HOW we play the games

At A Simple Twist we believe that we, the human race, can save the world through the power of games. That somewhere within humanity’s collective intelligence lies the secret to ending global conflict. Nowhere has that attempt been made more times than in the incalculable number of games that have been played and recorded. That’s all games are, an attempt to see how humans behave given a specific set of rules different from the ones we are accustomed to. The lessons we have learned from these games tell us much. Take a glance through the work of Jane Macgonigal (Reality is Broken), Yu-kai Chou (Actionable Gamification), or Quantic Foundry (The Science of Gamer Motivation). The games we play, and more importantly, how we play them, speak volumes about how we view and engage with the world. 

In using these theories, A Simple Twist brings people together and digs into understanding how and why each person plays different games. Through that understanding, we can identify the sources of conflict and more easily bridge communication. At the end of the day, competition can be healthily expressed in a game, but history has shown that it often kills us when applied to the physical world. It can be so easy to get caught up in the “Us vs Them” model. Collaboration is what we need but most of our programming on how to “win at life” is taught to us through competition. We must shift the balance of gaming from competition to collaboration, and to do it we need all of you. 

We need you to get in the game, learn how to play, and start changing the rules. 

“But, I’m not a gamer,” you say?

We’re all gamers of different sorts. From sports to video games, to cards and dominoes, everyone plays at something. Many of us don’t even realize how much we play, in our relationships, in our careers, in our lives. We’re all playing games with each other. And, often we are unknowingly competing against each other, in love, in work, and in life. Let’s learn how to win together, and beat the game, not each other.