You know how to listen to people. You are curious why different people see the same situations in completely different ways. You work as a psychologist or a coach, you run women's circles, consultations or group meetings. And sometimes you catch yourself thinking: I'd like to offer my clients something new.
Perhaps it is worth taking a closer look at transformational games.
Picture it: a few people gather around a game board. Each has their own question. One wants to sort out their money, another has long been thinking about a change at work, and someone else is trying to understand why it is so hard for them to allow themselves what they really want.
The participants roll the die, draw cards, answer questions. You lead the game, keep an eye on the time, help everyone keep to the rules and leave people enough room for their own answers.
You are not giving a lecture or telling everyone how to live. Your job is to take a person through the game so that they can understand their situation better.
My name is Olga Loresh. I am the author of the transformational game Sex&Money, and I want to explain what a game facilitator actually does, which skills the work needs and how you can add games to a practice you already have.
What a game facilitator is
A game facilitator is a specialist who runs transformational games for one person or for a group.
They have a ready game tool: a board, cards, rules and a sequence of steps. But owning the set does not yet make someone a good facilitator.
Imagine a participant has drawn a card, gone thoughtful and fallen silent. What will you do? Ask five more questions? Start explaining what they ought to realise? Or give the person time to think?
This is where the real work begins.
A facilitator has to know the method, understand the structure of the game and be able to hold the group's attention. They need a feel for the pace of the session, to notice when a person is ready to speak and when it is better not to step in.
Sometimes you need to calmly explain a rule. Sometimes, to remind the group of the time. And sometimes the right thing is to add nothing to a question that has already been asked.
You could say a game facilitator is a guide through the game. They do not choose the route of a participant's life for them and do not promise universal solutions. They help the person get through the game, work through the questions and draw their own conclusions.
How this work differs from coaching
Coaching is built around the person's request, their goals and the search for solutions. A coach helps the client explore the situation through questions and decide on next steps.
A transformational game also has a request and questions. But the process is organised differently: moving across the board, the cards, the rules and the chance of each roll set an order that the participant does not plan in advance.
Say a person comes wanting to increase their income. In an ordinary conversation you might discuss their goals, resources, possible obstacles and concrete actions. In the game the participant also meets questions and situations that come up as the game goes on.
That does not mean one format is better than the other. Coaching, consultations and transformational games do different jobs and can complement each other.
For a specialist who already works with people, the game becomes one more tool. You do not have to give up your approach or start all over again. You can learn a new method and work out when it is the right one to use.
The skills a good game facilitator needs
You do not have to be the most talkative person in the room. There is no need to keep entertaining the participants or to impress them as an expert.
There are other skills without which running a game will be hard.
- Listening. It matters to hear not only the words but to understand what exactly the person wants to explore. At the same time, do not rush to conclusions or attribute to a participant feelings or motives they have not spoken of themselves.
- Calm and patience. Not every answer comes straight away. Sometimes a person thinks for a long time, hesitates or does not know what to say. A good facilitator is not afraid of silence and does not try to fill every pause with their own reasoning.
- Working with a group. People of very different temperaments may end up at the table. One loves to talk and is ready to share everything. Another prefers to watch. A third may take up too much time without meaning to. The facilitator's job is to give everyone a chance to take part without turning the game into a contest for attention.
- Knowing the rules and the structure. A facilitator needs to know the method well enough not to hunt for the right instruction in the middle of a session or change the mechanics on the fly. The more confidently they know the game, the more attention they can give the participants.
- Respect for personal boundaries. A person has the right not to answer a question, to skip a card or not to tell the group the details of their life. Confidentiality should be a clear rule from the very start of the session.
- Knowing your own limits. A game facilitator does not have to solve every problem that comes up at the table. A transformational game does not replace psychotherapy or medical care. If a request goes beyond the method, it is important to say so honestly and, if needed, suggest seeing the right specialist.
And one more skill people rarely think of at the very start: organising your own practice. You need to invite participants, agree on times, prepare the space, talk about your service and stay in touch with clients.
Running a game and finding the people who are interested in it are two different tasks. Both will need your attention.
Do you need to be a psychologist or a coach?
No, a background in psychology is not a requirement for running Sex&Money. Facilitators can be psychologists, coaches, consultants, body practitioners and specialists who already work with groups.
But not having a degree in the field does not mean you can do without training.
You need to learn the game method, get to grips with the rules, learn to open and close a session, manage time and keep a working atmosphere. It is important to understand what can be done within the game and where the facilitator's competence ends.
A facilitator's certificate confirms that you have learned a specific game method. It does not give you a qualification as a psychologist and does not entitle you to practise psychotherapy without the relevant training.
I believe that being honest about what you can do is a necessary part of the profession. The more clearly a facilitator understands the limits of their work, the safer and calmer the participants feel.
What gamification is and what it has to do with transformational games
Gamification is the use of game elements in an activity that is not a game in itself. For example, points in a language-learning app, levels in a training programme or a game system that helps you pick up new skills.
