The Gamestorming Breakthrough for Business Ideas
We all know the grind. If you’re running or working in a business, you’re constantly juggling to-do lists, meeting monthly targets, and if you’re really lucky, answering to the stock market on a quarterly basis. The pressure is relentless, and it can be all too easy to keep your head down, focused solely on execution. But every so often, you need to pick your head up and ask yourself: What’s possible here?
Sure, you could hold a brainstorming session, toss out some vague “what’s possible?” or “where are we heading?” questions, but those sessions often leave everyone frustrated and disillusioned. If you want to break out of this cycle and unleash real creativity, it’s time to think differently.
Enter Gamestorming—a powerful framework that will transform the way you generate ideas, tackle problems, and drive innovation in your business. It’s designed to help you unlock your team’s creative potential and generate innovative ideas that can lead to breakthrough solutions.
What is Gamestorming?
Gamestorming is more than a creative buzzword; it’s a structured yet flexible process that takes your team out of the ordinary and into uncharted territory where the best creative ideas lie. Developed by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo, Gamestorming helps business owners break free from traditional thinking and encourages a flow of unconventional, fresh ideas.
The first thing you’ll notice about this approach is that your goals need to be “fuzzy”—and that’s a good thing. This isn’t about creating a rigid path to success with predetermined steps. Instead, it’s about creating space for exploration, trial, and experimentation. Your goals might even shift as you progress, and that’s the beauty of it.
As the authors point out, a fuzzy goal is built on three principles:
Emotion: Without passion, there’s no creativity. You have to tap into what excites your team.
Sensory-Rich: The more tangible you make the goal, the better. Help people see, feel, and even taste the vision through visual thinking.
Progressive: Goals should evolve. As you experiment, the destination might shift, and that’s not a failure—it’s progress.
The Three Stages of Gamestorming
Gamestorming is split into three stages, each playing a vital role in generating and refining creative solutions:
Opening: This stage is all about opening minds and expanding possibilities. Forget about judgment and critical thinking. Just focus on getting as many creative ideas on the table as possible—big, small, ridiculous, or brilliant. The goal is to stir up energy and explore a wide range of possibilities.
Exploring: Now it’s time to connect the dots. Look at the ideas you’ve generated and start making sense of them. How do they link together? Can you take one idea and push it in a new direction? This stage is all about discovering unexpected connections and possibilities, turning a sheet of paper into a visual representation of your team’s thoughts.
Closing: The critical thinking kicks in here. You’ve explored a sea of ideas—now it’s time to focus on what can actually work. Narrow down the possibilities, decide which ones have the most potential, and figure out the next steps. This is where you’ll determine which ideas you can realistically implement.
10 Essentials for Successful Gamestorming
To make Gamestorming work for you, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Opening vs. Closing: Opening and closing are completely different mindsets. Don’t try to do both at the same time. Open the floodgates first, then close the session with clear direction and actionable steps.
Firestarting: Kick things off by sparking your team’s imagination. Use carefully crafted questions to get the creative juices flowing. The better your starting questions, the better your results.
Artifacts: Use physical objects like Post-It Notes or whiteboards to visualize and organize ideas. These “artifacts” will help anchor your thoughts and give your team a tangible way to interact with abstract concepts.
Node Generation: Each idea should be represented on a separate note or visual element. This allows you to move and reorganize ideas freely, helping you see new patterns and connections. It’s a great way to leverage collective intelligence.
Meaningful Space: Create a physical space where your ideas can grow. Whether it’s a whiteboard, wall, or table, make sure your space allows for easy movement of ideas and supports the flow of the session.
Sketching and Model Making: Being able to visually represent ideas helps you and your team see connections. Don’t worry if you’re not a great artist—what matters is making the ideas tangible and concrete.
Randomness, Reversal, and Reframing: Sometimes, we need to break free from the way we normally think. Introduce randomness into the process to get new perspectives. It could be something as simple as moving ideas around or looking at things from a different angle.
Improvisation: Let go of assumptions and biases and go with the flow. Like a jazz musician, you need to embrace improvisation and let unexpected moments lead to breakthrough ideas.
Selection: At some point, you’ll need to make decisions. Use methods like voting or ranking to choose the ideas with the most potential. Selecting the right ideas is crucial to the next steps.
Try Something New: Sometimes, the game you’re playing won’t work out as planned. That’s perfectly fine. The key is to switch gears and try something else when needed.
The 7 Ps of Gamestorming
Now that you’ve got the tools, let’s break down the essential elements that will make your Gamestorming sessions a success. These 7Ps will help you get results:
Purpose: Be clear about why you’re running the session. What’s the goal? Why does it matter? Without a strong purpose, the session will lose focus and energy.
Product: Define what tangible outcome you expect from the session. Without a clear product, you risk having a lot of great ideas but no actionable steps.
People: Choose your participants wisely. Invite a mix of people with knowledge of the topic and those who may not be familiar with it. The different perspectives can spark more creative thinking.
Process: Lay out the agenda. People like to know what to expect, so provide a clear structure for the session to reduce anxiety and keep things moving smoothly.
Pitfalls: Anticipate potential problems. Whether it’s distractions, strong personalities, or off-limit topics, make sure you address these before the session begins.
Prep: Make sure everyone is on the same page before the session. Send out reading materials, prep work, or expectations in advance so you can dive straight into the game without wasting time.
Practical Concerns: Take care of logistical details. Enough space, supplies, and time are critical to running a successful session. Don’t let small issues derail your focus.
Unlock Innovative Ideas with Gamestorming
Gamestorming isn’t just a fun way to brainstorm—it’s a serious tool for unlocking creativity and tackling complex problems head-on. By applying the principles and practices outlined in Gamestorming, you can generate fresh ideas, solve tough business challenges, and build stronger teams.
Ready to take your business to the next level? Join The Swarm and connect with a community of like-minded leaders in the Limitless Leaders Club. Or, if you want to level up your marketing efforts, hire a Marketing Sidekick and start using AI-driven tools to scale your business efficiently.
Don’t wait—step up and start Gamestorming today!
