Not All Heroes Wear Capes. Some Lead Games!
By Alex Suchman
Earlier this month, Forbes published an article called “The Billion-Dollar Business of Belonging” about how - and why - the experience economy is booming.
The experience economy refers to things people buy that are not a product or service, but rather are things that they can do, places they can access, for a specific amount of time. Think concerts, sporting events, festivals, fan conventions, etc. Environments where people are immersed in an event centered around something they are interested in, where they are surrounded by others who share that interest.
The experience economy is not new, but the range of experiences people are buying and the customized niches of experiences on offer (cat cafe, anyone?) have exploded in the last decade or so.
What’s behind this big shift?
The article connects increased demand for experience to the sense of loneliness and isolation that are becoming more prevalent in our lives. As more of our lives take place in digital spaces indoors, we spend less time interacting with others. Digital interactions don’t have the same social and emotional depth as real-world interactions, and leave us craving more.
These purchased experiences offer a meaningful, if temporary, opportunity to belong. To share a time, place, and emotional state with others from the same ilk, and come away with memories (and pictures, social media posts, and/or souvenirs).
Having recently experienced the power of collective effervescence at a massive pop concert myself, I can attest to the power of sharing a moment in time with other people around a connecting interest. But accessibility is limited, because goods in the experience economy are often expensive and are only available in certain places at specific times.
This is where games come in!
You know what else creates an immersive shared experience that fosters communal spirit and a sense of belonging? Playing games!
Whether with family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, volunteers, board members, etc., games create a sacred, temporary space around a shared interest. With clear rules of engagement and predetermined objectives, games allow people to connect and interact as humans on equal footing, outside of the parameters of normal life.
Many games are free or low cost, and can be played multiple times in multiple places, removing the cost, location, and timing constraints. You can play a game with just one other person, with dozens of other people, and anything in between, making them one of most accessible types of experience there is.
I myself am a play facilitator, so I know how powerful play experiences can be for building relationships, strengthening trust, deepening learning, and catalyzing curiosity. I’ve seen games transform team culture within a few hours, completely shifting how colleagues perceive and interact with each other. I’ve had clients look at me like I’m a superhero.
NASAGA ‘26 can turn you into a game superhero!
NASAGA’s annual conference is all about games, but not just for the sake of fun. We’re all about applying games toward learning, community building, advocacy, discovery.
With this year’s conference theme of “Sustaining Human Connection through Play in the Digital Age,” we’ll be giving extra focus on the idea of games as a means for connection and belonging. Every session will expose you to new games, new tools, new methods for leading transformative experiences within your professional and personal communities.
Imagine being known as an “experience superhero” who can create powerful moments of belonging and wonder, camaraderie and discovery, curiosity and impact, just by bringing people together for a game?
Come join your people in Rochester this October! Learn more and register for the NASAGA conference here.
Image Credit: Generated by Nano Banana Pro via a prompt generated by Claude 4.6 Opus
