Board Games? Seriously?
Andy Yeoman
I help organisations to solve problems and make sustainable beneficial changes. Collaboration and co-creation that improves knowledge & confidence encouraging improvement and behavioural change.
Serious games are getting more attention. That's great because we make serious games. However, most of the attention is on digital games and we make board games. So, are we out-of-touch and swimming against the tide?
Well, digital games can be effective but they often deliver a solitary experience for individual players. We believe that learning is more effective in groups. If you allow people to discuss the issues, in a structured way, they're more likely to respond constructively. Don't lecture them, give them control and let them decide how to use new information and ideas.
We're social animals not robots and we enjoy interacting with other people and having a laugh. That's why we make board games, they make group engagement easy, enjoyable and effective.
You don't have to take our word for it. Several studies have been carried out recently on our board games by leading universities in Germany and Scotland. Here are a couple of excerpts from those studies:
"This study...demonstrated that a board game approach to training can be engaging and effective in improving both knowledge and confidence ...”
"...game-players learned basic knowledge more effectively than the group that read the text (equivalent printed information)...This suggests that the implementation of the learning game is beneficial for the transfer of knowledge..."
And, here's feedback on The Sepsis Game from a lead sepsis nurse at a large hospital in the UK:
“I have used the game as an educational tool on many occasions...for senior staff and doctors. It really encourages interaction, discussion and competitiveness. Staff are often surprised by things that they think they know but don't.”
Many of our games address serious healthcare issues, as you can see from the image in the header. But it doesn't matter whether you work in a hospital or a supermarket the basic challenges are universal. Staff training and cooperation are vital if you want to improve performance. People learn and respond best when they're relaxed and feel in control. So, make learning and change more sociable, enjoyable and memorable. Try a board game.
Digital Product Consultancy
8yThere's a general resurgence in board games of the non-serious variety too. A load of the hardcore video-gamer developers here regularly meet up to play board games, some are even designing their own. Board game cafes are a thing now too, there's one here in central Oxford. http://www.thirstymeeples.co.uk Physical presence as an alternative to virtual presence is a big part of this. Although don't tell Mark Zuckerberg, he's trying to convince us that we're all going to be sitting around a virtual campfire with our VR helmets on soon.
Building strategic partnerships to inform policy and empower society. Helping research impact beyond academia to improve the health and wellbeing of all.
8yWe've used the Care Certificate board game as a mechanism to educate support workforce in the NHS. Very useful and a great way to engage with people. We at Health Education England funded a game for each of our healthcare provider organisations in the region. http://www.carecertificategame.co.uk/
Great article Andy, but let me ask you a few biased questions here. Professionally speaking and from you experience so far, where do more technical games that cover practical in-depth themes sit, in your perspective? Is there a market for more technical board games, does the market need an introductory phase to experience more technical serious games? For example, with the molecular biology lab game "Adna's Lab" that SciBoard Games made available at TableTopia we've learned that the entertainment factor is still too impregnated in the needs of the supposed customers. Is this a time for the academics, the universities and schools to invest in providing serious games to their students and staff (regardless of being board or digital made)? My personal opinion is that when serious games start winning some educational prizes and balancing a bit more the entertainment factor with the seriousness of educating and training, a new era will bloom for the serious games market... but when is it to happen and what role do educational bodies have in it? Adna's Lab was assessed by companies in Australia, Scotland, England, Portugal and the United States. Exhibitions and educational competitions will take it to Scotland and Germany, but we had to resort to the digital platform to broadcast its inherent value, and to take it to games exhibitions and educational games competitions. Is there a market and a need for very technical games that do indeed work the entertainment factor too? Thank you so much and all the best for Focus Games Ltd.