Blog

Writing on serious games, facilitation, leadership, and game design.

  1. March 24, 2026

    Loot Is What You Get. Level Up Is Who You Become.

    Every transformation framework makes the same mistake: it starts with the destination. The Put The Player First Framework starts with one question: Who is the Hero?

    Leadership
  2. March 24, 2026

    It Was 3AM. I Was Eating Dry Coconut. And That's When Everything Changed.

    A pivotal moment standing in the kitchen, staring at a screen. The origin story of Put The Player First.

    Personal
  3. March 4, 2026

    Change Management Training for Leaders: Why Simulations Beat Seminars

    60–70% of change initiatives fail at the human layer. The training that fixes this doesn't look like training.

    Change Management
  4. March 4, 2026

    Influencing Without Authority: The Game-Based Approach That Works

    You don't need a title to have power. But you do need to know how to use the power you actually have.

    Leadership
  5. March 4, 2026

    Leadership Workshops: The Complete Guide (and Why Most Fail)

    The success of a workshop can often be traced back to how well the structure was planned. Not the content. The structure.

    Facilitation
  6. March 4, 2026

    Leadership and Management Training That Actually Changes Behaviour

    The knowing-doing gap is real. Understanding how to lead and actually leading are two completely different acts.

    Leadership
  7. March 4, 2026

    Serious Games for Corporate Training: What They Are and Why They Work

    Nothing in the game is there just for fun. Everything can be traced back to the debrief.

    Serious Games
  8. February 25, 2026

    You Can't Rush Belonging: What a Light Dungeon Crawler Taught Me About the Most Underrated Design Problem in the Room

    Depth doesn't attract people. They're brought to the edge and shown that it's worth jumping.

    Facilitation
  9. February 25, 2026

    We Were Texting Each Other. At The Same Table. And It Worked.

    The closer a mechanic mirrors daily behavior, the faster it dissolves self-consciousness. Notes from playing Alice is Missing.

    Facilitation
  10. December 15, 2025

    Why I Stopped Correcting Grammar at My D&D Table

    Every grammatical correction functions as a small violence that builds barriers. On removing judgment from games — and from facilitation.

    TTRPGs
  11. November 25, 2025

    Map of Change

    A game designed to help stakeholders feel the tension of resource scarcity rather than merely read about it.

    Game Design
  12. November 25, 2025

    Recording Journal Entries

    The GOLD framework for keeping a design journal: Game, Observations, Lessons, Design Use.

    Game Design
  13. November 25, 2025

    I Watched a Comic Bomb for a Year — He Taught Me More About Attention Than Any Workshop Ever Did

    Empathy means asking "will you come with me?" and proving you're worth following.

    Facilitation
  14. November 25, 2025

    EdQuest: Designing a Game That Sparks Real Conversations

    Neither Vikram nor Shanthi was entirely wrong. And that was the beauty of it.

    Game Design
  15. November 25, 2025

    Hack Emotion First, Engagement Will Follow

    Facilitators often prioritize content delivery when they should be creating emotional conditions that make attention involuntary.

    Facilitation
  16. November 25, 2025

    Your Toolbox Is Not Your Philosophy

    Having the right wrench doesn't make you a plumber. On mechanics, dynamics, and the MDA framework.

    Game Design
  17. November 25, 2025

    You Can't Force 200 People to Pay Attention — But You Can Design a Space Where They Choose To

    To make focus scale, you need systems, not heroics. Notes from running TTRPGCon, Bangalore.

    Events
  18. November 25, 2025

    Connection Eats Strategy for Breakfast (And Attention for Lunch)

    You can't hack attention without hacking trust first. On why connection precedes content.

    Communication
  19. November 25, 2025

    Yes, Daily: Five Lead Moves That Don't Insult Your Audience

    Start a daily email list — yes, daily — because becoming part of someone's routine gives you more shots on goal.

    Thought Leadership
  20. November 25, 2025

    Arena Kickoff Call - 001

    Notes from the first Arena kickoff call on facilitation, game design, and building a practice.

    Facilitation
  21. November 25, 2025

    Arena Catchup Call - 002

    Second Arena call — continuing the conversation on facilitation craft and game design practice.

    Facilitation
  22. November 25, 2025

    Arena Catchup Call - 003

    Third Arena call — deeper into the mechanics of facilitation and what makes game-based learning stick.

    Facilitation
  23. November 25, 2025

    Arena Catchup Call – 004

    Fourth Arena call — on iteration, playtesting, and the design process for serious games.

    Facilitation
  24. November 25, 2025

    Arena Catchup Call - 005

    Fifth Arena call — wrapping up the series on facilitation and game design fundamentals.

    Facilitation
  25. November 25, 2025

    From Monsters to Market Fit: Put The Player First

    I found a solution in video games — I could go somewhere else. The origin story of a game designer turned facilitator.

    Game Design
  26. November 25, 2025

    The Plan Is Not Important - How I GM Without Stress

    The planning process is important, but plans are useless. On improvisational game mastering.

    Game Design
  27. November 25, 2025

    Play the World, Not the Warden - A TTRPG Lesson for L&D

    This is not a confrontational role. What tabletop RPG facilitation teaches about learning design.

    Facilitation