About UnExpected Values

UnExpected Values: From Dystopia to Utopia is an expanding series of educational strategy games exploring the ethical dilemmas that shape our societies. Each game invites players into a different world—from competitive markets to open education and entrepreneurial innovation—where they navigate decisions grounded in real-world challenges.

Through play, dialogue, and imagination, players explore what we value, how our choices shape the systems we live in, and how we might create a more just, sustainable, and collaborative future.

The games form an interconnected journey: from questioning existing systems to imagining and building alternatives.

Explore the UnExpected Values Game Series

• World 1: The Free Market
  Enter a competitive market as a CEO and navigate the tensions between profit, ethics, and social responsibility. Explore how business decisions can prioritise short-term gains over long-term well-being.

• World 2: The Open Future
  Imagine alternatives to existing educational systems. Collaborate as educators, learners, policy advisors, and community members to explore how Open Educational Practices can foster equity, collaboration, and the common good.

• World 3: Designing the Company of Tomorrow
  Step into the role of an entrepreneur and design your own company. Navigate the challenges of technological innovation, environmental responsibility, and economic viability while exploring how business decisions create value for people, the planet, and the economy.

Together, these worlds invite players to move from competition to collaboration, from questioning existing systems to imagining alternatives, and from individual choices to collective responsibility.

Who it is for

• • Educators and professors:
    Use the games in courses and workshops on business ethics, entrepreneurship, economics, education, open education, technology, sustainability, and related fields.

  • Students:
    Explore real-world dilemmas and develop skills in ethical reasoning, decision-making, negotiation, collaboration, and reflection.

  • Corporate trainers and NGOs:
    Facilitate discussions about responsible business, leadership, and organisational choices.

  • Community organisers and activists:
    Explore values, systemic change, and community-led alternatives.

  • Board game enthusiasts:
    Engage with thought-provoking strategy games about the choices shaping our world.

Get involved & stay updated

UnExpected Values is an evolving project, and we welcome contributions from educators, students, professionals, and board game enthusiasts.

• Share feedback:
  Tell us about your experience and help shape future developments.

• Create your own:
  The games are released under a Creative Commons license. You can adapt, remix, or develop new thematic sets to explore dilemmas relevant to your context. We welcome ideas for expanding the shared game universe.

• Get in touch:
  For questions, educational use, or collaboration opportunities, contact Angelos Konstantinidis at a.konstantinidis@rug.nl.

• Stay updated:
  Subscribe to receive news about new game worlds, materials, and events.

About the project and license

UnExpected Values is designed and developed by Angelos Konstantinidis, with partial funding from the Jantina Tammes School of Digital Society, Technology and AI, and the Open Science Programme. The project is also supported by the Centre for Teaching and Learning, all at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

Graphic Design: Ilaria Rosso.

The game is under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Creative Commons License. This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms.

Download, print, and play the game!

Ready to dive into UnExpected Values? You can download all game materials - including the game board, cards, and Game Guide - for free! Simply print the files, assemble the components, and you are ready to play!

Recommended for ages 12 and up. The game’s depth and strategic complexity make it ideal for secondary/high school students, university learners, and adult audiences.