Spoke

Spoke is a serious yet fun storytelling boardgame. Using a unique story wheel derived from classic narrative arcs and a series of intuitive cards, it prompts players to quickly turn large quantities of research into compelling narratives about possible futures. In this version, Spoke creatively explores and interrogates the role of automation and AI in the rapidly changing contexts of work, climate change, governance, and civic life. Players earn points based on the plausibility and creativity of their story. They earn extra points by referencing other players’ stories. In that way, they are encouraged to created intertwined plots and more diverse visions of our future with machines.

Spoke is game for communities to explore and inhabit complex issues like the rise of automation and machine learning, that defy simple, conventional narratives.  It can be used either as a tool for research or creative thinking. Established communities in research and pedagogical contexts (e.g. policy makers, educators) can treat it as a method for eliciting and collecting diverse perspectives on automated futures. As a creative tool, it can help designers, artists and other creative people to quickly develop nuanced future fictions.

Spoke was first presented during the V&A Digital Design Weekend 2018. Let us know if you are interested in trying it out! 

http://spoke.flkr.com/

Evan Raskob & Paris Selinas