Asynchrony Solutions Blog

We’re Gamestorming!

by Abra Ungeheuer on March 7th, 2011 at 10:51 am

Here at Asynchrony Solutions, we’ve been Gamestorming. Similar to retrospective activities, Gamestorming provides a way to draw out ideas from a particular group of people in an innovative, creative way.

Some of the Gamestorming activities I have witnessed over the past few weeks include the $100 Test, Dot Voting and Who Do. The $100 Test takes the lead as my favorite activity to date. The premise of this game is that it helps a group prioritize a list of topics proposed for discussion. Two things set this game apart: It draws out a reason why the topic should be discussed, and it offers a less arbitrary way for the group to prioritize a list of topics. As a facilitator, I often catch myself generating a list of topics for a meeting without truly understanding the reason why a certain topic is being brought up. Allowing the person to state a reason for the topic helps eliminate discussion around items that really have no place in the forum. It also raises issues other participants may not have considered.

In the $100 Test game, once the list is generated, the group is given a set amount of time to allocate a dollar value to each topic. Each topic must be given a value, with the total value equaling $100. In my experience, two minutes is a good time limit for a group of 6-8 people to allocate value as it forces everyone to prioritize the list quickly.

Next time you find yourself in charge of a meeting or facilitating a brainstorming discussion, I challenge you to Go Gamestorm!

Tags: gamestorming, innovation, retrospectives, vizthink