The Serious Games Podcast

The Serious Games Podcast

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The Serious Games Podcast episodes

  • Jargon Busting with Poetry for Neanderthals
    Interview with Lucy Chambers

    Lucy Chambers joins Julian to explore how playful word games like Poetry for Neanderthals can help teams break down jargon, foster empathy, and create more inclusive communication. Drawing on her journey from “word nerd” outsider in tech to facilitation expert, Lucy shares practical ways to make language accessible, fun, and meaningful for everyone at work.

    1. Lucy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyfedia/
    2. Lucy's website: https://facilitationmindset.com/
    3. Lucy's podcast 'Edges of Facilitation' on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gXwn9Ex9ZOGubX8WTGVYS
    4. Lucy's podcast 'Edges of Facilitation' on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lucyfacilitates/
    5. Lucy's Facilitation Mindset on Substack: https://substack.com/@lucyfedia
    6. Lucy's article on Jargon Busting: https://facilitationmindset.substack.com/p/j-is-for-jargon-busting
    7. The Poetry for Neanderthals Card Game: https://www.explodingkittens.com/products/poetry-for-neanderthals
    8. xkcd webcomic by Randall P. Munroe: https://xkcd.com
    9. Only use the one thousand most frequent words with xkcd's Simple Writer: https://xkcd.com/simplewriter/
    10. The Up-Goer Five text editor by Theo Sanderson: https://splasho.com/upgoer5/
    11. Randall P. Munroe's 2012 comic "Up-Goer Five" on the Saturn V rocket: https://xkcd.com/1133/
    12. #play14 website: https://play14.org/
    13. Music: "Blanks" by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0, soundofpicture.com). A big thank you for sharing this wonderful track.
    14. For feedback or to share your own jargon-busting stories, reach out at [email protected] or connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kilearning/
    15. 58 min
    16. The Power of Story in Team Transformation
      Interview with Irmi Schäffl

      Pen & Paper is more than just a game for Irmi. In this episode she reveals how the magic of tabletop roleplaying games can spark trust, creativity, and genuine transformation in teams. Experience how storytelling and playful immersion break down barriers, ignite emotional connection, and inspire teams to grow beyond their comfort zones.

      1. Irmi Schäffl on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/irmi-schaeffl/
      2. "Twelve or higher" website: www.twelve-or-higher.de
      3. "Twelve or higher" on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twelveorhigher/
      4. "Twelve or higher" on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/twelve-or-higher/
      5. Serious Games Podcast episode with Irmi Schäffl & Jasmin Justen about Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TRPG or TRPG) (German): https://seriousgames.podigee.io/27-pen-and-paper
      6. Storytelling as Adaptive Collective Sensemaking by Lucas M Bietti, et al.: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7379714/
      7. ABOREA is an ideal beginner-friendly tabletop RPG for newcomers to pen-and-paper gaming, families, and groups aged 14+, featuring simplified rules (German): https://www.aborea.de/
      8. Recommended podcast about roleplaying "Dungeon Starter" (German): https://dungeonstarter.de/
      9. Recommended podcast about roleplaying "My First Dungeon": https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/my-first-dungeon/id1601290088?l=en-GB
      10. Music: "Blanks" by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0, soundofpicture.com). A big thank you for sharing this wonderful track.
      11. 1 hr 16 min
      12. Moonshot
        Interview with Till Hasbach

        Moonshot transforms innovation from a rigid, post-it-laden process into a playful, immersive experience. Co-creator Till Hasbach reveals how this “innovation lab in a box” helps teams break out of their routines, embrace chaos, and generate truly groundbreaking ideas. Through game mechanics, creative constraints, and collaborative prototyping, Moonshot empowers participants to think bigger, laugh harder, and own their ideas – making innovation culture tangible and fun.

