THIAGI GAMELETTER: April 2006

Guest Gamer

Interview with Jeff Johannigman

Thiagi: How did you get into designing and using games?

Jeff: I have been a lifelong gamer, since I played chess with my father, checkers with my grandfather, and Stratego with my best friend. In high school in the 1970s, I got introduced to the first box set of Dungeons & Dragons, and strategy games like Cosmic Encounter and Steve Jackson's Ogre. I now have shelves and shelves full of board games, and am raising three game-geek children.

Thiagi: How did you get started as a professional designer?

Jeff: When I was in college studying computer science, I got my first personal computer, an Atari 800 with 16K of memory and a cassette tape drive. Instead of doing my class assignments, I spent time writing a game called Rabbotz! that Atari published while I was still in school. That game was bad for my GPA, but great for my bank account. Upon graduation, I just couldn't see myself going to work for IBM or Procter & Gamble, so instead I applied to several game publishers and got my first real job at Broderbund Software.

Thiagi: Where did your career go from there?

Jeff: Through the 1980s and early 1990s, I worked my way up from programmer to designer to associate producer to producer, working for companies like Electronic Arts, Origin, Dynamix, and MicroProse. Ultimately though, I began thinking about what impact my work was having on people's lives. For example, a review for one of my games said, “Master of Orion will offer enough late nights and missed appointments to make it a definite game of the year candidate as well as Exhibit A in many divorce cases.”

I realized that I didn't want my life to be all about creating high-tech addictions. So, I changed careers in the late '90s, entered the field of training and development, and thought I'd left the world of gaming behind me. Little did I realize how important my old career would be to my new one.

Thiagi: How are you combining your careers now?

Jeff: I'm now a Director for Fusion Learning Systems. We develop e-learning courses for companies like Dell, 3M, GE, Centex Homes, and Motion Computing. I manage multiple teams of project managers, instructional designers, engineers, artists, audio designers, writers, and other creative talents. My personal goal is to push the envelope in applying game techniques to online training, to make e-learning more engaging, interactive and effective.

Thiagi: How do your clients respond?

Jeff: Clients often come to us with something as simple as a Powerpoint deck of content that they want automated and put online. That's very linear, passive, boring, and ineffective. Our goal is to make the courses more effective, by upping the ratio of interactivity to content presentation. Not just have students read content and answer test questions, but get them actively engaged with the material. We start with simple activities like drag-and-drop, matching, and role-play cases, and then add richer experiences using branching simulations and other game-like templates in our courses.

Thiagi: Where do you see e-learning and games going in the future?

Jeff: I don't think it will be too long before we make the leap from simple game activities embedded in online courses, to projects where the game/simulation is the central learning focus. The military is already doing this extensively with its combat simulations. At the annual Serious Games Summit, I see an interesting mix of folks from government, academia, health care, and corporate environments, all starting to explore this territory.

Thiagi: What advice do you have to newcomers about designing games?

Jeff: First and foremost, play! Play lots of different games—computer games, board games, role-playing games, miniatures games, anything you can get your hands on. Most game designers start a design by combining different mechanics from other games they have played. The broader your experience, the more tools you'll have at hand.

One of my best lessons on game design came from Dan Bunten, the creator of MULE. He said “What's important about a game is not what you put in; it's what you keep out.” In other words, keep the design simple and elegant, and keep the focus on your central objective. It's all too easy to start designing a game about exploring the New World, and end up with a game about inventory management on the Santa Maria.

One other important philosophy is to keep thinking about the player's experience. Sid Meier's definition of a game is “a series of interesting choices.” The more interesting you can make the player's choices, the better the game. When is it better to choose A over B (or C or D…)? How many factors does the player consider? What feedback do they get when they make each decision? Those are the things that make a game great.

Thiagi: What is your favorite game?

Jeff: I love games that use your interpersonal skills as much as your strategic ones. The board game Diplomacy has long been one of my favorites, because the most important factor for winning is your ability to build trust and/or deceive others. I also love role-playing games, including Live-Action Role-Playing games (LARPs) which combine improv theater with a game structure.

Thiagi: Who are your favorite game designers?

