I recently got to do something really cool: be a guest on a podcast! Maren Deepwell and I have worked together for several years in various capacities, including on a couple of virtual conferences, most recently Reclaim Open 2025 back in November. I was part of the blog-a-thon, but I also hosted a session, and Maren invited me onto her show, “Leading Virtual Teams with Dr Maren Deepwell” to talk about it!
You should listen to the episode for the full details (it’s coming out soon, and I’ll update this post with a link when it does), but the general gist is that I ran the role-playing game Brand Actualization as a one-hour community event. I had a ton of fun and people’s responses were wonderful. This wasn’t the first time I’ve hosted a role-playing game for a conference, either. I ran Long Time Listener, Last Time Caller for the DS106 Radio Summer Camp in 2024, which was also a big success.
I run games for conferences because I want to give people a chance to let down their hair. Conferences are great, but they also create pressure. Everyone attending needs to be on, to stay collected and professional and locked in for two or three or four days in a row. In the middle of all of that, my games are like Halloween: everyone can put on a costume and play pretend for a little while. If I can give them an hour to relax and bond and have a little fun, I consider that a win.
The virtual format was an interesting challenge. Playing games in person makes it easy to engage with players and get a sense of how they’re doing, but online, people can mute themselves and go camera-off. I think that can be useful, because people often feel shy at first, and letting them lurk can help them relax enough to start engaging as the session goes on.
Accepting that people will want to take part at different levels is also important for creating buy-in. Trying to force one person to do more than they’re comfortable with shows everyone they might be put on the spot at any moment, which makes all the pressure rush back in.
At the same time, you don’t have a game if no one will play. The chat and online polling tools ended up being really helpful low-stakes tools to start people talking, and the platform’s name customization tools meant I could respond to people individually in-character. That was important to me, since the game was supposed to be a conversation. Staying in-character and addressing players directly settled them into the game while acknowledging and encouraging their contributions.
To me, these games give people the chance to open up. Conferences are a time to meet people, but it’s easy to stress out over how you come off, or whether people will remember you the wrong way. But when everyone has chosen to spend an hour playing pretend as a group, when everyone feels comfortable getting a little silly together, you get a level of fun and trust that results in unforgettable connections.
Maren and I go into more depth on all of this in the episode, so be sure to check it out next week. And honestly, there’s even more I could say, but that’s probably for future blog posts.
The response to these games has been amazing, way beyond what I expected. When I caught up with some people from Reclaim Open in December, they mentioned my session as a highlight. A couple of people have even asked whether I would host games for other events in the future — not just other conferences, but team-building activities or professional development workshops.
And I’m excited to say… YES! I’m collaborating with Taylor Jadin, another longtime friend and colleague, create Fireside Game Events and offer more of these bespoke game sessions. More formal details on this soon, but if you’re interested in having us at one of your events in the meantime, get in touch.
