OpenSeriousTemplate V3: Complete Framework for Making Serious Games Transmissible
The Problem to Solve
“I spent hours creating my workshop, but it’s dying on a shelf”
You’ve invested significant time ⌛ and effort 😫 creating a workshop, live serious game, or educational gamification experience 🎲. Ideally, if you want your creation to be transmitted and live on, anyone should be able to pick it up, organize it, play it, facilitate it, ensuring proper usage and even adaptations.
When we publish a live serious game today, we typically include the game rules 📜, but is that really enough for others to master it? To promote it? To ensure it’s used properly? What else should we include? 🤔
The Solution: OpenSeriousTemplate V3
To address all these questions, #OpenSeriousTemplate is a model, like a checklist, designed to help creators make their productions more easily transmissible. 🚀
By using #OpenSeriousTemplate to make your content self-sustaining and transmissible ✨, you dramatically increase the chances that anyone can promote, organize, play, facilitate, and adapt your game.
Your first step toward large-scale usage! 🌍
The 6-Level User Framework
Level 1: Curious People → I want to play
Level 2: Players → I know how to play
Level 3: Scouts → I know when, why, with whom to use this
Level 4: Co-facilitators → We can facilitate this game!
Level 5: Lead facilitators → We can facilitate this game!
Level 6: Creators → I can imagine how to adapt this game
Detailed Structure by Level
Level 1: Content for Curious People
Elements to make people want to play your #OpenSeriousGame
Title and Catchline
- Title: [Your serious game name]
- Version: x.x – [Author Name]
- Catchline: [Hook phrase in 10 words maximum]
Structured Pitch
Recommended structure:
- Concrete problem people can identify with or not
- Ideal situation we aim for when affected by the problem
- Existing means to reach this ideal and their limitations
- Added value proposition of a key differentiating point
- Player experience highlight
- Expected consequence of having played
Other Promotional Content
- Catchline (short phrase in 10 words)
- Promotional images
- Promotional video
Level 2: Content for Players
Elements to be able to play
Game Elements
- Game rules
- Narrative
- Example presentation
- Blank turn presentation
- FAQ
Level 3: Content for Scouts
Elements to understand the interest, usage, and limitations
Usage and Objectives
| Element | Description | Your Content |
|---|---|---|
| Learning objectives | What players will have learned through your game | |
| Operational objectives | What will be concretely produced | |
| Ideal audience | Who could benefit MOST from your game | |
| Number of players | Min-max for one session | |
| Player prerequisites | Skills/material needed before starting |
Usage Examples and Problems Addressed
Suggested structure: “You are […] and part of […]. Recently, you observed that […] at […] and you want […]. In addition to […], you decided to have […] work on […] with this #OpenSeriousGame”
Limits and Scope
| Aspect | Content |
|---|---|
| Topics not covered | What your game doesn’t address |
| What to complement with | Recommended complementary tools/training |
| Usage conditions | What we assume about users after the session |
Level 4-5: Content for Co-facilitators and Lead Facilitators
Elements to co-facilitate or facilitate your game
Practical Information
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Suggested duration | Total facilitation time |
| Role distribution | Who does what between facilitators |
| Table setup | Physical organization |
| Victory conditions | How to win (individual/team/real) |
Facilitation Tips
Preparation:
- Specific advice for your game
- Optional facilitation actions
- Behavioral observation tips
Specific Debriefing Questions:
- Questions related to your particular subject
- [Generic inspiration: openseriousgames.org/debriefing-cards/]
Level 6: Content for Creators
Elements to create variants or extensions
Ideas for Variants and Improvements
| Variant Type | Description | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Variant A | ||
| Variant B | ||
| Extension |
History and Licenses
| Version | Date | Modifications | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| V1.0 | |||
| V2.0 |
Successful Application Examples
Example 1: IAGen-Team-Transfo
Context: Team transformation for Generative AI
- Level 1: Pitch on human challenges of AI transformation
- Level 2: Card game with negotiation and time constraints
- Level 3: Change agent training, 3 players min, AI Gen basics required