Jeff: The thing I love most about my time in the game industry is the number of great designers I've gotten to work with. People like Dan Bunten, Sid Meier, Richard Garriott, Chris Roberts, Steve Jackson, Jon Freeman, Warren Spector, Brian Reynolds, and Chris Crawford—all legends in the game business, yet virtually unknown to the public at large. I once told Will Wright that his beta version of SimCity was quite fun, but I doubted that people would buy a game about city management. D'oh!

Of all the great designers I've worked with, I have the greatest respect and admiration for the late Dan Bunten, creator of MULE, Seven Cities of Gold, Robot Rascals, and several other innovative computer games. He was a genius, a gentleman, and a good friend. (FYI - There is a great article about Dan at http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2003/03/18/bunten/ )

Thiagi: Do you have any book recommendations?

Jeff: The most fascinating book I have read recently is Raph Koster's A Theory of Fun for Game Design. Raph is a designer of commercial games such as the Star Wars Galaxies online game, and has no professional interest in training. Yet in his book he puts forth the premise that “Fun arises out of mastery. It arises out of comprehension. It is the act of solving puzzles that makes games fun. In other words, with games, learning is the drug…. That's what games are, in the end. Teachers. Fun is just another word for learning.” Raph has some fascinating insights into how our minds work and what kinds of stimulation we seek out as “fun.”

Thiagi: Any final thoughts?

Jeff: Just one quote, from Carl Jung: “One of the most difficult tasks people can perform, however much others may despise it, is the invention of good games.” So keep working at it, in spite of the bad reputation you'll get.

[Table of Contents]

Match and Mix

Action Plan

This activity is an application of a framegame called Match and Mix. It can be used for planning to achieve a common goal and also for exploring the needs and preferences of different groups.

Key Idea

During the first round, each team is assigned a specific type of stakeholder group and asked to come up with a plan for achieving a common goal. During the second round, participants are reorganized into mixed teams with each member representing a different stakeholder groups and asked to synthesize their earlier ideas.

Purpose

To come up with action plan that will appeal to different stakeholders.

Participants

Minimum: 9
Maximum: Any number
Best: 16 to 20
(Each participant is assigned to two different teams during the two rounds of this activity.)

Time

30 to 60 minutes.

Supplies

• Team Allocation Cards, one for each participant
• Blank pieces of paper
• Pens or pencils
• Timer
• Whistle
• Flip chart pads
• Felt-tipped pens

Room Setup

Tables (preferably round ones) with chairs around them to facilitate teamwork.

Preparation

Prepare team allocation cards. All participants belong to two different teams during the two rounds of this activity. An important requirement of this activity is that members of the first team are allotted to different second teams. To facilitate this type of arrangement, each participant receives a Team Allocation Card that contains a letter and a number.

Examples: A4 or C2.

During the first part of the activity, participants organize themselves into teams according to the letter on their card. During the second part, they reorganize themselves according to the number on the card.

Example: The participant with the card C2 belongs to Team C during the first round and Team 2 during the second round.

Before conducting the activity, find out how many participants you will have. Check with the Team Allocation Table to figure out the combinations of letters and numbers for the cards. Write the appropriate letter-number combinations on blank index cards.

Example: You have 21 participants. Looking up this number in the table, you prepare the following Team Allocation Cards:

A1, A2, A3, A4, A5
B1, B2, B3, B4
C1, C2, C3, C4
D1, D2, D3, D4
E1, E2, E3, E4

Flow

Brief the participants. Explain that you are going to facilitate a structured brainstorming activity in two rounds. Specify the goal for brainstorming.

Example: Many members of an established professional society felt that the organization was becoming stagnant. We conducted an action-planning activity on how to rejuvenate the organization and get all members excited and engaged.

Form matched teams. Shuffle the Team Allocation Cards and distribute them, one card for each participant. Point out that each card contains a combination of a letter and a number. Ask participants to find others with the same letter and form themselves into teams. Depending on the total number of participants, you may have three to six teams.

Example: We have five teams, A to E.

Assign age groups. Explain that each team will represent a specific age level. Assign the age groups according to this list:

• Team A = New members
• Team B = Established members
• Team C = Staff members
• Team D = Officers of the organization
• Team E = Patron members

If you have more teams, add other groups such as committee members, conference attendees, chapter members, international members, and student members. Use as many membership groups as you have teams.

Generate ideas. Ask members of each team to brainstorm ideas for creating an action plan for achieving the common goal. Ask teams to generate several ideas, discuss these ideas, and transform them into an action plan. Request someone in each team to record its plan. Announce a 9-minute time limit for this activity.

