There Is No “Right” Solution — What Serious Gaming really delivers (and what it doesn’t)

The myth of the “winning” solution

Before, or during a Serious Game session, someone always asks:

“If we play the game well, will we discover the answer to our problem?”

This question still surprises me. It shows just how deep the “right answer” story runs in our culture. We’re trained by school exams, expert reports, management books—and the constant promise of “5 simple steps to success.” No wonder we keep looking for a method, a model, or a tool that will deliver a universal fix.

But in my work, the best answers are rarely handed out. They’re grown—together.

Why the “quick fix” is so tempting (and so misleading)

We live in a world of shortcuts:

• “5 steps to change your life”

• “Just follow these simple rules”

• “Unlock the secret in one easy method”

It’s an appealing dream: Quick, painless, and guaranteed to work for everyone.

But if you’ve ever actually tried applying one of these “simple” methods to a real, living problem, you know:

• Real change is never easy

• Context always matters

• Even “easy” questions can be incredibly hard to answer when it’s your turn

What Serious Gaming really reveals

The power of a Serious Game isn’t in finding the answer.

It’s in seeing the full web of action, reaction, emotion, and decision in motion—together.

In a good game session:

• You don’t just watch yourself; you watch everyone

• You see the cause-and-effect, the feedback loops, the spaghetti of “she said this, so I did that, so the group responded like this”

• You notice patterns you can’t see in your day-to-day routine

The value is not in winning—it’s in making your system visible.

How the process works: act, reflect, adapt, repeat

After each round:

• The group pauses

• Observations are written, emotions named, stories shared

• You might use a model (like Insights Discovery or a leadership values framework) not as a “solution,” but as a lens to spot dynamics

• The team makes a new plan and tries it out

This cycle is what matters:

Act → Reflect → Adapt → Act again

Each new round brings new learning—not just about the problem, but about yourselves and each other.

Why there can never be one “right” answer

• Every group is different

• Every moment brings new dynamics

• What works today, with these people, may not work tomorrow—or even next week

The “solution” is always:

• Local (for this team, in this situation)

• Alive (it changes as you do)

• Co-created (made by you, not for you)

What teams actually take away

The magic of Serious Gaming isn’t a prize at the end. It’s the boost that comes when people realize:

• We found a way through together.

• No one handed it to us—we made it ourselves.

This isn’t just a learning effect. It’s a confidence effect:
If you did it once, you can do it again.
If you changed your system together, you can face the next challenge with more trust, more agency, more collective strength.

Closing: From seeking answers to building capacity

So if you’re hoping a Serious Game will spit out the one right answer, you might be disappointed.

But if you’re open to seeing your challenge as a living, moving, human system—and building the muscles to work with it—you’ll leave with something far more valuable:

Not the answer, but the ability to find your next one, together.