        1. Till Hasbach on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/till-hasbach/
        2. MoonShot Website: https://moonshot.game/
        3. Serious Games Podcast Episode with Till Hasbach on Moonshot from January 2023: https://seriousgames.podigee.io/26-moonshot
        4. Moonshot – The Innovation Game Explained: https://youtu.be/Ojaac71lfG0
        5. Adjustable liquid-filled eyeglasses by Joshua Silver: https://www.ted.com/talks/joshuasilveradjustableliquidfilled_eyeglasses
        6. 10-hours of #play14 Berlin – Winter Edition 2026: https://10-hours-of-play14-winter26.eventbrite.de/?aff=podcast
        7. Music: "Blanks" by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0, soundofpicture.com). A big thank you for sharing this wonderful track.
        8. 1 hr 17 min
        9. Strategy Knotworking
          Interview with Christian Weinert

          Strategy Knotworking is a playful, inclusive approach to strategy development rooted in Liberating Structures. Christian explains how this method transcends rigid planning by involving all stakeholders to co-create a meaningful North Star, adapt to multiple possible futures, and facilitate genuinely participatory workshops.

          1. Christian Weinert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-weinert-4a953b142/
          2. Christian Weinert’s website: https://www.weinert-beratung.de/
          3. Christian Weinert's Praxis-Podcast zu Liberating Structures: https://praxispodcast-liberating-structures.podigee.io/
          4. Article ‘Surprise and Serendipity Put to Work’ by Keith McCandless and Johannes Schartau: https://www.liberatingstructures.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Liberating-Strategy.pdf
          5. Liberating Structures website: https://www.liberatingstructures.com/
          6. #play14 website: https://play14.org/
          7. Holisticon AG website: https://www.holisticon.de/
          8. Liberating Structures Workshop Companion (LISA App) by Holisticon AG: https://liberatingstructures.app/en/
          9. Music: "Blanks" by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0, soundofpicture.com). A big thank you for sharing this wonderful track.
          10. 1 hr 17 min
          11. ScrumTale
            Interview with Przemek Witka

            ScrumTale is a serious game that uses collaborative crime story writing to teach Scrum principles. Co-creator Przemek Witka explains how this simulation mirrors software development challenges (like integration and quality assurance) making it a one-of-its-kind engaging learning experience.

            1. Przemystaw Witka on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/przemekwitka/
            2. ScrumTale website: https://scrumtale.com/
            3. ScrumTale on medium.com: https://medium.com/scrumtale
            4. Serious Games Podcast episode about LEGO Zoo in German: https://seriousgames.podigee.io/7-lego-zoo
            5. Enjoy 50% off the ‘ScrumTale - Do It Yourself Edition’ by using "serious-games-podcast" as coupon code. Offer valid until December 31, 2025: https://scrumtale.com/product/scrumtale-diy-edition/
            6. Music: "Blanks" by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0, soundofpicture.com). A big thank you for sharing this wonderful track.
            7. 1 hr 17 min
            8. Edu-LARP
              Interview with Meghan Gardner

              Edu-LARPing immerses adults in role-play to learn, practice boundaries, confront triggers, and explore emotions. Hear from Consultant Meghan Gardner on why it's the pinnacle of experiential learning and knowledge transfer.

              1. Meghan Gardner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guardup/
              2. Meghan Gardner’s Guard Up, Inc.: https://guardup.com/
              3. Uppsala University’s Master's Programme in Transformative Game Design: https://www.uu.se/en/study/programme/masters-programme-transformative-game-design
              4. Serious Play Conference: https://seriousplayconf.com/
              5. Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons website: https://www.dndbeyond.com/
              6. #TheDebriefingCube in several languages: https://www.kilearning.net/en/thedebriefingcube/
              7. Music: "Blanks" by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0, soundofpicture.com). A big thank you for sharing this wonderful track.
              8. 1 hr 18 min
              9. Eternal Ice
                Interview mit Sven Olaf Nix und Svenja Schmitt (in German language)

                **Eine antarktische Forschungsstation, 12 Teammitglieder a Board und jede Menge Forschungsaufgaben sowie Herausforderungen - das ist “Eternal Ice”, das kooperative Online-Serious-Game für Teams. **