- Levels 4-5: 40min total (20min game + 20min debriefing), facilitation advice
- Level 6: Domain variants, community contributions
Example 2: Désimposteurs (De-imposters)
Context: Imposter syndrome in teams
- Level 1: Pitch on professional imposter feelings
- Level 2: Character/context/action cards, 3 game levels
- Level 3: Managers, coaches, 1-2 years team experience, 1h30 total
- Levels 4-5: No miracle recipe, develop adaptation sense
- Level 6: New cards, translations, open source
Framework Benefits
For Creators
- Guaranteed transmission of your expertise
- Wide adoption without continuous effort from you
- Collaborative improvement by the community
- Longevity of your creation
For Users
- Complete autonomy in usage
- Adaptation to specific contexts
- Progressive skill building
- Contribution to the ecosystem
For the Ecosystem
- Multiplication of available resources
- Increasing quality through collective iteration
- Distributed innovation rather than centralized
- System resilience for transmission
Implementation Template
Creation Checklist
Level 1 - Promotion ✅
- Title + Catchline (10 words max)
- Structured pitch (problem → solution → value)
- Promotional image
- Video (optional)
Level 2 - Gameplay ✅
- Complete game rules
- Game turn example
- Anticipated FAQ
- Required materials listed
Level 3 - Usage ✅
- Clear learning objectives
- Defined ideal audience
- Concrete usage examples
- Explicit limitations
- Suggested complements
Levels 4-5 - Facilitation ✅
- Duration and logistics
- Specific facilitation advice
- Debriefing questions
- Role distribution
Level 6 - Evolution ✅
- Variant ideas
- Version history
- Usage license
- Contribution methods
Evolution and Development
Current Version (V3)
- 6-level user structure
- Ready-to-fill templates
- Concrete application examples
- OpenSeriousGame ecosystem integration
👉 Complete OpenSeriousTemplate documentation
Future Developments
- Automated generators via AI
- Specialized templates by domain
- Community validation tools
- Transmission effectiveness metrics
Connection to Broader Frameworks
OpenSeriousGame Movement: Practical application of viral transmission principles
👉 Read the full OpenSeriousGame Movement analysis
Compound Thinking: Each documented game improves the global ecosystem
Knowledge Graphs: Connections between games, creators, and users
Collective Intelligence: Collaborative rather than individual improvement
Impact and Results
In the OpenSeriousGame ecosystem, systematic application of this template has enabled (on most documented games):
- 99 serious games documented and made transmissible
- 100,000+ learners reached
- 20+ cities with active communities
- Autonomous transmission over 7+ years
Implementation Guide
Getting Started
- Choose an existing workshop you facilitate regularly
- Fill the template level by level
- Test with users from each level
- Iterate based on feedback
- Share in the community
Pitfalls to Avoid
- Underestimating level 3: Scouts need context
- Neglecting variants: Adaptability ensures transmission
- Incomplete documentation: Each level must be self-sustaining
- Forgetting licenses: Clarify usage and modification terms
The Broader Vision
OpenSeriousTemplate V3 demonstrates that a systematic framework can transform individual creations into durable collective resources. By intentionally structuring transmission, we enable each creator to contribute to a learning ecosystem that exceeds the sum of its parts.
The goal isn’t just to create good games, but to create a system that continuously generates better games and better transmitters.
This framework embodies the core philosophy of viral knowledge transmission: every participant becomes both beneficiary and transmitter, creating self-sustaining chains of knowledge sharing and personal development.
Call to Action
The future of learning won’t be built by institutions alone—it will emerge from networks of passionate individuals who think systemically and design for transmission.
Questions for your context:
- What workshop or training do you facilitate that could benefit from this framework?
- How might your organization’s learning content become more transmissible?
- What would happen if every valuable learning experience was designed to create more facilitators?
Start with one workshop. Apply the template. Test it. Share it. Watch it evolve beyond your original vision.
For templates, examples, and community access: openseriousgames.org
This framework is part of a broader collection of systems thinking methodologies. Explore more at quach.fr/frameworks