Teams physically build their games
- Using boards, cards, tokens, dice, markers
- Facilitator coaches each team through design challenges
- First playable prototype completed
- 3:00-3:15: Break
- 3:15-4:00: Playtesting & Iteration
- Teams test each other's games
- Gather feedback on clarity, balance, engagement
- Identify broken mechanics and fix them
- Second iteration prototyping
- 4:00-4:30: Reflection & Application
- What did you learn about your business challenge?
- How does game design thinking apply to your work?
- Individual action planning
- Group photo with games
Deliverables:
- Physical game prototypes (photographed and kept by client)
- Comprehensive workshop report (delivered within 48 hours):
- Executive summary of key insights
- Team-by-team observations
- Photos and documentation
- Recommendations for applying learning
- Action planning templates
- Follow-up consultation call (30 minutes, within 1 week)
- 90-day email support for implementation questions
Outcomes:
- Teams internalize game design thinking framework
- Specific insights about business challenge revealed
- Improved collaboration and creative confidence
- Memorable shared experience that builds culture
- Permanent skill set (not vendor-dependent)
Best For:
- Innovation kickoff initiatives
- Strategic planning sessions
- New product development teams
- Cross-functional collaboration building
- Leadership development programs