Common Ground Leaders at Playtest
Between the 25 July and 19 August, Common Ground ran four projects across four different sites in East Anglia. These workshops – called Playtests – were led by Coney, who helped a group of local young people in each location to create their own game in just five days.
The Common Ground Leaders were invited to the workshops to observe, participate and help out. We spoke to Gaby, who attended the Playtest in King’s Lynn, and Helen, who visited Carlton Marshes, to find out what they thought about the experience.
Why did you want to get involved with the Playtests?
Gaby: I wanted to get involved because I find it helpful to get more experience of delivering sessions and seeing how more experienced artists and facilitators do their work. I also thought it sounded like a fun and interesting activity so was curious to see what it was like.
Helen: I got involved with the Playtests to further my understanding of workshop facilitation. I wanted to think about this kind of work as a potential career option, so it was very valuable to see Coney and their games design workshop in action. I also wanted to push my skills in working with children and young people, familiarise myself with a new landscape in Suffolk, and push myself out my comfort zone.
Take us through what you did while you were there.
G: I only attended on the second day but I enjoyed getting an idea of what happens through the week and seeing the attendees start to develop their ideas and inspiration. There were lots of playful breaks and games through the day including some right at the beginning which really helped me feel much more relaxed and part of the group even though they’d all met the day before. I really liked how it set the tone for the day, too.
The activities started with thinking about how games work and how you can change/build them for different purposes. We also got to play an online game to learn about some possibilities for making games like that. Then we explored the area outside and got to walk with Isabelle from Norfolk Wildlife Trust who was super helpful and interesting.
It was great fun to be a bit ridiculous.
H: While I was there, I provided extra support in the games Coney ran for the young people. We played the ‘bee game’, where everyone buzzes around the room like a bee. The facilitator then shouts out a letter, and you have to imagine yourself as a thing that begins with that letter and pose as such. For example, for the letter ‘T’ you could pretend to be a trumpet. It was great fun to be a bit ridiculous.
The young people were asked what would make the game more fun to play. They came up with some great ideas; they decided that our impressions could include more movement and noise. They also decided that we should split into small teams and create a group impression; this added an interesting element of group collaboration and made the end product more impactful. The team that has the best idea as decided by the facilitator got to steal a bee from another group. This pushed everyone to be more creative with their chosen image; at one point we had a ‘rainbow off’ where two teams had to create the best rainbow to win. We had singing clouds, pots of gold, and spectacularly large rainbows.
What was your favourite part of the workshop, and is there any learning you took home with you?
G: My favourite part was probably modding games and the walk. I definitely think I’ll be trying to focus on fun elements when I’m working and also the testing element.
We need to be building up a sense of value for the natural world that young people will inherit.
Helen
H: My favourite part of the workshop was watching the young people build their confidence when suggesting ideas. I was surprised by how enthusiastic they were about the games, and how playing them quickly built their confidence when engaging with new people.
Later, we had a guided tour of the marshes, led by volunteer experts from Suffolk Wildlife Trust. It was great to get in the landscape and learn about all the different components that make up the ecosystem. An example of this would be the water-soldier, a free-floating aquatic plant with sharp foliage like the top of a pineapple, found in still open water.
I also learned about the challenges facing the landscape due to the damaging effects of climate change, driving habitat fragmentation, and radically changing the water and rainfall patterns that allow the ecosystem to sustain itself. It was concerning to hear how quickly the landscape was changing.
Why do you think activities such as these are so important for young people across East Anglia?
G: I thought it was great when the young people were asked directly if they felt very connected to/had any ownership over King’s Lynn, and I think encouraging that is one of the things that these kinds of activities can help with. Also just the chance to be creative and meet new people in a very friendly setting I think helps to give people more options.
H: Opportunities for young people in East Anglia to connect with each other and the natural world are incredibly important. We need to be building up a sense of value for the natural world that young people will inherit and help them build essential social and team building skills along the way. The work that Coney did with this group was fantastic to watch, and it was an experience I won’t soon forget.
Photo credits: Common Ground