Episode 4: Models

Dr. Alli Edwards is facilitator, researcher and teacher whose design practices challenge the false dichotomy between work and play to create different ways of being together, sharing learnings, and imagining in equitable and sustainable ways. In this episode, we discuss Alli's practice and experience with games, her PhD research, and how presenting facilitation tools as 'toys' changes the whole experience.

Randy Lubin is an applied game designer who has made a wide range of games that help individuals and groups gain insight into complex issues. Many of these games help players engage with possible futures, with a particular focus on how technology can influence elections. We dive deep into Randy's game design process, and important issues around player safety, the authenticity of game models, and democratising design. This fast-paced episode is chock full of insights from the leading edge.

Games and simulations have a lot in common. They both give players a low-risk, engaging way to develop a deeper understanding of a system. But they don't always have to be immersive 3D experiences. We welcome our friend Sidney Icarus, a facilitator, game designer, and former air combat professional, to discuss the practical ins and outs of how simulations factor into learning and decision-making processes.

We welcome our first external guest, Dr. Emma Blomkamp, an expert in co-design and participatory engagement, with a focus on policy. Together with Emma, we go deep on definitions and disambiguation of the relevant terms, and some of the enablers of and barriers to meaningful and inclusive co-design. We also discuss how to develop capability in co-design, and how games and play might play might help with this.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into our design process, through the lens of our game Green Hollow. All five members of the Troupe come together for the first time, with the first appearance by Bec Dahl. We designed Green Hollow as an experience for teams to come together, and learn more about themselves as individuals and as a group. We cover a wide range of techniques, tools, and processes we used to get our desired player outcomes through the game. Get references and transcript at https://amble.studio/episode-8-inside-amble-studio-making-green-hollow/

We invite Amble troupe member Logan Timmins back to discuss his practice as a game designer, and his journey into becoming a facilitator and collaboration designer. Recruiting the gamers and game designers of the world into collaboration practice is core to Amble's mission, and Logan has been our bellwether as we learn about this. This episode is full of concrete insights into how the work gets done in both worlds, and how skills are developed along the way. Get references and transcript at http://amble.studio/episode-7-facilitation-as-game-design-with-logan-timmins

Our colleagues Logan Timmins and Kiri Bear share the amble and discuss their work with lyric games and ritual games. These emerging genres support players to have meaningful, emotional experiences in a way that expands the category of 'game'. Exploring these genres, and the grey areas they inhabit, inspires fruitful reflections on designing experiences for purpose, and the nature of art itself. This includes ideas for how facilitators can incorporate experiential tools in their practice, and how game designers can bring their skills into facilitation practice. Get references and transcript at https://amble.studio/episode-6-lyric-ritual-games

Hailey and Jase set off on the ambitious quest of answering the question "what is a game?", but with a focus on what this means for ways of working. Our amble takes us through a wide range of terminology. We explore the differences (or lack thereof) between games, workshop activities, and rituals. We also discuss the distinction between "gameful design" and "gamification", and lean into some thorny ethical issues around using games for behaviour change. Overall, we discover that gameful elements are at play in many aspects of our lives, and that games are a useful lens through which to understand our world. Get references and transcript at https://amble.studio/episode-5-what-is-a-game

Hailey and Jase get their minds around the concept of a model. We mostly discuss mental models: how they are formed, how they are shared, and how they are improved. We also discuss how mental models are similar and different to computer models and other external models, as well as the limitations of working with models. Finally, we explore how games function as models, and as a training environment for our model-making capability. Get references and transcript at https://amble.studio/episode-4-models

We explain how the best facilitators intentionally create the conditions that make fruitful collaboration possible. Then, we explore the different ways in which games can become part of this process, or can help develop the skills and mindsets necessary to participate in an effective collaboration. Get references and transcript at https://amble.studio/episode-3-collaboration-design/