Polak Game, Sarkar Game, and 2x2 Scenario Exploration System: Top Three Futures Games Explained, Critiqued, and Compared

Following the “experiential turn” in futures studies [1], many futures & foresight researchers and practitioners are using serious games in their foresight interventions. And for good reasons. Serious games leverage amusement, although not primarily intended for amusement [2] to substantially facilitate learning from and engagement with future scenarios. They are a form of “edutainment” [3]. Serious games in the context of futures studies and foresight are often colloquially referred to as “futures games”. In this article, I will explain, critique and compare three futures games: the Polak game, the Sarkar game, and the 2x2 Scenario Exploration System (2x2 SES). I have chosen these futures games because they are not only the most frequently used, but also arguably the most powerful, because they are highly participatory, and because they are easily replicable in workshop settings, in person and online alike. In short, these three games can be readily and fruitfully used in organizational foresight.