Form mixed teams. After 9 minutes, blow the whistle and stop the activity. Tell participants that you are going to reorganize them into a new set of teams. Ask participants to check their Team Allocation Card once more and find others with the same number to form new teams. (If there are one or two people left over, as in this case with 21 participants, they may join any team they choose.)

Regenerate the plan. Ask members of the new teams to continue preparing an action plan. Ask participants to maintain their loyalty to the membership group from the previous round but try to focus on satisfying the needs and preferences of other groups. Encourage participants to recall and share their ideas from the previous round and keep an open mind toward other perspectives. As before, ask teams to select the best ideas, create an action plan, and this plan on a sheet of flip chart paper. Announce a 9-minute time limit for this activity.

Present the plans. Blow the whistle at the end of 9 minutes, and ask teams to post their plans on convenient areas of the wall. Invite all participants to take a gallery walk and review the plans from other teams.

Follow Up

Consolidate the lists. With the help of all participants, come up with a common plan that incorporates the best features of different plans.

Team Allocation Table

Participants	Team Allocation Cards
9	A1, A2, A3	B1, B2, B3	C1, C2, C3
10	A1, A2, A3, A4	B1, B2, B3	C1, C2, C3
11	A1, A2, A3, A4	B1, B2, B3, B4	C1, C2, C3
12	A1, A2, A3, A4	B1, B2, B3, B4	C1, C2, C3, C4
13	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4	C1, C2, C3, C4
14	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4
15	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5
16	A1, A2, A3, A4	B1, B2, B3, B4	C1, C2, C3, C4	D1, D2, D3, D4
17	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4	C1, C2, C3, C4	D1, D2, D3, D4
18	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4	D1, D2, D3, D4
19	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4
20	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5
21	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4	C1, C2, C3, C4	D1, D2, D3, D4	E1, E2, E3, E4
22	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4	D1, D2, D3, D4	E1, E2, E3, E4
23	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4	E1, E2, E3, E4
24	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5	E1, E2, E3, E4
25	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5	E1, E2, E3, E4, E5
26	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5	E1, E2, E3, E4, E5
27	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5	E1, E2, E3, E4, E5
28	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5	E1, E2, E3, E4, E5
29	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6	E1, E2, E3, E4, E5
30	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6	E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6

Action Plan Game Plan

Here's a list of steps in Action Plan, complete with suggested time requirements and facilitator and participant activities. You may use this easy-to-refer job aid while facilitating this activity.

Step	Facilitator	Participants
Preparation (10 minutes)	Prepare appropriate number of Team Allocation Cards.
Briefing (2 minutes)	Explain the goal to be achieved by implementing the action plan.	Think up suitable ideas.
Form matched teams (3 minutes)	Randomly distribute team assignment cards to each participant.	Find others with the same letter and form teams
Assign stakeholder groups (3 minutes)	Assign different membership groups to each team.	Get ready to play the role of a person who belongs to the specified membership group.
Generate ideas (10 minutes)	Give instructions.	Teams generate ideas related to the action plan.
Form mixed teams (3 minutes)	Give instructions.	Find others with the same number and form new teams
Regenerate plans (10 minutes)	Give instructions.	Generate action ideas (related to the achieving the same goal) that will appeal to different types of members. Select the best ideas and incorporate them into an action plan.
Present the plans (5 minutes)	Give instructions.	Post your action plans on the wall. Review action plans from other teams.
Follow-up (9 minutes)	Conduct a discussion.	Create a common action plan that incorporates the best features of different plans.

[Table of Contents]

Game Design

Design Your Own Match and Mix Game

The previous game, Action Plan, is built upon the Match and Mix frame, which was also used for designing the Generations game that appeared in last month's newsletter. I simply changed the content but kept the structure of the activity.

Use the template below to design your own Match and Mix game. It is the Generations game from the previous issue, except all the words, phrases, and sentences that refer to the specific content related to age-level differences are clearly marked with a line through them. To create your own game, all you have to do is to replace the content that has a line through it with your own content.