                1. Svenja Schmitt auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svenja-schmitt-983009246/
                2. Sven Olaf Nix auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sven-olaf-nix/
                3. Internetseite der teamera UG: https://teamera.me/
                4. Eternal Ice Game Master Materialien: https://teamera.me/materials/
                5. Youtube-Video zu Team Mental Models: https://youtu.be/kvG4YVzhJlE?si=SLt4eKw_uKpzL-KX
                6. Team Emergency Assessment Measure (TEAM) von Cooper S. et al. (in English): https://nexusipe.org/advancing/assessment-evaluation/team-emergency-assessment-measure-team
                7. LinkedIn Event “Erlebe das Serious Game Eternal Ice” vom 9. Oktober 2024: https://www.linkedin.com/events/erlebedasseriousgameeternalice7239573123342176257/
                8. Musik: „Blanks“ von Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0, soundofpicture.com). Ein großes Dankeschön für diesen tollen Track.
                9. 1 hr 23 min
                10. Das T-shaped House von Santa Claus
                  Interview mit Veit Richter (in German language)

                  T-Shaping in Teams spielerisch sichtbar machen – das ist das "House von Santa Claus". Teilnehmende erleben wie sich spezifische Skills, Urlaub und die ungeübten Hand auf Ergebnisse, Dynamik und Fokus auswirken.

                  1. Veit Richter auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veit-richter/
                  2. Veit's Blogpost mit Materialien zum Spiel: https://veit-richter.com/das-t-shaped-house-von-santa-claus
                  3. Direkt-Link zum Nikolaus-Vordruck: https://veit-richter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Haus-Vom-Nikolaus.pdf
                  4. Tasty Cupcakes Internetseite: https://tastycupcakes.org/
                  5. Agile Alliance's Agile2024: https://www.agilealliance.org/agile2024/
                  6. Buche "Agile Spiele und Simumationen" von Marc Bleß und Dennis Wagner: https://www.kulturkaufhaus.de/de/detail/ISBN-9783960091790/Ble%C3%9F-Marc/Agile-Spiele-und-Simulationen?bpmctrl=bpmrownr.4%7Cforeign.479988-1-0-0
                  7. Management 3.0 Team Competency Matrix: https://management30.com/practice/competency-matrix/
                  8. Serious Games Podcast-Folge "Das Haus vom Nikolaus" mit Ralf Kruse: https://seriousgames.podigee.io/14-das-haus-vom-nikolaus
                  9. Serious Games Podcast-Folge "Fang Schuh" mit Sonja Sinz: https://seriousgames.podigee.io/30-fang-schuh
                  10. Serious Games Podcast-Folge "Magic Maze" mit Sebastian Schneider: https://seriousgames.podigee.io/6-magic-maze
                  11. Play4Agile Internetseite: https://play4agile.wordpress.com/
                  12. #play14 Internetseite: https://play14.org/
                  13. t2informatik Blogpost zu User Story Mapping: https://t2informatik.de/wissen-kompakt/user-story-mapping/
                  14. Marshmellow Challenge auf workshop-spiele.de: https://www.workshop-spiele.de/marhsmallow-challenge/
                  15. Musik: „Blanks“ von Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0, soundofpicture.com). Ein großes Dankeschön für diesen tollen Track.
                  16. 52 min
                  17. Gamification
                    Interview mit Janek Panneitz (in German language)

                    Erfahre im Gespräch mit Janek, wie Gamification und Spielmechaniken deine Lernformate bereichern und soziale Interaktionen fördern. Entdecke drei Ebenen der Gamification und erhalte Tipps zur Spieleauswahl und zum effektiven Einsatz für Reflexion und Lernen.

                    1.⁠ ⁠Janek Panneitz auf LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/janek-panneitz-thinking-without-boxes

