WHAT WE ARE DOING

WHY WE ARE DOING IT

writing down, drawing, and sharing as many game ideas as possible on the whiteboard.

to select the future game concept that you and a partner will develop through prototyping

ACTIVITY MATERIALS

BEFORE WE START

Review the Brainstorming Guide

؜The goal of brainstorming is to create a generative list of ideas - that means ideas that have lots of room to grow - for potential projects that you can continue to explore. Think of these ideas as seeds that will grow and transform into your project.

1 - ENCOURAGE WILD IDEAS

2 - SUSPEND JUDGMENT

4 - BUILD ON IDEAS

5 - BE VISUAL

3 - GO FOR QUANTITY

Wild ideas can often give rise to creative leaps.

Don’t shoot down someone else’s idea.

Aim for as many ideas as possible.

Build and expand on the ideas of others.

Sketch your ideas.

ENCOURAGE

WILD IDEAS

Wild ideas can often give rise to creative leaps.

Shout out bizarre and unworkable ideas to see what they spark off. No idea is too ridiculous. State out any outlandish ideas. Exaggerate ideas to the extreme.

SUSPEND

JUDGEMENT

Don’t shoot down someone else’s idea.

The evaluation of ideas takes up valuable brain power which should be devoted to the creation if ideas. Therefore do not judge the ideas until after the brainstorming process. Note down all ideas.

GO FOR

QUANTITY

Aim for as many ideas as possible.

If the number of ideas at the end of the session is very large, there is a greater chance of finding a really good idea. Keep each idea short, do not describe it in detail - just capture its essence.

BUILD

ON IDEAS

Build and expand on the ideas of others.

Try and add extra thoughts to each idea. Use other people’s ideas as inspiration for your own. Creative people are also good listeners. Combine several of the suggested ideas to explore new possibilities.

BE

VISUAL

Sketch your ideas.

Nothing gets an idea across faster than drawing it. It doesn’t matter how terrible of a sketcher you are! It’s all about the idea behind your sketch.

BRAINSTORMING STEPS

30 MINS

15 MINS

30 MINS

Collective Brainstorming

Preparing writing + drawing

Group idea jam pinup

Pin up as many possible ideas as you can. We will try to collect a big number of causes we can design for.

Develop a few of your ideas by drawing what they would look like. How does it deploy ..? How would you describe it to the rest of the studio?

؜Be prepared to share a few of your favorite ideas. Everyone will speak and draw on the whiteboard. Share as many unique ideas as possible.

GROUP BRAINSTORMING RULES

Start with the Message: Begin by identifying the issue your game will address — whether it's about the environment, health, social justice, or culture. What do you want players to feel, learn, or do after playing?

Design for Connection: Think about how your game brings people together. Is it cooperative, discussion-based, or about shared storytelling? Focus on making interactions meaningful and inclusive.

Build from Mechanics: Explore different game types (puzzle, strategy, trivia, roleplay, etc.). Choose mechanics that support your cause and keep players engaged while reinforcing your message.

1st

Start with a Big Question

Quick discussion:

1. “What’s something in the world that needs more attention?”
2. “What issue would you like more people to understand or care about?”
3. “What challenge do you wish you could help fix?”

2nd

Games for a Cause

؜Environment

Mental & Physical Health

Education & Culture

Social & Belonging

Climate Change

Water Acess

؜Endangered species

Anxiety

Impairment

Language

preservation

Cultural Identity

Access to education

Digital

isolation

Inclusion

؜Each one of you will post on the whiteboard 2 examples per category

3rd

Games for a Cause

Pair up and select 3 causes that interest you

؜Environment

Mental & Physical Health

Education & Culture

Social & Belonging

Climate Change

Water Acess

؜Endangered species

Anxiety

Impairment

Language

preservation

Cultural Identity

Access to education

Digital

isolation

Inclusion

4th

Cause X Game Type

Pair up and select 3 causes that interest you

؜Environment

Mental & Physical Health

Education & Culture

Climate Change

Anxiety

Language

preservation

Card Game

Strategy Game

Trivia Game

Puzzle Game

Card Game

Quest Game

Card Game

Strategy Game

Word Game

Party

Card

Strategy

Coop

Trivia

Puzzle

Word

5th

Selecting one idea

Select one type of game per idea and think of possible game outcomes

Climate Change

Anxiety

Language

preservation

Card Game

Strategy Game

Trivia Game

Puzzle Game

Card Game

Quest Game

Card Game

Strategy Game

Word Game

Players use a set of True or False cards to learn about climate change

Players navigate calming environments by solving soothing logic puzzles. Each puzzle represents a common anxiety trigger or emotion.

Players complete word puzzles to reveal the "lost magic" of the language — phrases, proverbs, or poetic expressions.

6th

؜Sketching ideas

Select one game idea and think of 3 ways the game could look like

Language

preservation

Word Game

Players complete word puzzles to reveal the "lost magic" of the language — phrases, proverbs, or poetic expressions.

Each face contains mysterious symbols. Players decipher phonetic matches (runes to letters/sounds) to slowly uncover the full language puzzle.

A branching crossword or word grid with mysterious clues tied to cultural meanings.

Players listen to short audio clips (a spoken proverb, a traditional chant) and match the meaning, rhythm, or word fragments to a visual puzzle.

؜Version 1

؜Version 2

؜Version 3

7th

؜Game Idea Selected

؜Pick one idea to move forward with. Share out with your classmates

Each face contains mysterious symbols. Players decipher phonetic matches (runes to letters/sounds) to slowly uncover the full language puzzle.

؜Version 2