Using Games to Build a Better Team
by Kim Vandenbroucke, The Game Aisle
School is right around the corner (if it hasn’t started already), but for many fall sports athletes they’ve been back to the grind for quite a while now. Athletics is a big part of school for students across the country and according to the National Federation of State High School Associations more than 7.5 million students participated in athletics in the 2008-09 school year. So what does this have to do with games?
One word: "teambuilding."
Team sports have always been a big part of my life. I’ve been playing volleyball on a competitive team since I was in 7th grade and during this time I've spent a lot of time as captain, club team president, coach, etc. and the one thing I can tell you is teambuilding is an essential part of a team’s success. You can have the best players listed on your roster, but if there isn’t positive energy you'll never reach your team’s full potential.
A friend of mine, Nicole Flores, is the Boys and Girls Head Volleyball Coach at Northside Prep High School in the city of Chicago. Her players aren’t the strongest or tallest in the city – but they may be some of the smartest as it is a magnet school – yet her teams are always one of the top contenders for the city volleyball title. Why? Because her players love to play together, practice together and cheer louder than any other team in the city.
How did she get this great team mojo? She spends a lot of time on teambuilding – including playing games! They play lots of party games like Cranium, Scattergories, Wits & Wagers, Pop 5 and Apples to Apples. This summer some of her players went to an out-of-state camp and my game review site, TheGameAisle.com, partnered with Buffalo Games and gave them three party games to take with them, play and review. Funny thing – they had played most of them before!
The idea of using games to create and strengthen bonds is a really good one. Players are always competing for a position, court time, time on the field, etc. and a lot of coaches encourage players to compete against one another because it motivates them. But when it’s a close game don't you want your players to encourage one another? When your team is losing, will they still be cheering as loud as possible? To have a strong team you need to find a healthy balance between competitive drive and fun. Too much of one or the other and you're team is falling short. So may I suggest, practice hard but leave a couple minutes at the end for some fun teambuilding time. Playing a game can not only help players create lasting friendships, but it also helps them learn how to be good winners and losers. Not to mention it makes them forget all of the running/cardio you made them do a couple hours earlier!
To all of the coaches out there: May this be your best season ever, but don’t forget to have fun!
If you're looking for an expert in the game industry, you're probably looking for Kim Vandenbroucke. Not only does she review games at The Game Aisle, but she also designs them and is one of those people that companies call when they need to have a game designed.
