Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers

Love the content and ideas from this book I’m designing learning workshops.

If you want to came up with something you usually have two options. Either you go with some kind of process (this way is usually good one if you want to have your back covered) or you go with unconventional methods (if you have enough money to cover your expenses in case of failure). The second approach is what Gamestorming is all about. First of all, you get the explanation of what playing game is all about. This is very important part, because it will give you arguments when it comes to convince other people to play a little bit instead of just "inventing" things through regular process of "thinking". It might be hard work to convince your co-workers to use this way of solving issues. Many people find "playing games" a perfect example of wasting the time. That's why it is very good idea to show how playing games makes your brain work different way. After explaining the concept of gamestorming authors go through various examples of games that might help you solve your problems. The collection of games is really impressive. There are almost 100 different games presented within the book. Games are divided into sections that help you solve particular issues. Opening games help you produce ideas quickly, exploring games help you go through the ideas you came up with, closing games help you to get into the end of the innovation process. Reading the book really is fun, however, mind one thing. Not everybody likes to play. If your colleagues do not like to play RPGs, they don't know what RTS is, and board games are just a mean of wasting time, gamestorming is probably not good for you. I agree that pushing people into "another worlds", with different rules might be good way of finding what hasn't been found yet, however - not everybody is ready for that. Not everybody likes to play. People simply feel very uncomfortable in this kind of situations. I think that book should be read by people who either have their own company or have team of really open minded co-workers - people who like to explore alternative ways of finding solutions. I find this book very inspiring, but, you know, I have graduated from philosophy (among the others) and studying philosophy is by itself similar to playing with ideas and exploring new worlds

Life changingly good for facilitation! An endless supply of ideas and constructs plus enough theory and structure to help you deliver. I carry this around constantly when needing to design team building, strategy exercises, or really any workshop. Also serves as useful prompt for designing your own games.

I've used the book's 'games' many times with success in my consulting business. There are several alternatives for a specific task, which is good since teams and circumstances vary. The methods and tools are clearly based on real-life experience, and the instructions on how to use the games are very useful. This is the best book in its field that I've encountered. PS. I first bought the Kindle version, but I think that the paperback is more useful and easy to use.

Quite clear but unrealistic games . Ideas are good but putting into practice difficult. No great innovative ideas came up

As a professional facilitator, I have been using many of the tools mentioned in this book for a number of years. The value in the book for me is providing me with a broader set of resources and some clear frameworks around how to use them, for someone now to facilitation or anyone looking to make meetings more productive this is an excellent resources. This has become for me the standard resources book I give out to students when teaching innovation and creativity techniques!

This is a very practical book. Each technique for engaging colleagues or clients in a brainstorming session is laid out in simple steps over a paragragh or two. Each technique has a fun name too, which makes it easier to spontaneously remember... which in a live work shop situation, is a great help. The prose is a tad stilted in places, in other words I felt it lacked flow in a few chapters but it's so focused on practical tips (each one being almost stand alone) that it doesn't matter. If your job or role involves bringing a team together, instigating change or creating growth through the introduction of new ideas / innovation, this is good book. You'll pick up some techniques you can apply, quickly and easily. And you don't need to be a management consultant to feel you can facilitate a workshop.

This is a great, at times brilliant book, for anyone interested in creativity and creativity techniques. It is in reality two books: the first is an excellent overview of how creativity works and how it can be harnessed. The second essentially is a catalogue of different techniques. Its major flaw is actually in design and presentation. The first part was so good I found myself just nitpicking with the typeface used. However, the second part revealed its design flaws. The book in my view should have much clearer distinction between its two parts, using different typefaces - or even colour pages. That said, this is an essential buy for anyone wanting to extend their range of tools or just read some great contextualization of the dynamics of creativity.

muy bueno y util

The book is perfect to use it as an inspiration for workshop, what kind of activities to do. Many, many different games for the appropriate situation. Depends on the subject you work on, there more or less games you can pick from. I participated on workshops before, so I knew what it is about. For newbee, there are not enough examples from real life. Perfect for inspiration

Update: i had a chance to practice some of the ideas in the book in two scenarios. First was a strategy improvement workshop for a country business unit. The other was with a product development team and the sales person. Both heavily relied on ideas from this book, and also from the CONCEPTS that are in the first part. Both workshops where a success. So I am keeping my original 5 star rating and the claim the book should cost $5000, but I now only say it half-jokingly. Your BIGGEST HURDLE to get the most of this book is you need to understand all games (and thus go over about 100 methods), and the use this knowledge to build workshops. Sore, you can pick 1 methods and try a scenario where it would work. But the $5000 remark comes from reading and having in your mind 100 methods and the right context to actually create a very engaging, highly productive and collaborative workshop (or meeting) experience. Which also requires a bit of imagination as to where people minds will be at any point, and how each game output connects with which output. If the authors ever update it, I would like to see a better index the games (Kindle version really fails), possibly a table which lists all games and a very short description. Besides a better TOC of games, I'd add a new section of "game storming examples". Instead of the very brief ending of one example, I'd provide 8 to 15 short examples of full game storming sessions with the agenda, for typical use cases that are the lifeblood of planning, strategy and other frequently occurring meetings. These should depict the agenda visually if possible (how things connect). -- I read books in bursts, when I call on others wisdon to move myself ahead in a particular direction. This time, my new role involves innovation, marketing and strategy. This book should cost $5000, come signed and with a return envelope to thank the authords. It's value lies in providing a very sharp color palette and tools to collaborate in the seams betweek group knolege, teams and business challenges. As an economist, marketing person and researcher (analytic thinker) I can essily see why, when and how to apply many of the games in real life scenarios. The instructions are very well balanced, with enough detail to make them work, ut not more than it becomes too fixed or rigid (or boring). The goal is to USE these. And it is exhausting to go over all the posibilities. So you could try some if doing a quick read of the entire book exhausts you too much. But Inchose to force. I opted to read all of it first and think scenarios where I could use the methods. It have already started to create different kinds of workshops in my mind as I do this. Additionally, just reading the methods, some of which you may be familiar with, retriggers things you knew and forgot. In some other cases the instructions are so sound you'll note you where doing something wrong in the past. It shows they have practiced, and the variarions and short advice will make so much sense especially when you have sern some of the Methods in action, and know there's 20% that you'll need to deviate little or bend some rules-and to make sure you manage expectations, calm, clarify or less people lose the stress (eg. no wrong way here). This book is a gift from the authors. It's hugely dense by its very own nature, and may overwhelm if you want to read from A to Z. Jt And there lies its strength: a solid palette, a good initial framework, and very sound advice, instructions and, did I say the best compilation of ideas on the topic ever?

I have seem dozens of design books about group work and this is the one that summarized it best. It's first part also summarizes the creation process in a super simple way. Recommended to anyone who creates in order to try different creative idea process. It has been working really well for me since it's release. Lots of fun to try out the methods

Sono sempre alla ricerca di suggerimenti per esercitazioni o giochi da inserire in attività di formazione, in questo libro ne ho trovati tanti, descritti bene e facilmente adattabili a vari contesti. Alcuni li ho già rielaborati e utilizzati, i partecipanti li hanno trovati utili e stimolanti. La prima parte del libro fornisce un inquadramento teorico che aiuta capire come utilizzare meglio e rielaborare i giochi. Il libro è pensato per chi voglia autonomamente migliorare i processi creativi nel proprio gruppo di lavoro; è una lettura poco accademica e molto divulgativa, quindi adattissimo anche a chi non si occupa specificamente di formazione.