Here's what you need in order to perform the required replacement:

• The name of your game
• The factor along which different groups vary (examples: age levels, job functions, membership types, nationalities, personality types, or market segments)
• List of matched groups (examples: 7 year-old, 17 year-old, 27 year-old, and 37 year-old)
• Goal for the brainstorming activity. This is a list of items (examples: alternative responses for an open-ended question, action-plan items, quality standards, guidelines, or suggestions)

[Table of Contents]

Template

Generations

This activity is an application of a framegame called Match and Mix. In addition to the purpose specified below, Generations can also be used to explore the characteristics, values, and preferences of different age groups.

Key Idea

During the first round, each team is assigned a specific age level and asked to brainstorm ideas for a common goal. During the second round, participants are reorganized into mixed teams with each member of a different age level and asked to synthesize their earlier ideas.

Index Tags

Structured sharing. Generations. Age differences. Diversity. Brainstorming. Idea generation. Evaluation. Community planning.

Purpose

To come up with ideas that will appeal to people at various age levels.

Participants

Minimum: 9
Maximum: Any number
Best: 16 to 20
(Each participant is assigned to two different teams during the two rounds of this activity.)

Time

30 to 60 minutes.

Supplies

• Team Allocation Cards, one for each participant
• Blank pieces of paper
• Pens or pencils
• Timer
• Whistle
• Flipchart pads
• Felt-tipped pens

Room Setup

Tables (preferably round ones) with chairs around them to facilitate teamwork.

Preparation

Prepare team allocation cards. All participants belong to two different teams during the two rounds of this activity. An important requirement of this activity is that members of the first team are allotted to different second teams. To facilitate this type arrangement, each participant receives a Team Allocation Card that contains a letter and a number.

Examples: A4 or C2.

During the first part of the activity, participants organize themselves into teams according to the letter in their card. During the second part, they reorganize themselves according to the number on the card.

Example: The participant with the card C2 belongs to Team C during the first round and Team 2 during the second round.

Before conducting the activity, find out how many participants you will have. Check with the Team Allocation Table to figure out the combinations of letters and numbers for the cards. Write the appropriate letter-number combinations on blank index cards.

Example: You have 21 participants. Looking up this number in the table, you prepare the following Team Allocation Cards:

A1, A2, A3, A4, A5
B1, B2, B3, B4
C1, C2, C3, C4
D1, D2, D3, D4
E1, E2, E3, E4

Flow

Brief the participants. Explain that you are going to facilitate a structured brainstorming activity in two rounds. Specify the goal for brainstorming.

Example: What should the community park look like?

Form matched teams. Shuffle the Team Allocation Cards and distribute them, one card for each participant. Point out that each card contains a combination of a letter and a number. Ask participants to find others with the same letter and form themselves into teams. Depending on the total number of participants, you may have three to six teams.

Example: We have five teams, A to E.

Assign age groups. Explain that each team will represent a specific age level. Assign the age groups according to this list:

• Team A = 57-year-olds
• Team B = 47-year-olds
• Team C = 37-year-olds
• Team D = 27-year-olds
• Team E = 17-year-olds

If you have more teams, add more age groups (such as 7-year-olds and 67-year-olds). Use as many age groups as you have teams.

Generate ideas. Ask members of each team to brainstorm strategies for achieving the goal from the point of view of the age level assigned to them. Ask teams to generate several ideas, discuss these ideas, and select the 10 best ideas. Assign someone in each team to record the ideas. Announce a 9-minute time limit for this activity.

Form mixed teams. After 9 minutes, blow the whistle and stop the activity. Tell participants that you are going to reorganize them into a new set of teams. Ask participants to check their Team Allocation Card once more and find others with the same number to form new teams. (If there are one or two people left over, as in this case with 21 participants, they may join any team they choose.)

Regenerate ideas. Ask members of the new teams to continue brainstorming for achieving the original goal. Ask participants to maintain their loyalty to the age groups from the previous round but try to focus on satisfying the needs and preferences of other age groups. Encourage participants to recall and share their ideas from the previous round and keep an open mind toward other perspectives. As before, ask teams to select the 10 best ideas and record them on a sheet of flipchart paper. Announce a 9-minute time limit for this activity.

Present lists of ideas. Blow the whistle at the end of 9 minutes, and ask teams to post their lists on convenient areas of the wall. Invite all participants to take a gallery walk and review the lists from other teams.

Follow Up

Consolidate the lists. With the help of all participants, come up with a common list that contains high-frequency ideas and avoids duplicates. Alternatively, make a complete list of non-duplicate ideas, photocopy this list, distribute it to the participants and others, and have each person select the top three ideas. Use this information to prepare the final list of ideas for immediate implementation.