Transformational games use a similar principle: the participant has a task, rules, a sequence of steps and feedback. But here the game is also tied to the person's own request.
In Sex&Money this is especially clear.
Imagine a participant wants to explore their attitude to money. They do not only answer questions about earning; they also deal with the game's economy: they receive money, spend it, make decisions and face the consequences of their moves.
There are two game currencies, dollars and hearts. During the game a participant can see what weight they give to different decisions, how they react to limits and which options they choose.
It is not a financial model that can predict real income. The game money is there to make the process concrete and to let the person watch their own decisions.
That is what makes the game format interesting: a person does not just listen to explanations but takes part in what is happening.
Where to start if you want to become a game facilitator
The first thing I would advise is to try the game yourself.
Do not buy the set just because you liked the idea. First it is important to understand whether the format suits you, whether you are interested in working with these questions and whether you feel comfortable in the role of a participant.
After that you can study the method and what is expected of a facilitator. Good preparation should include not only reading the rules but understanding how a whole session runs.
In Sex&Money we have set out several stages.
First you apply and we talk for about half an hour. I want to understand what you do now, who you work with and where your first players might come from. I will also tell you honestly if, in my view, it is too early to invest in the game.
Then you receive the set in the language you chose and study the method. Depending on the option, that is a written manual, the manual together with a video course, or training with additional live lessons with me.
Before the certificate is issued, you run one full trial game, online or in person. We review it together so that you know what went well and what needs more work.
Details and current terms are on the Sex&Money facilitator training page
How to turn the game into a working service
Say you have learned the method. What next?
To begin with, you do not need a huge hall and dozens of strangers. You can invite a few clients you know, colleagues or people from your community. A first group can easily be two or three participants.
After a trial game it becomes easier to see how to organise a session, how much time each stage takes and what questions participants have.
Next you will need to talk about your service, post announcements and invite people. Communication and promotion skills come in handy here. You need to explain what the game is, who it suits and what not to expect from it.
Sex&Money comes with a launch marketing plan: a four-week publishing calendar, video scripts, content topics and invitation texts. It saves you from starting your promotion with a blank page, although the result still depends on your audience, your activity and your circumstances.
How much you can earn
Let's work it out with a concrete example.
Suppose you run a three-hour group game and one seat costs €80. If six people come, the revenue is €480 per session.
But that is revenue before costs. Room hire, drinks, promotion and other organisational costs may come out of it. Do not count on every table being full from the start: the first games may well have two or three participants.
You can hold sessions regularly, run one-to-one sessions or use the game as an addition to your existing consultations. Choose the format with your audience in mind and with how your work is already set up.
The Sex&Money set costs €800, €1000 or €1200 depending on the training format. All three options include the physical game set, the written method and a certificate with the right to run Sex&Money commercially. The extra lessons and the video course depend on the option you choose.
Payback is not guaranteed: it depends on the number of participants, the price you set and your costs. The certification page has a calculator you can use to work out rough figures for your situation.
Who this profession suits
Game facilitation may appeal to those who love working with people and want to widen the range of services they offer.
A psychologist can use the game as an additional format for exploring a request. A coach can offer it to clients who want to try another way of looking at their situation. A women's circle facilitator can organise themed meetings. A body practitioner can add a group game to an existing practice, if it fits their competence and audience.
But there is an important point.
Buying the game is no substitute for building a practice of your own from scratch. You need people you can offer the service to, time to run sessions and a willingness to promote it. If you have not yet worked with clients and are only looking for a future profession, it is better first to work out what training and preparation you in particular need.
It is important not to rush here. The game can be a good tool for a specialist who is already working, but it does not have to suit everyone.
What if I'm afraid I won't cope?
This is one of the questions I am asked most often.
It seems that a facilitator must know all the answers straight away, be able to deal with any emotion and find the right words at any moment.
In fact the job is a different one. You need to know the method well, keep to the rules and know what to do in typical situations. And be able to admit that you do not have an answer to every question.
There is no need to play the mentor who knows more about life than everyone else. Sometimes your role is simply to create the conditions in which a participant can work out their situation for themselves.
That is exactly why the Sex&Money training includes a trial session followed by a review. Mistakes are better found before your first paid game, while you can still discuss them calmly and get feedback.
Experience comes with time, you develop your own style of leading, and working with a group becomes easier. But the place to start is not self-confidence; it is understanding the method and responsibility for the participants.
Would you like to try yourself as a game facilitator?
Perhaps you already give consultations, work as a psychologist or coach, organise women's gatherings or have long been looking for a new tool for your practice.
Then I suggest starting with a simple step: get to know Sex&Money and see how the game works.
On the Loresh Games website you can look at the set and the rules, and on the facilitator training page compare the options and see the path from application to your first game on your own.
If you are not yet sure the format suits you, fill in the contact form. Write what you do now, which people you work with and what you would like to know.
I answer messages personally, usually within a day. We will discuss your situation and see whether it makes sense to start with Sex&Money right now.
You do not have to decide to buy straight away. To begin with, it is enough to understand whether the tool suits you and whether you can use it in your work.