Leverage Cards

There is a leverage card for each of the 12 possible points of leverage, as outlined by Donella Meadows. They are numbered along the side to indicate how high impact the leverage point is - #1 having the most impact and #12 having the least.

There are also a few prompting questions on the back of the leverage point to get the player to think more tangibly about how this leverage point can present itself in real life.

Why a game?

The Systems Game was created to teach systems thinking. Donella Meadow's work is powerful and can have huge impact if it can be harnessed for real world application. That being said, it can be hard to understand for those not familiar with systems thinking.

We wanted to design an approach that made these lessons accessible while still retaining the integrity of her ideas. To “gamify” Meadow’s work makes the ideas less intimidating while giving players the freedom to discuss its value.

HOW IT WORKS

The game is designed to be simple with no defined winner. Instead, it is a chance to understand a rather complex paper in a real world context. Three sets of cards build the foundation of the game, which is recommended for a group of 2 -12 players.

SYSTEMS CARD

There are 30 systems cards. These are meant to be chosen by the player to give them a tangible system they are familiar with and explore how they could leverage change within that context. The systems range in subject matter from more complex models like the criminal justice system to simpler models like the shower system.

Leverage launchpads

Every round, players use their own launchpads to record the ideas they have for how intervene into the system card they pulled with the given leverage point.

Players are then given a chance to discuss their ideas with the group and learn what the other players had come up with for their chosen system/leverage point.