The transition of an agricultural business, whether within or outside a family enterprise, is always a pivotal phase. Effective communication is essential for a smooth handover. Table Talk, an educational board game, encourages meaningful discussions by challenging players to step into each other?s shoes and consider different perspectives.
The transition of an agricultural business is a complex process, particularly (or perhaps even more so) when it happens within the same family. Discussing it at home can be challenging, as conversations often center on the business side while the emotional aspects, an equally important part of the transition, are often overlooked.
In collaboration with the Animal and Livestock Farming program and the Master’s in Serious Gaming at NHL Stenden, we have developed an educational board game to support young successors in agricultural businesses: Table Talk.
This educational board game brings emotions to the surface in a safe and engaging way—right to the table.
ApproachIn our development process, we prioritize defining the goal before selecting the format. While serious games are often associated with digital platforms, a digital game isn?t always the most effective choice. For games designed to spark conversation, a traditional board or card game can often be more impactful. Additionally, the preferences of the target audience play a key role in determining the right approach.
Through a series of brainstorming sessions between researchers and students from the Animal and Livestock Farming program at Van Hall Larenstein, an educational board game emerged as the format that generated the most enthusiasm.
“Studenten vertellen dat ze het fijn vinden om op deze manier meer te leren over het onderwerp, maar ook om er met elkaar over in gesprek te gaan. Het spel verlaagt de drempel om ideeën uit te wisselen.”
Docent-onderzoeker
ResultsIn the game Table Talk, players are tasked with managing the business succession of the Beukeboom family. Each player takes on a specific role?whether it’s an in-law eager to have a say or the retiring farmer struggling to adapt to impending changes.
Through gameplay, players gain a deeper understanding of their assigned character?s emotions and interests while also considering the perspectives of other family members. Although the board game was originally designed for educational settings, several students expressed interest in playing it at home with their parents? a fantastic bonus!
At 8D, we support researchers in integrating a design approach into their work, from project design to creative product development and process supervision. This participatory methodologies help solve complex, human-centered issues and embed research results sustainably in society.
Human-centred issues require human-centred solutions. That is why we work with our own social design methodology within all our projects. We have developed and sharpened this methodology over ten years into a manageable process. Together with stakeholders, we validate assumptions at strategic moments, refine solutions and work towards implementation. At the same time, we find it important to keep the momentum going and to work in a goal-oriented way. In our social design roadmap, we explain how we do this.
How can research findings truly land in policy and practice? At 8D, we believe that effective dissemination strategies for researchers require design thinking and close collaboration with the target audience.
This is how we build knowledge dissemination that goes beyond project websites or isolated social posts. Our view: dissemination should be an integral and meaningful part of the entire research process, not just an afterthought.
How can research findings be shared effectively with society? This article explores how participatory design supports effective knowledge transfer by aligning form, content and context. Real-world examples illustrate how design enhances the practical usability of academic insights.
What is the relationship between serious gaming, science and psychology? And why is serious gaming really much more than a game anyway? This white paper is not about games, but about serious gaming as a scientific method for researching (social) tasks!