Play engages both mind and body, making learning an active, immersive experience.
Welcome to #play14, a global movement that believes in the transformative power of play! We are a worldwide gathering of like-minded people who believe that playing is the best way to learn, share and get creative!
Through play, individuals explore, experiment, and discover concepts in a hands-on way, which enhances understanding and retention. It encourages creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration, helping learners develop critical thinking skills.
Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn Benjamin Franklin
Play also reduces stress and increases motivation, making the learning process enjoyable and effective. By creating a safe space for trial and error, play fosters a deeper, more meaningful connection to the material being learned.
Join the movement
Join us in cities worldwide to connect with like-minded individuals.
Whether you are a facilitator, educator, or curious mind, our events are designed to spark creativity, foster collaboration, and ignite new ideas. Dive into a world of playful experimentation.
Global community: Connect with a diverse network of innovators.
Endless fun: Engage in hands-on, playful activities.
Inspire & be inspired: Share and discover new games, tools, and techniques.
#play14 is an unconference, where all attendees are also contributors. Just show up with an open mind, and you'll have the chance to propose your own games or dive into the games suggested by others. It's all about participation, creativity, and shared fun!
You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than a year of conversation Plato
Here are some examples of activities we engage in:
A serious game that you use as a metaphor in order to understand a new concept
An ice breaker game where people learn more about one another
A warm up or an energizer that you can use to raise the level of awareness and energy
A facilitation technique that you can use in your daily work
A team building exercise that fosters collaboration and self organization
A game design session where you invent a new game to teach something new
A soul searching, deep-dive introspection session where you learn about yourself
A one-on-one coaching session where you will find some answers with the help of a friend
A brainstorming session on a question or problem that wakes you up at night
A creative session where you sketch, doodle, or build something together
A fun and energetic time with dancing, singing or being silly together
An improv theater session where you can work on your confidence and ability to speak publicly
A more esoteric session on a practice/hobby you want to share like yoga, laughter yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, meditation, mindfulness, aikido, ...
Join us in order to develop your facilitation skills, increase your ability to accompany change in your organization, foster your creativity and improve your capacity to innovate.
What we stand for
A game or activity at #play14 could be pretty much anything as long as it respects our Manifesto and Code of Conduct.
Manifesto
#play14 is and always will be
a place to share knowledge & practices more than a place to sell services & goods
open to all people or communities with an interest on learning with fun
focused on games & activities in the physical world more than in the virtual world
an unconference based on the Open Space Technology
non profit, which means that when we do make a profit on a given event, we reinvest everything into the next
Code of Conduct
You shall be open minded and ready to listen and learn from others
You shall feel free to propose, experiment and explain what you have in mind
You shall not high-jack, sabotage or ruin the learning experience of others
You shall manage your own timebox when facilitating so that other sessions can start on time
You shall behave appropriately and be a decent human being
You shall always leave the playground clean (boy scout rule), avoid waste and try to reduce your carbon footprint
You shall be ready to get serious fun and good laughs and should try not be shy about that
To summarize: “You shall not be an a**hole”.
What our community says
Hear from members of the #play14 community about their experiences. These testimonials capture the spirit, impact, and joy of our events around the world.
Photo gallery
#play14 is first and foremost a community of people, a family, and an incredible human adventure.
What's in it for you
Here are some of the things that you can expect when attending a #play14 event. However, be ready to "Expect the unexpected!"
Frequently asked questions
Find answers to the most common questions about #play14 events, how they work, and what to expect when you join us.
A typical #play14 event lasts 2.5 days on average. Events usually start on Friday afternoon or evening and end on Sunday afternoon. This format allows participants to fully immerse themselves in the experience while still having time to travel.
An unconference is a participant-driven event where attendees are also contributors. #play14 follows the Open Space Technology format, meaning there is no predefined agenda. Instead, participants propose games and activities each morning during the marketplace session, and the schedule emerges organically.
No, not at all! It's perfectly fine to attend #play14 without proposing any game or activity. You can simply participate in sessions proposed by others. However, if you discover a game you love, you might feel inspired to facilitate it at a future event!
The Law of Two Feet is a core principle of Open Space Technology. It means that if you find yourself in a session where you are neither learning nor contributing, you have the responsibility to use your two feet and move somewhere else. Neither the facilitator nor other participants should feel offended — it's simply how the format works.
Everyone is welcome! Our community includes facilitators, agile coaches, educators, trainers, HR professionals, team leaders, and curious minds from all backgrounds. Whether you're experienced with serious games or completely new to the concept, you'll find your place at #play14.
No, #play14 is non-profit. We are a community-driven movement focused on sharing knowledge and practices rather than selling services. Event fees cover venue rental, food, and materials. Any surplus is reinvested into future events or the community.
You can expect a wide variety of activities including serious games that teach concepts through play, ice breakers to get to know each other, energizers to boost the group's energy, team building exercises, facilitation techniques, creative sessions, improv theater, and even more esoteric activities like yoga or meditation. The beauty of an unconference is that anything can happen!
No prior experience is needed. #play14 welcomes beginners and experts alike. Many participants discover new games at their first event and return to facilitate those same games later. The community is supportive and everyone learns from each other, regardless of experience level.
New ideas
Get new ideas for games and activities that you will be able to try out right away with your teams when you go back home. Play games that you already know and learn about variations, or discover completely new activities and learn how to facilitate them.
Conversations
You get to meet new interesting people from multiple backgrounds and with different experiences : serial gamers, learning-by-doing practitioners, games designers, facilitators, agile coaches, teachers, product or service designer, actors, improvisers, therapists, brainstormers, HR.
Experiments
It's a safe place where you can experiment new games or any idea that you have, with open minded people, who will be happy to provide feedback. You can come with an idea of something you want to teach, and find people to help you design a game that will reach your particular educational objective.
Games
Any real world activity used as a metaphor for learning, sharing and understanding. Because we want to focus on the face to face nature of play and we believe it to be most relevant in the context of this event, we will not use nor create any digital or video games during the event.
It was all about each one of the conversations we had with each other. Each one of the honest hugs we gave each other when saying 'thank you' in an invented language. The connection. It is all about the strength of the connection you can create with another human being despite the background, age, gender, race, language, social status or the time you have known each other. And how universal human communication drivers, like playing, can connect people deeply.
The best part of it?? It was the profound learning that occurred during each game. Pausing, reflecting, and delving deeper into the takeaways made the experience even more captivating. Who would have thought that one could glean valuable insights from a game like Dr. Quak-Quak (a famous Filipino game from my elementary school days) or the exhilarating Happy Salmon (which, by the way, is now one of my favorites)🍣 🤣
Throughout the conference, there was no hierarchy between the organizers and participants. Right from the energizer activity, everything was participative. Anyone could take center stage to experiment, even in critical activities like running the marketplace, where participants were given the opportunity to lead. Everyone owned the event, and each person felt like both the organizer and the participant.
This was a conference that induced a clear sense of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) as impactful sessions were happening in parallel. Additionally, if you missed a session, you could request the host to repeat it the next day.
What happens when amazing bunch of passionate facilitators and L & D enthusiasts get together in 1 space to come out and play? Whole bunch of fun non stop for 2 days. 32 learning games were played and facilitated by facilitators from 32 countries. It was learning games marathon and learning on steroids.