Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers Reviews

1. 
   A. Osterwalder permalink

   September 8, 2010

   Review by A. Osterwalder for Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers
   Rating:
   With Gamestorming Dave, Sunni, and James created one of the most valuable and applicable collection of tools and techniques for organizational design that I have ever come across. The “games” outlined in the book help you make ideas more tangible and meetings more productive, notably through visual techniques. Gamestorming is a window into the future of how groups will work.

   There is no way around this book if you are serious about making innovation and change happen in your organization.

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2. 
   C. Avampato permalink

   September 8, 2010

   Review by C. Avampato for Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers
   Rating:
   For several weeks, I’ve been combing my bookshelves for activities to incorporate into my LIM College class on social media marketing. I wanted games to drive home the information in unconventional, interactive ways. I went to my theatre books, my business books, and my books filled with writing exercises. Nothing seemed quite right. And then I found Gamestorming. It felt like a gift out of the sky. My anxiety about the class diminished a bit more with every page.

   Gamestorming details games that engage groups, both large and small, in learning and discovery. They work in corporations and in schools, and I’d like to add that they are a valuable tool for navigating just about any decision and complication in life. I found myself noting in nearly every margin how to use each game. The clear, concise description, depictions, and plan for each took a great deal of thought and care from the authors.

   The metaphor of life as a game is well worked over. The trouble with the game of life is that there are no rules. You don’t make them and neither does anyone else. They change from moment to moment, and the rule that seemed to work today may never be useful again. We are forced in every situation to think on our feet. Gamestorming gives us more confidence and empowers us to take our futures in our own hands.

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3. 
   Andy Zhang permalink

   September 8, 2010

   Review by Andy Zhang for Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers
   Rating:
   Years ago, I realized there is a great value by introducing games to our software development team meetings. The result was astonishing. Many of our members have learned so much out of these carefully designed games. We have been a much better team since then. Game Storming is an excellent book that covers the core principals and benefits of games, how to design games, games for opening, games for exploring, and much more. Just by reading this book helps me to think outside the box. I already have a dozen ideas need to try out that may help us to build better collaboration and synergy. Team games can help group leaders on strategic planning, build a energetic team, and find innovative solutions to difficult issues.

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4. 
   Chris Finlay permalink

   September 8, 2010

   Review by Chris Finlay for Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers
   Rating:
   Having been dazzled in a workshop with Dave, I was eager to get this book and it did not disappoint. The collection of generative and evaluative “games” which I would call “tools or technology” are rockin. Many of the approaches presented have been floating around for awhile but Dave, Sonni and James brought them together in a great collection and use plain language to make it easy to get down to the business of creating new ideas, group buy in and fun. Will be using some of the approaches I found here immediately.

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5. 
   C. Hlas permalink

   September 8, 2010

   Review by C. Hlas for Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers
   Rating:
   “Gamestorming” seemed to be chosen as the title of this book because the authors encourage the use of games for the purpose of “brainstorming” (i.e., generating ideas). I find this to be a noble goal because elements of games are underutilized in realms of business, education, etc. However…

   Calling the activities presented in the book “games” stretches any definition of the word (which they never define, nor do they formally define gamestorming). The activities that are presented do have rules (maybe “directions” would have been a better word), but lack an objective/goal to make them actual games. For example, “To let leadership understand and be responsive to any and all questions around the topic” (p. 181) is an example of a goal of one of the games in the book. I understand that games are difficult to define, but that goal does not sound like the goal of a game, nor does it sound very fun.

   That said, the activity in question (“Help Me Understand”) is one that I plan on trying during my first day of class this semester. So if you can get beyond the nomenclature you will find a book with interesting activities for organizing meetings or other groups of people.

   Final nit-pick. The book indicates the virtues of iteration in many examples, but never includes iteration as an important attribute of the “games” they create.

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