Let minnow what you think about this…
Hey folks!
It was a busy weekend for me. Busy playing games! I completed Dredge, a game following a fisherman stuck in the middle of some lovecraftian happenings. It was incredible fun and I got so sucked in, I finished it in about 17 hours.
A screenshot of Dredge, showing a fishing boat sailing towards a village surround by cliffs and trees. A bright lighthouse on the right competes with the sunset.
Dredge, a beautifully and quite literally haunting game.
My partner hung out while I explored the seas and we discussed theories on what could possibly be happening. Overall, Dredge is a pretty chill single player game that lends itself well to being the center of activity, with folks talking while one person plays.
At one point, my partner pulled out a puzzle and worked on that, too. When I needed a game break, I’d pop on over to the puzzle.
Non-digital and digital single player games can work well on their own or together. You don’t always have to just do multiplayer or co-op games with your team. Doing an activity together or engaging in parallel play, sharing what you’re thinking, feeling, and finding together, is a great way to increase connection and build safety.
Safety, connection, and care on a team is grown through repeated, positive interactions, and, for some extra credit, throw in overcoming a challenge, like this massive puzzle that we still haven’t completed.
Team based problem solving like this builds trust, belonging, and coordination. In fact, I could go on and on about ALL the things that’ll improve, but I’ll hold back and ask you to give it a go instead.
How can you incorporate playful problem solving into your team this week or next?
If you need ideas, have questions, thoughts, anything, hit reply!
Good luck, have fun,
Lissy
P.S. I’m reely sorry for the subject line but I love puns. 😅