Team Allocation Table

Participants	Team Allocation Cards
9	A1, A2, A3	B1, B2, B3	C1, C2, C3
10	A1, A2, A3, A4	B1, B2, B3	C1, C2, C3
11	A1, A2, A3, A4	B1, B2, B3, B4	C1, C2, C3
12	A1, A2, A3, A4	B1, B2, B3, B4	C1, C2, C3, C4
13	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4	C1, C2, C3, C4
14	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4
15	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5
16	A1, A2, A3, A4	B1, B2, B3, B4	C1, C2, C3, C4	D1, D2, D3, D4
17	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4	C1, C2, C3, C4	D1, D2, D3, D4
18	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4	D1, D2, D3, D4
19	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4
20	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5
21	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4	C1, C2, C3, C4	D1, D2, D3, D4	E1, E2, E3, E4
22	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4	D1, D2, D3, D4	E1, E2, E3, E4
23	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4	E1, E2, E3, E4
24	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5	E1, E2, E3, E4
25	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5	E1, E2, E3, E4, E5
26	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5	E1, E2, E3, E4, E5
27	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5	E1, E2, E3, E4, E5
28	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5	E1, E2, E3, E4, E5
29	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6	E1, E2, E3, E4, E5
30	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6	D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6	E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6

Generations Game Plan

Here's a list of steps in Generations, complete with suggested time requirements and facilitator and participant activities. You may use this easy-to-refer job aid while facilitating this activity.

Step	Facilitator	Participants
Preparation (10 minutes)	Prepare appropriate number of Team Allocation Cards.
Briefing (2 minutes)	Explain the topic for brainstorming.	Think up suitable ideas.
Form matched teams (3 minutes)	Randomly distribute team assignment cards to each participant.	Find others with the same letter and form teams
Assign age groups (3 minutes)	Assign different age levels to each team.	Get ready to play the role of a person in the assigned age group.
Generate ideas (10 minutes)	Give instructions.	Teams generate ideas related to the topic and select the top 10 ideas.
Form mixed teams (3 minutes)	Give instructions.	Find others with the same number and form new teams.
Regenerate ideas (10 minutes)	Give instructions.	Generate ideas (related to the same topic) that will appeal to people at different age levels. Select top 10 ideas.
Present lists of ideas (5 minutes)	Give instructions.	Post your ideas on the wall. Review ideas from other teams.
Follow-up (9 minutes)	Conduct a discussion.	Create a common list with high frequency, non-redundant ideas.

[Table of Contents]

PC Simulation

Suits

People have special strengths, preference, expertise, and predilections. It is a great idea to focus on things that we are passionate about. However, we have to perform other chores that do not always excite us. These chores are frequently necessary for our professional effectiveness. For example, I am passionate about designing training games. However, I also need to do unexciting but necessary things such as marketing my services, writing proposals, and billing my clients.

Key Idea

During the first round of this card game, players build on their strengths and score points for the longest set of cards that belong to the same suit. In the second round, players' scores are associated with the shortest set of cards, forcing them to take a balanced approach.

Index Tags

PC simulation. Balance. Indulgence. Discipline. Mindfulness.

Purpose

To pay attention to all aspects of the task instead of indulging in the preferred activities and ignoring unpleasant ones.

Participants

2 to 4 per group. Larger groups can be divided into groups of four for playing the game.

Time Requirement

15 to 30 minutes.

Handouts

Scoring Table, one copy for each group.

Supplies

A deck of playing cards (without the jokers) for each group.

Flow

Deal the cards. At each group ask a participant to shuffle the deck of cards and deal five cards, one at a time, to each player (including herself). Then ask the dealer to cut the remaining cards into four approximately equal parts and place each packet face up in the middle of the table so that only the top cards are visible.

Explain the play procedure for the first round of the game. Beginning with the player seated to the left of the dealer, each person picks one of the four different cards visible on top of the packets. (This exposes a new card at the top of the packet which is available to be picked up by the next player.) Unlike in the game of Rummy, the player does not discard a card after adding a card to her hand.

Explain the object of the first round of play. Distribute copies of the Scoring Table. Explain that during the game, players pick up seven cards (one card per turn), bringing their hands to a total of 12 cards. Each player's score depends on the longest suit (the suit that contains the most cards) in her hand. Depending on how many cards the player has in the longest suit, the Scoring Table shows how many points are awarded to the player.

