NASAGA 2025 Schedule Preview (Thursday PM/Friday AM)
Let’s keep talking NASAGA 2025 schedule, ‘cause it’s gonna be AMAZING.
Thursday, 16 October:
2:00-3:30pm: Breakout Session 2. Time for two more great games:
Playfully Looking@Leadership + Looking@Followership: Using images with an active learning approach, this interactive session explores what represents leadership and followership to you and your organization. Experience visual and kinesthetic research-informed lessons that develop connections, build community, and nurture understanding of how leadership and followership work together.
One Hour to Make Games with Difficult (Playful) Choices: Take on the challenge of making an interactive story game in an hour! Engage in a full UX design cycle (brainstorm, prototype, test, refine), and create experiences with difficult (aka playful) choices that emphasize interesting narratives over random outcomes.
3:30-4:00pm: Break! Fortify yourself with snacks and talk it out with your fellow attendees.
4:00-5:30pm: Breakout Session 3. Last round of conference games for the day:
The Social Arena Game: Simulating Social Media: Influence & Belief & Bias: This energetic, interactive game demonstrates how social media operates through influencers in an environment of belief and bias to form social bubbles and echo chambers. Using decks of playing cards, poker chips, and a supporting Google Spreadsheet, experience competitive and cooperative gameplay that reveals social media dynamics.
Reverse Climate Change: A Daring Epic Adventure!: What would it take for Humanity to "Win" on Climate Change? This metaphorical fantasy game gives players a euphoric experience of being part of a world on track to solve the climate crisis. Vanquish obstacles preventing climate progress using actions based on the latest climate, social, and brain sciences.
5:30-7:00pm: Expo and Poster Session. Many presenters will also have a conference poster here and/or have a table showcasing some of their games and wares. Browse and find things to add to your overflowing game shelves!
8:00pm - 10:30pm: Game Night. Many NASAGAns describe the Game Nights as a highlight of the conference. We will have games available, and feel free to bring your own!
Friday, 17 October:
8:00am - 8:30am: Breakfast. Shorter this time, because there’s games to be played!
9:00am - 10:30am: Keynote 2 - Playing It Forward: Using Gamification to Spark Transformation. Natalie Gillard will talk about her experiences as author of Factuality.
10:30 - 11:00am: Break! Talk, network, share game ideas - your time to engage fellow NASAGANs.
11:00am - 12:30pm: Breakout Session 1. Two more great breakout sessions:
Granny D&D: A Path to Playful Collaboration at Work: Grab your knitting needles and roll a d20—Granny D&D invites participants to step into quirky grandmother roles, fill their magical purses, and solve a cozy mystery together. Through laughter and lighthearted play, discover how imagination and connection drive stronger communication, creativity, and collaboration at work.
Secret Identities and Puzzles: A Fun and Devious Energizer: Through the energizer activity "Secret Identities and Puzzles," participants investigate the biases, tendencies, and learned behaviors teams bring to the workplace. This short, hilarious, and thought-provoking exercise is inspired by games like Mafia and Werewolf—but without the murder!
12:30pm - 2:00pm: Lunch on your own. You’ll need to decompress a little after a terrific morning. Fortify yourself for the rest of the day!
More schedule info coming next week!
