[teampractices] My experience at Agile Games West 2016

[Max Binder]

>
> The "Play Personality" types are really interesting. As a fan of modern
> boardgames, I want to point out that the "Competitor" doesn't have to be in
> competition with other people. Cooperative games are a great example of
> fulfilling a desire to win, but doing so *with* others, rather than
> *against* them. Plus, as the full description of that type mentions, it's
> about optimization as well as winning. I would argue that it's more about
> optimization than winning: Doing my best in a game is far more important
> than doing better than someone else.


We talked about this, too, and acknowledged that in this setting Fluxx was
almost like a team game, seeing whether or not it was possible to get to
the end (not always a clear given). I also ventured Pandemic as an example
of a similar analogous game, but more serious-minded and explicitly co-op
(though much harder).

I was wondering if based on your experience or what was shared each one
> might be more appropriate to use at certain points with Scrum team or
> events. For example, a game may be used at a retrospective or one if it's a
> newly formed Scrum team?


I think Fluxx is actually a good game for getting a new group of people to
bond in 45 mins. Walls to intimacy are quickly broken down, and
participants quickly leave their comfort zones (or quickly recognize
boundaries). The group also rapidly develops a shared understanding around
language used to "enforce" the rules of the game, which can be crucial when
working with a team in a Scrum setting (or any setting in which there are
clear process "rules" yet space to push back).

Also, I would like to ask if there was any sharing on Humor in the workplace
> <https://submissions-production.s3.amazonaws.com/attachments/attachments/000/002/620/original/Humor_trumps_all_Agile_2016.compressed.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIKK35CR3V3P7N25A&Expires=1476918863&Signature=oY1vSG%2FGC7mavsyO5hYWrokHtEs%3D>? There
> was a Meet up
> <https://www.meetup.com/Silicon-Valley-Agile-Leadership-Network/events/234420664/> where
> Tamsen Mitchell recently share this topic.  If you have any experience or
> thoughts on the topic I'd love to hear. My previous experience it's a
> common language that often brings a team together.


 There wasn't much discussion of humor specifically but it did seem to be
wrapped into the keynote discussion on "play" and the importance of
enjoying yourselves.

On Wed, Oct 19, 2016 at 4:06 PM, Geeta Kavathekar <geetakavathekar at gmail.com
> wrote:

> Hi Max, All,
>
> I really enjoyed learning about these games. I can see how it definitely
> can increase the productivity, cohesiveness and collaboration with the
> team. I was wondering if based on your experience or what was shared each
> one might be more appropriate to use at certain points with Scrum team or
> events. For example, a game may be used at a retrospective or one if it's a
> newly formed Scrum team?
>
> Also, I would like to ask if there was any sharing on Humor in the
> workplace
> <https://submissions-production.s3.amazonaws.com/attachments/attachments/000/002/620/original/Humor_trumps_all_Agile_2016.compressed.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIKK35CR3V3P7N25A&Expires=1476918863&Signature=oY1vSG%2FGC7mavsyO5hYWrokHtEs%3D>? There
> was a Meet up
> <https://www.meetup.com/Silicon-Valley-Agile-Leadership-Network/events/234420664/> where
> Tamsen Mitchell recently share this topic.  If you have any experience or
> thoughts on the topic I'd love to hear. My previous experience it's a
> common language that often brings a team together.
>
> Thanks,
> Geeta
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 1:57 PM, Kevin Smith <ksmith at wikimedia.org> wrote:
>
>> Thanks Max!!!
>>
>> This was all a good reminder of that wide variety of activities that fall
>> under the "play" and "games" umbrellas. Learning a new language, collecting
>> salt shakers, and telling jokes can all be considered part of that world.
>>
>> The "Play Personality" types are really interesting. As a fan of modern
>> boardgames, I want to point out that the "Competitor" doesn't have to be in
>> competition with other people. Cooperative games are a great example of
>> fulfilling a desire to win, but doing so *with* others, rather than
>> *against* them. Plus, as the full description of that type mentions, it's
>> about optimization as well as winning. I would argue that it's more about
>> optimization than winning: Doing my best in a game is far more important
>> than doing better than someone else.
>>
>> Although I'm not a huge fan of the card game Fluxx, it sounds like that
>> next session used it very effectively. There is an obscure cooperative game
>> ("Divinity") that has similar core mechanisms to Fluxx. If I buy it, maybe
>> I'll bring it to a TPG event to try.
>>
>> Like Arthur, I want to hear more about the sorting hat. At a glance, it
>> reminds me of the old (apparently misnamed) "Bayesian" email spam filters I
>> played around with years ago. Or more generally, neural networks, I
>> suppose. In an odd twist where the brain ends up simulating a simulation of
>> a brain. When reviewing code, I often describe it in terms of feelings or
>> odd sensations that something is out of place, even if I can't quite
>> identify the specific offense. Fortunately, with more analysis, the
>> true/objective cause usually becomes clear.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Kevin Smith
>> Agile Coach, Wikimedia Foundation
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 5:48 PM, Arthur Richards <arichards at wikimedia.org
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks for sharing this Max, sounds like an interesting few sessions.
>>> Would love to hear more about 'the sorting hat'!
>>>
>>> On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 6:09 AM Max Binder <mbinder at wikimedia.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I recently attended a "pre-conference" to Agile Open California. I
>>>> wrote up my experience and posted it on the Team Practices Group MediaWiki
>>>> page:
>>>> https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Team_Practices_Group/Agile_Games_West
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>>>
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>>
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