Game Based Decision Labs for Serious Leadership Training
Serious Games for Leadership Development
Traditional leadership training teaches frameworks.
Serious games reveal how leaders actually behave under pressure.
Our simulations recreate the complexity of real organizational systems. Leaders must navigate competing priorities, build alliances, negotiate under uncertainty, manage stakeholder expectations, and make high-stakes decisions with incomplete information.
These are not team-building games or classroom activities.
They are serious games engineered to develop and measure leadership capability.
Action + Concepts > Concepts
Why Serious Games Outperform Traditional Leadership Training
Serious games force leaders to act within dynamic environments that mirror real workplace pressure.
Inside our decision-driven simulations:
- alliances form, shift, and break
- resources move between teams
- quick wins can damage long-term trust
- influence is earned through action
- every choice creates system-wide consequences
When leaders must operate inside a responsive system, knowledge becomes irrelevant and real behavior becomes visible.
It’s unlike anything you’ve seen before.
What Makes These Serious Games Different
Serious games at Put The Player First are not adapted board games or off-the-shelf kits.
They are purpose-built leadership simulations designed to expose real behavior under stress.
Each serious game incorporates:
- systemic trade-offs
- shifting constraints
- stakeholder pressure
- ethical dilemmas
- coalition dynamics
- consequence loops
Every mechanic is designed to measure how leaders think, act, influence, negotiate, and align teams when circumstances change.
Leadership in Action
Decision Labs
A decision lab is a high-pressure leadership environment built using serious games.
It is a controlled simulation where every decision matters.
Decision Labs Make Participants…
Operate without perfect information
Balance short-term vs long-term outcomes
Negotiate conflicting priorities
Influence without formal authority
Manage cross-functional relationships
Make choices that impact others more than themselves
Explore concepts through real time application
Reflect upon real word decision points
These are not hypothetical exercises.
They are real-time leadership assessments disguised as high-engagement simulations.
India’s Leading Serious Game Facilitator
Designed by Arvindh Sundar
Every serious game is created by Arvindh Sundar, a specialist in systems-driven leadership development, and a published game designer.
His proprietary simulations uncover:
- strategic decision-making patterns
- political and coalition-building capability
- negotiation behaviors under uncertainty
- ethical reasoning with real consequences
- cross-functional alignment skills
- influence without authority
These serious games are designed specifically for leadership assessment and development – not just entertainment.
Leadership Simulations We Offer
Serious Games Built to Expose Specific Leadership Behaviors
Serious games act like a leadership wind tunnel where real pressure reveals who can navigate complexity, influence others, and make decisive calls. Instead of theories or impressions, organizations witness observable, measurable behavior in action.
Ripple Effect
A cross-functional resource and stakeholder alignment simulation.
Builds: strategic prioritization, systems thinking, negotiation, cross-team collaboration.
Sticky Fingers
A trust-and-ethics negotiation experience with shifting incentives.
Builds: ethical judgment, influence, risk assessment, coalition integrity.
Planetfall
A high-pressure scarcity and prioritization simulation.
Builds: decision making, long-term vs short-term trade-offs, stakeholder balancing.
Thiruvizha
A fast-moving coalition leadership game driven by informal influence.
Builds: persuasion, political intelligence, alliance strategy, group momentum management.
Work With Us
Experience Serious Games for Leadership Development
Give your leaders a space where real decisions matter, real pressure shapes behavior, and real leadership emerges.