                    2.⁠ ⁠Janek Panneitz Internetseite: https://www.thinking-without-boxes.de/
                    3.⁠ ⁠Podcastfolge „3D Welten“ mit Janek: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-serious-games-podcast/id1493071289?i=1000647508280
                    4.⁠ ⁠Podcastfolge „Online Escape Game“ mit Janek: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-serious-games-podcast/id1493071289?i=1000504425372
                    5.⁠ ⁠Gamification auf Wikipedia: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification
                    6.⁠ ⁠Zur Entstehungsgeschichte von Monopoly: https://www.spektrum.de/kolumne/monopoly-die-geschichte-eines-der-erfolgreichsten-brettspiele/1748112
                    7.⁠ ⁠Podcastfolge „Ball Point Game“ mit Chris: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-serious-games-podcast/id1493071289?i=1000472494485
                    8.⁠ ⁠Internetseite des Scrum Guides: https://www.scrum.org/resources/scrum-guide
                    9.⁠ ⁠Podcastfolge „LEGO®️ Zoo“ mit David: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-serious-games-podcast/id1493071289?i=1000471883119
                    10.⁠ ⁠XY Game: https://play14.org/games/x-y-game
                    11.⁠ ⁠Stuart Brown‘s Buch „Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul“: https://www.kulturkaufhaus.de/de/detail/ISBN-9781583333785/Brown-Stuart/Play
                    12.⁠ ⁠Buch „Agile Games Facilitation“ von Julian & Anne: https://www.kulturkaufhaus.de/de/detail/ISBN-9783800664559/Hoffmann-Anne/Agile-Games-Facilitation?bpmctrl=bpmrownr.1%7Cforeign.479988-1-0-0
                    13.⁠ ⁠Spielwiese in Berlin-Friedrichshain: https://www.spielwiese-berlin.de
                    14.⁠Computerspiel “Flower”: https://thatgamecompany.com/flower/
                    15.⁠ ⁠#TheDebriefingCube in verschiedenen Sprachen zum Download: https://www.kilearning.net/TheDebriefingCubeENCC-BY_v26.pdf

                    1. Musik: „Blanks“ von Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0, soundofpicture.com). Ein großes Dankeschön für diesen tollen Track.
                    2. 54 min
                    3. The Debriefing Cube
                      Interview from Professor Game

                      Transform your debriefing with #TheDebriefingCube. This tool enhances your skills and increases the value of your exercises and games. Participants will experience a significant boost in their learning and initiate change through shared experiences. You can access this powerful tool by downloading PDFs in multiple languages or ordering printed cards, all available under a CC-BY license. Don’t miss out, get your copy today!

                      1. Rob (Roberto) Alvarez Bucholska on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-alvarez-bucholska/
                      2. Professor Game Podcast: https://www.professorgame.com/
                      3. Professor Game on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/professorgame/
                      4. #TheDebriefingCube in English 🇬🇧: https://kilearning.net/TheDebriefingCubeENCC-BY_v26.pdf
                      5. #TheDebriefingCube in German 🇩🇪: https://kilearning.net/TheDebriefingCubeDECC-BY_v26.pdf
                      6. #TheDebriefingCube in Spanish 🇪🇸: https://kilearning.net/TheDebriefingCubeESCC-BY_v26.pdf
                      7. #TheDebriefingCube in Dutch 🇳🇱: https://kilearning.net/TheDebriefingCubeNLCC-BY_v26.pdf
                      8. #TheDebriefingCube in Russian 🇷🇺: https://kilearning.net/TheDebriefingCubeRUCC-BY_v26.pdf
                      9. #TheDebriefingCube in French 🇫🇷: https://kilearning.net/TheDebriefingCubeFRCC-BY_v26.pdf
                      10. Debriefing Cube Online by Corinna Baldauf (Retromat, 24 Work Hacks, Wall-Skills): https://www.facilitation-tools.org/debriefing-cube/
                      11. The Debriefing App by Wiro Kuipers, Edwin de Vos, Emiel Van Kalken und Jaap den Dulk from Professional Play: https://thedebriefing.app/
                      12. The history of #TheDebriefingCube: https://www.kilearning.net/en/thedebriefingcube/
                      13. Order #TheDebriefingCube here: https://www.kilearning.net/en/thedebriefingcube/
                      14. Music: "Blanks" by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0, soundofpicture.com). A big thank you for sharing this wonderful track.
                      15. 41 min

                      About The Serious Games Podcast

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                      The Serious Games Podcast explores interactive methods and serious games for workshops, meetings, trainings, and conferences, with a sharp focus on facilitation craft, debriefing, and real world…

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