Finds

№ 9 | “5 Myths About Strategy,” “Schwerpunkt,” Mixed-Use Cities, Choice in Narrative Games, and Meaningful Choices

Stephen P. Anderson

Oct 14, 2022 — 2 min read

“5 myths about strategy”

I love the structure of this HBR article “5 Myths About Strategy”— short and to the point! State the myth. Explain “Why it’s plausible” then unpack “Why it’s wrong.” It's almost as if this is begging to be turned into a 'check your understanding' game… 🤔

As long as we're on the topic of 'strategy'…

“Schwerpunkt?”

Yes! “Schwerpunkt: The Killer Strategic Concept You’ve Never Heard Of (But Really Need To Know!)” I'm increasingly skeptical of lessons derived from cherry picking success stories, but… I enjoyed this look at how Steve Jobs found Apple's “Schwerpunkt,” or focal point. I'm glad they mention that finding this ‘center of gravity’ is “a dynamic, not a static, concept… It was Jobs’ ability to constantly innovate Apple’s approach, by constantly observing, reorienting and shifting the competitive context.” The challenge I've found is to drive investment in this new direction, when your present strategy is still making money for the business.

Mix-used cities and aliveness

The visual in this tweet caught my attention, and led to a rich and interesting read all about the benefits of mixed-used areas in cities and why some cities feel more alive than others.

While this is explicitly about the benefits of mixed-use areas [hard stop], I'd love to see a more objective analysis of the pros and cons of mixed-use vs single-use zoning, and what kinds of city functions (airports, for example) that should (or seem like they should?) be placed outside of other zones. And I couldn't help but think about the board game Suburbia. 😂

Choice in narrative games

How do you make choices interesting when players revisit the same location/scenarios? I found this game design diary to be an enlightening, and highly accessible read, as the author / game designer Shadi Taha brilliantly unpacks the various challenges he's faced designing meaningful choices into his narrative game. Bonus points for a classic Super Mario reference. Check it out! “Deep Dive: Curating meaningful multiplayer narrative choices in Doomsday Paradise.”

A critical thinking game?

It seems like these “18 pitfalls to be aware of in AI journalism” could be turned into a critical thinking game… What do you think?

№ 83 | Stop Project 2025 Comics, Future for All: A vision for 2048, eyeConnect Cards, The Rule Book, and the Effects of Geography on Voting

This edition of the newsletter comes a couple days later than usual, but for a wonderful reason—I spent 5 days last week playing board games with my friends at BGG Con. 🎲 🤩 Next issue will resume the normal Sunday schedule! 🥸Reminder: If you're participating in the Create A

№ 82 | Pebble Talk, The Mood Meter, 3 Styles of Play, A Convection Simulation, an Electoral College Simulation, and What If America Had 6 Political Parties?

📍In case you missed it… Throughout November, I’m hosting another Creative Challenge: Create A Real Life Character Sheet. About 15 people have signed up so far, and there’s space for a few more folks—you should join us! Pebble Talk Here’s a way to avoid awkward small

Creative Challenge #3: Create A Real Life Character Sheet

Welcome, new readers. From time to time, I organize “Creative Challenges,” that fit with the whole “playful things to think with” theme. Previously, there was a One Card Serious Game Challenge, followed by the Make a Zine Challenge. I hadn’t planned on doing another Creative Challenge until next year

№ 81 | Scientific Papers as Comic Strips, 52 Things About Cards, Thermodynamics Cards, Collaborative Place Futures Toolkit, and Why The Work is Never Just “The Work”

✉️Look for 2 extra special emails heading your way, later this week! 1/ The promised print-and-play Zombie Leadership cards. 2/ An announcement about our next Creative Challenge… Scientific Papers as Comic Strips Yes! Comics as things to think with. Here’s an interview with Kanaka Rajan, who uses “narrative illustrations