Monitor the play of the first round. Clarify the rules if necessary. Emphasize that the values of cards do not matter; only the suits do. At the end of the round, identify the winner at each table and congratulate her.

Explain the object of the second round of play. During the second round, the game will be played as before, except with this new rule. At the end of the game, each player will earn the score associated with the shortest suit in the hand. The person with the highest score is the winner.

Monitor the play of the second round. Re-emphasize that each player's score will depend on the shortest suit in her hand. Otherwise, the game is played as before with each player taking turns to pick one of the cards visible on top of the four packets. Wait until the players finish the second round. Identify the winners at each table and congratulate them.

Debriefing

Identify the real-world context. Identify the situation that is simulated in the game of Suits. Relate the playing card suits to different factors. Here are some examples:

• Personal goals: financial, physical, emotional, relationship, and spiritual goals.
• Professional goals: developing strategies, implementing plans, achieving results, and building relationships.
• Leading a cross-functional team: designers, manufacturers, distributors, and marketers.
• Evaluating printed materials: graphics, text, layout, and binding.
• Evaluating web sites: graphics, layout, content, navigation, and download speed.

Present the main learning point. Explain that the game emphasizes the importance of maintaining balance among various factors. Ask participants to identify different situations during which this type of balance becomes a critical factor for success.

Continue the debriefing. Use these types of questions:

• Why is it difficult to maintain balance in different situations?
• Which part of the game was more interesting: Round 1 or Round 2? What is the reason for the difference in the interest levels?
• In your “to-do” lists, which types of activities do you enjoy doing immediately and which types of activities do you procrastinate? What strategies can you use to achieve a better balance?
• What are your major functions on your job? Are you able to maintain a balance among these functions?

Game Plan for Suits

Step	Facilitator	Participants
Deal the cards (2 minutes).	Give instructions.	Deal five cards to each player. Divide rest of the cards into four packets and place them face up.
Play Round 1 (5 minutes).	Distribute Scoring Table. Explain the object of the game and the play procedure.	Take turns to pick any one of the face up cards. Continue until each hand contains 12 cards. Find the longest suit and compute score points. Determine the winner.
Play Round 2 (5 minutes).	Explain the modified object of the game.	Play the game as before. Find the shortest suit and compute score points. Determine the winner.
Debrief (5 minutes).	Conduct a debriefing session.	Participate in the discussion.

Scoring Table

Number of cards in the suit	Points
0	0
1	1
2	3
3	6
4	10
5	15
6	21
7	28
8	36
9	45
10	55
11	66
12	78
13	91

[Table of Contents]

Event Alert

Learning and Performance Strategies Conference

Last summer, my friend Darryl Sink and I organized a 3-day Learning and Performance Strategies conference in Monterey, California. The conference was such a success that that we decided to repeat it this summer.

The 2006 conference will be held in the same location (Monterey, California, USA) during June 20-22.

The conference will feature 14 hands-on mini-workshops on different topics related to training and performance improvement. Visit the conference website ( http://www.dsink.com/lpi/ ) for more details.

A Special Offer for TGL Readers

When you register online for the conference, identify “TGL” as your source of referral. We will give you a copy of Thiagi's best-selling Human Performance Deck card game for free. This game will increase your mastery and fluency with the basic concepts related to improving human performance.

To get your reward:

1. Register online.
2. On page 2 of the registration form, select “referral from colleague” and put “TGL” as the name of your colleague.

It's that simple. When you pick up your nametag at the conference, you will be given your free deck.

See you in Monterey!

[Table of Contents]

Contest Results

We Have a Winner

You may remember that we conducted a contest for a replacement name for this online newsletter. Did you think that we ignored the entries to save the prize money?

No, the simple reason for the delay is that we were overwhelmed by the number of entries. Choosing the best entry took us a longer time than we anticipated. And then we had some other problems.

The Winner

Rifka Saltz is the winner. Rifka sent a dozen entries and Thiagi selected one of them—Play to Learn—to be the winner. Rifka gets a $200 gift certificate to spend on any of the books and games in our online store.

