Lex Get Together #4 | The Power of Play

In my previous work as a Game Guide, I led corporate teams through board game sessions to deepen their trust, communication, and understanding. I noticed how much easier it was for folks to connect with their managers and peers when they played together.

When people are in “play mode,” something special happens. They let their guard down. They laugh. They stop worrying about how they’re coming across and start focusing on the moment. Games give people an easy excuse to access those things.

Visible Progress

Games make progress clear - experience bars fill up, achievements pop, and quest logs track what you’ve completed so far. They're powerful tools that show how far you’ve come.

When we can track that our daily routines contribute towards something, motivation follows. Those networking chats or catch-up calls you’re putting off? They become more manageable when tied to rewards or progress tracking.

Start Small & Repeat

When I realized how much of my social life had drifted online post-Covid, I decided to reconnect with my physical community. Instead of making a vague goal to "be more neighborly," I created a simple tracking system on my bulletin board:

Meet 10 Neighbors
⭐⭐🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘

This tracker turned an intimidating social goal into something measurable and fun. Each star represented a real connection, a name learned, or a friendly wave-turned conversation.

Fun fact: only about 1 in 4 people say they know most of their neighbors well.

The next step was figuring out how to do this. Rather than cold-calling doors, I felt like I needed a natural conversation starter. We don’t really have a community center or central gathering space in our neighborhood so I would need to take a little more initiative.

My partner and I had recently hauled in a TON of turnips from our garden. We had transformed them into pickles, but even after filling our pantry, we had plenty to share.

This garden overflow gave me a natural reason to knock on doors and share something homemade. Eight out of ten neighbors welcomed the interaction (even if some of them were perplexed at the concept of pickled turnips) - only two mistook me for a salesperson!

Think achievement badges ("Local Legend: Met 10 Neighbors!"), progress bars (7/10 neighbors met), or daily streaks ("5-day wave streak!"). By making our real-world goals just as visible (through stars on a board or check marks in a journal), we can transform vague intentions into concrete victories we can see and celebrate.

Check out these communities using gamification to bring people together:

👾 Habitica turns your to-do list into an RPG adventure through their app
🕹️ Conquerors of Betterment focuses on productivity with game elements in their Discord server
🎮 Co-x3's "Gamify Your Life" Notion template offers a complete system for those ready to dive deep

This TEDx talk from Scott Nicholson, a Professor of Game Design and Development at Wilfrid Laurier University, gives some great insight into gamification as a tool for connection:

Steal My Game Guides

If you’re looking for an excuse to connect with folks - here’s some inspiration for your next game night. I’ve put together a Game Guide with instructions for a few of my favorite games. These are written for virtual events but can easily be adapted for in-person.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s inside:

1. Hive Mind: Think like a hive! The goal is to have the same or similar answers as other players.

2. Music League: Blending music discovery and creative competition, Music League helps you discover new music, share your favorites, and play against your friends.

3. Gartic.io: A digital version of Pictionary.

   & more!

Moments Into Memories

Whether it's swapping stories about Mario Kart battles or laughing about that one chaotic round of Jack Box, games help create shared memories. They're social shortcuts - turning strangers into teammates and awkward silences into excited shouts.

By bringing this playful spirit into our relationships, we transform "network" from a dreaded quest into a series of clear and achievable steps.

Until next time,