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Gamified simulations that shape a culture of high performance.  

Where experiential learning meets powerful team building.

Our award-winning simulations are at the leading edge of culture-shaping and adult education. Rooted in the psychology of learning, trust, and collaboration, yet experienced through a playful veneer, gamified simulations provide a carefully curated experience that bridges the gap between theory-based knowledge and work-based application. 

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As featured in AIPM Magazine, gamified simulations offer a fun, psychologically safe learning experience. They enable a layered approach to learning by allowing people to practice new ways of working in a safe, controlled environment where learning from mistakes - and reflecting openly and constructively on them - is actually a fun and engaging social experience.

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Perfect for team building events, project kick-offs, team off-sites, and professional development.  

“On its surface, gamification seems ‘fake’, artificial, or like a shortcut. It’s not. Underneath the surface is the idea of engagement, story, autonomy, and meaning.”

Karl M. Kapp, 2012, The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-Based Methods and Strategies for Training & Education, John Wiley & Sons

Nick Jago, our Chief Culture Officer, explains why gamified simulations are seriously fun. 

The Simulations

The Pitch 

A short introduction to projects.

This short 2-3 hour simulation is set in the world of Mad Men in the 1960s New York Advertising sector. The project – delivered through a traditional predictive (waterfall) methodology – involves developing a product (the perfect flipchart) for an internal sponsor (Don Draper) in a mid-tier advertising agency in the heart of New York City. Teams make their way through the standard phases of the project lifecycle, developing the Project Charter, Gantt Chart, Status Report, and Closure Report, led by the ever-confident Don Draper.  

 

It can either end in success (Don is happy, case closed) or it can end in a cliffhanger that segways into the sequel Mencken Madness (Don is happy, client is not, Don is fired). 

A group of adults in fancy dress doing team building activities

Mencken Madness 

A predictive (waterfall) project management simulation.

This 4-6 hour simulation is delivered with or without The Pitch as its prelude. Like The Pitch, it is set in the world of Mad Men and involves teams competing as rival advertising agencies to win a new client, Rachel Mencken, manager of Mencken's Department Store. Winning the lucrative "Mencken Account" will require engaging with the client to understand her interests, then pitching  a strategy to get customers into her store, in a 3-minute pitch.

 

The sim follows the lifecycle of a predictive project, with teams required to produce key project management documents (Project Charter, Project Plan, Status Report, PIR) which their project sponsor, Bob, must approve at each phase gate. Teams are also given a project budget which they may use to procure a range of resources to zhuzh up their pitch. Success requires teamwork and the skillful balancing of time, cost & quality.  

The Battle 

A project & program management simulation.

This epic simulation takes in project and program management, with the relationship between delivery team and project sponsor in the spotlight. Drones, nerf guns and catapults are sure to get hearts and minds racing. Set 100 years in the future, in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by climate change, participants work in teams within two opposing armies, in a race to build a catapult and claim territory from the opposing army.

 

Generals, as project sponsors, approve passage through phase gates in accordance with a predictive project lifecycle (Initiate > Plan > Deliver > Close). Captains, as project managers, must demonstrate leadership and foster collaboration within the team, harnessing the special abilities of team members, such as the Communication Officer (able to talk to other teams and deliver reports to the General), Procurement Officer (able to procure components and ammo from the armoury), and Engineer (able to assemble the components into the catapult).

Game of Moans 

A change management simulation (soft projects).  

Set in the world of the hit TV show Game of Thrones, this simulation combines predictive (waterfall) project management methodology with change management and strong stakeholder engagement. As with all soft and complex projects, politics, negotiation, and communication are centre-stage.

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Participants work in teams as the Small Council of the newly throned Dragon Queen. Together they must devise a strategy for introducing her fire-breathing dragons to the realm without destabilising the throne, or worse, triggering a mutinous revolt from one of the five Great Houses. They’ll leverage intel from The Spy, procure services from The Market, engage with key stakeholders including the House Heads, and present their strategy in two iterations of public consultation. ​With a choose-your-own-adventure-style ending, teams may find themselves victorious, exiled, or dragon-food, depending on how well they've managed those all-important stakeholders.  