Problems

We were excited about using the new name—until we found out that someone has registered it as a trademark. We reviewed the entries again and found that several of our runner-up choices are also trademarked items. In total frustration, we have gone back to the name of Thiagi's original printed newsletter—Thiagi GameLetter—and decided to use it in the hope that nobody has trademarked it.

Contestants

Here's the list of people who participated in the contest from around the world. Our thanks to all these contestants (and apologies to anyone whose name we might have inadvertently left out):

Aries Musnandar, Brian Remer, Carole Camp, Darko Markovic, Deb Calderon, Debby Rockamann, Erica Tickle, Ethan Hale, Gary Harper, Gordon Heady, Gregory Webb, Harriette Einolf, John Dix, John McDermott, Jude Fairweather, Karen Gilley, Marie Lee, Michele D. Newhouse, Parag Anand, Paul S. Safyan, Rifka Saltz, Robert Koehler, Saravjit, Sheilina Somani, Susan Wegmann, Suwat Prongjit, Terry Follmer, and Valerie A Reed.

What's In a Name?

Action Learning, Activity Based Learning, Are You Game?, Beam, Beyond the Slide…, Creative Communication, Delightful Delivery Debriefs, Dynamic Delivery, Engaging Human Performance, Experiential Learning, F2F and Dl and Fun, Facilitating Games Mag, FIT: Fundamentals of Interactive Learning, Fun with a Focus: Training Games and More, Game & Learning, Game for Better Result, Game for Learning, Game Game Game, Game Makes Better, Game On!, Game Plan, Game Theory Into Practice, GameConnect, GameFrames, Gamekeepers, Gameplay@Work.news, Games at Work, Games for Growth, Games to Fuel Performance, Games to Improve Performance, Games~Work Dispatch, Gameworks Network, Gaming and Growing , Gaming for Performance, Gaming Ground, GAther ME , Go for the Juggler, Great Games for Go-Getters, In Game, We Trust, Innovative Initiatives for Internet Instructors, Inspiring Learning, Interactive Training Tools, Interplay, It Pays to Play, Laughing & Learning, Learn & Laugh, Learn and Play, Learn Through Games, Learner Based Performance, Learning by Playing, Learning for Performance, Learning in Motion, Learning Lite, Learning Playfully, Learning Times, Learning While Laughing , Learningames Review, Lively Learning, Mind Matters, Online Gaming, Performance Games, Play Along for Performance, Play and Learn, Play as Work, Play for Learning, Play Harder Work Smarter, Play to Learn, Play to Learn — Learn to Play, Play to Win, Play with Purpose, Playful Facilitation, Playful Learning, Playful Work, Play-full Facilitation, Playing for Performance, Playing to Win, PlayLearn systems, Play 'n' Learn: Outplaying, Outdoing, PlayPower Mag, PlayPower Training, Play-to-Manage, PlayWay Business, Playway Learning, Playway Progress, Playwin Management, Radiate Learning, Serious Fun, Serious Fun & Games, Serious Play, Stimulus in Learning, Swing into Training Success, Tacky Training: Learning that Sticks, Teaching Hearts International Activities Games & Implementation (THIAGI), Teaching Hearts Internet Activities & Games for Instructors (THIAGI), Teaching Humans Implementing Activities Games & Impact (THIAGI), Telling Ain't Training, The Brainy Beat, The Class Act, The Game Is Never Over, The Gameroom, The Game's the Thing!, The Incrowd, The Name of the Game, The Performance Play, The Thiagi GURU (Game User's Resource Ultimate), The Thiagi GURU (Game User's Resource Unparalleled), The Thiagi GURU (Game User's Resource Utensil), The Training Game Is Afoot, The Work of Play, Thiagi, Thiagi Game Guide, Thiagi Means Fun , Thiagi Reveals Engaging Attentive Training Solutions (TREATS), Thiagi Theories , Thiagi Theory into Practice, Thiagi's Game Notes, Thiagi's Performance Games, Thiagi's Play Notes, Thiagi's Engaging Games, Thiagi's Gameroom, Thiagi's Gameshare, Thiagi's Training Theater, Thiagi's Wise Cracks, Tickle Me Teacher, Time2Play News, Tips for Training, Train-a-Gram, Training by Play, Training Games and Inspiration, Traininground, United Thiagi Games, United Training Games, What's in a Game?, Winning by Playing, Work Boosters Journal, Work/Play Connections, Work~play Times, and World of Play.

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the contest.

[Table of Contents]