UnExpected Values: The Open Future

In UnExpected Values: The Open Future, you step into the shoes of different stakeholders within the academic and societal landscape: policymakers, teachers/researchers, learners, and community members. Together, you will face dilemmas that challenge how knowledge is created, shared, and used for the common good.

Each decision you co-create impacts not only the future of education, but also the values that guide our communities and collective futures. The dilemmas you will face are not theoretical—they are inspired by real-world open pedagogy projects and practices.

About the game

UnExpected Values: The Open Future is an immersive, collaborative strategy game that challenges traditional models of knowledge creation and sharing. Players step into the roles of key stakeholders—policymakers, teachers, learners, and community members—to tackle real-world dilemmas inspired by successful Open Educational Practices. While the group shares a common goal, each player is driven by a unique set of personal values, adding a compelling layer of individual strategy to the collaborative effort.

The gameplay is built on the conviction that Open Education can foster community and drive systemic change. Emphasizing cooperation over competition, you will navigate dilemmas as collaborators, seeking solutions that prioritize shared benefit and the common good. Every decision you make collectively will ripple through the game, influencing the well-being of the entire educational ecosystem.

Drawing from published case studies in open pedagogy, the game tests your ability to balance ethical collaboration with real-world constraints like time and resources. At its heart are the Dilemma Cards, each featuring a QR code that links to the true story behind the scenario. This bridges gameplay with real practice, transforming your session into a powerful learning tool that allows you to:

• Foster dialogue through thoughtful discussion, building on each other's ideas to co-create a shared vision.

• Connect gameplay to reality by exploring the real-world stories and contexts behind each dilemma.

• Extend the experience beyond the table through access to resources that inspire deeper reflection, research, and continued learning.

Playing UnExpected Values: The Open Future is more than a game—it is an opportunity to experiment, reflect, and actively imagine how to redesign education for a more just and inclusive society.

Why play?

UnExpected Values: The Open Future is more than a game—it's a rehearsal for building a better world. It moves beyond critiquing the current system to actively practice building a viable alternative based on openness, collaboration, and justice. By confronting real-world dilemmas inspired by successful global projects, players develop an insight of how to foster equitable participation, share knowledge freely, empower learners, and connect communities in meaningful ways.

The game challenges players to explore critical questions, such as:

• What does it truly mean to "open" education, and who benefits?

• How can we balance the demands of academic institutions with the authentic needs of local communities?

• Can we build sustainable systems for knowledge sharing that resist becoming exploitative?

• What would education look like if it was co-created by everyone it serves?

By experiencing these challenges through collaboration instead of competition, players gain a deeper appreciation for the relational work that underpins systemic change. This sparks not just discussion, but a sense of collective agency, making The Open Future an ideal resource for classrooms, faculty development, community workshops, and anyone invested in the future of learning.

Whether you are a student, educator, administrator, or community advocate, this game provides a creative and thought-provoking way to explore the principles of Open Pedagogy and to experience the power of co-creation in shaping the future of learning.

Game Learning Objectives

• Understand the real-world challenges of collaboration, including balancing diverse stakeholder interests, managing limited resources (time, well-being, funding), and building consensus.

• Recognize education as a complex ecosystem, where a change in policy affects teaching, which in turn impacts community engagement and learner empowerment.

• Foster the skills and mindset needed to work effectively in diverse teams, valuing different forms of knowledge and expertise to achieve a common goal.

• Develop critical understanding of openness, transparency, and participation in teaching, learning, and research.

• Encourage reflection on ethical and social implications of knowledge creation and dissemination.

Tailor your experience: 2 gameplay modes

We want everyone to enjoy UnExpected Values: The open future, from seasoned strategists to those new to tabletop games, and from casual game nights to structured educational settings. That is why 2 distinct gameplay modes are offered, detailed in the following pages and presented here from simplest to most complex:

Dialogue:
This mode focuses purely on discussion. It removes all game mechanics and instead uses the dilemma cards to spark meaningful conversations. Ideal for classrooms, workshops, or settings with limited time.

Standard:
The first full mode of the game. Incorporates key game components with limited randomness for straightforward, engaging play.