Le Brouhaha 

An agile simulation. 

Set in the French Revolution, this simulation develops knowledge and skills in Agile product development, leadership and communication. From two opposing camps – Royalists vs Revolutionaries – participants must collaborate, adapt, and problem-solve their way through three Agile sprints (iterations) to emerge victorious.

 

It's a high-impact simulation involving Agile practices such as adaptive-incremental development, minimum viable product, sprint planning, and the use of retrospectives to identify and act on lessons learned. Plus nerf guns. 

Next-level team building 

Simulations are about curating a shared, team-based experience.

They provide a fun and psychologically safe space for people to:

  • Meet and bond with colleagues 

  • Learn new skills

  • Challenge existing behaviours

  • Adopt a growth mindset

  • Practice systems-thinking

  • Develop interpersonal and leadership skills.

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Our multi-award-winning simulations are powerful tools for:

  • Learning and professional development

  • Embedding internal methodology / ways of working

  • Change management & stakeholder engagement

  • Team building and culture shaping.

Perfect for...

Team building

As participants laugh and learn together in a gamified environment, they deepen their relationships with colleagues and broaden their internal networks with a positive first impression. This helps to breaks down horizontal and vertical silos within the organisation so people are more likely to share information, offer a dissenting view, and reach out to others for advice, support, or a second opinion – behaviours that can have a dramatic impact on projects at critical moments. In other words, the sims are designed to build trust, the bedrock of collaborative, high-performing teams.

We've won the following national and international awards for our use of gamified simulations in team building, change management, talent acquisition, and learning. 

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  • Best Training and Mentorship Program of the Year l BSB50820 Diploma of Project Management featuring Mencken Madness | 2020 Australian Defence Industry Awards (Finalist)

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  • Innovation in Learning | Le Brouhaha & Game of Moans | 2020 LPI Learning Awards

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  • Best 70/20/10 Learning Model | Le Brouhaha & Game of Moans | 2020 LearnX Impact Awards

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  • Best Blended Learning Model | Le Brouhaha & Game of Moans | 2020 LearnX Impact Awards

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  • Best Unique and Innovative Talent Acquisition Strategy | The Pitch | 2020 Brandon Hall Excellence Awards

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  • Best Unique or Innovative Leadership Program | Le Brouhaha & Game of Moans | 2020 Brandon Hall Excellence Awards

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  • Best Team Development Program | Le Brouhaha & Game of Moans | 2020 Brandon Hall Excellence Awards

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  • Best Use of Gamification and Simulations for Learning | The Battle | 2019 Brandon Hall Excellence Awards

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  • Best Learning Program Supporting a Change Transformation Strategy | Le Brouhaha & Game of Moans | 2019 Brandon Hall Excellence Awards

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  • Best Change Management Strategy | Le Brouhaha & Game of Moans | 2019 LearnX Impact Awards

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  • Best Team Building Strategy | Le Brouhaha & Game of Moans | 2019 LearnX Impact Awards

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  • External Learning Solution of the Year | Le Brouhaha & Game of Moans | 2019 LPI Learning Awards (Finalist)

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  • Best Use of Gamification and Simulations for Learning | The Battle | 2018 l AITD Training Excellence Awards (Highly Commended)

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  • Best Leadership Program | Le Brouhaha & Game of Moans | 2018 l AITD Training Excellence Awards

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  • Best Team Building Project | The Battle | 2017  | LearnX Impact Awards

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  • Best Use of Gamification and Simulations for Learning | The Battle | 2016 l AITD Training Excellence Awards

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Get in Touch

Reach out for a chat about using gamified simulations for learning, team-building, methodology training, and culture-shaping. 

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