Collaborative Foresight: How to Game the Future
You’ll never have a complete picture of what's possible in the future if you look at it from just one point of view. The best way to expand your vision? Engage as many people as you can, and “game out” the possibilities together. In this course, you’ll learn how to use collaborative gaming techniques to go beyond your own thinking and see many, many different sides of the same future.
Monthly Subscription Starting at AED 99 + VAT
- Level Foundation
- Duration 15 hours
- Course by Institute for the Future
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Offered by
About
You’ll never have a complete picture of what's possible in the future if you look at it from just one point of view. The best way to expand your vision? Engage as many people as you can, and “game out” the possibilities together. In this course, you’ll learn how to use collaborative gaming techniques to go beyond your own thinking and see many, many different sides of the same future. Over the past decade, the Institute for the Future has pioneered new methods in “massively-multiplayer foresight.” You’ll learn how to adapt these methods to get diverse, surprising views of what’s possible, build your empathy for other people’s futures, and reduce your risk of being “blindsided” by the future. This course features content from the Ethical Operating System, a tool created by the Institute in collaboration with Omidyar Networks’ Tech and Society Lab. It’s designed to help technology companies anticipate risks and prevent unwanted consequences of the things they build. Whether or not you work in tech, the Ethical Operating System will give you the chance to participate right now in an urgent future forecasting game. The stakes of the game are the future of truth, privacy, democracy, security, and our collective well-being. It’s a unique opportunity to join creative and strategic forces with people who are making the tech that’s inventing the future, and with fellow futures thinkers like you. Many thanks to the Enlight Foundation and the Enlight Collaborative, which provided a grant to support the creation of this course.Modules
Welcome to the course!
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2
Videos
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2
Readings
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1
Discussion
1
Discussions
- Introduce yourself!
2
Videos
- Welcome to this course - Meet your professor, Jane McGonigal
- Why the Future is Like a Game
2
Readings
- Take a two-minute survey about the future!
- Collaborative Foresight Skills Brief: Your "cheat sheet" for this course
Introduction to Gaming the Future
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1
Videos
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3
Readings
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1
Discussion
1
Discussions
- Asteroid Incoming! What would YOU do?
1
Videos
- Expert Gaming Versus Everyone Gaming
3
Readings
- Asteroid Scenario: Day 1 Press Release
- Asteroid Scenario: Day 5 Press Release
- Asteroid Scenario: Day 5 Briefing/Results
How to Play a Massively Multiplayer Forecasting Game
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1
Videos
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1
Readings
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1
PeerReview
1
Peer Review
- Create a scenario for your own game
1
Videos
- Example of a Massively Multiplayer Forecasting Game
1
Readings
- Forecasting Games (Excerpt from Reality is Broken)
The Future Wheel
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2
Videos
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1
Readings
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1
Discussion
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Future Wheel Basics
1
Discussions
- What change or event would you put at the center of YOUR future wheel?
2
Videos
- What's a Future Wheel?
- Examples of Surprising Consequences
1
Readings
- TOOL: Future Wheel
5 Future Scenarios to Game
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1
Videos
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1
Readings
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1
PeerReview
1
Peer Review
- Play a Future Wheel and Share Your Results
1
Videos
- 5 Scenarios to Game Out
1
Readings
- Ethical Operating System
Introduction to Positive and Shadow Imagination
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1
Videos
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3
Readings
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1
Discussion
1
Discussions
- Should we settle Mars?
1
Videos
- Two Sides of Every Future
3
Readings
- Why Thousands of People are Willing to Die on Mars
- The Case Against Going to Mars
- Would it Be Ethical to Colonize Mars?
The Future of Empathy
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2
Videos
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2
Readings
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- the Future of Empathy Technologies
2
Videos
- The Future of Empathy
- SCENARIO: The FeelThat Network
2
Readings
- Future of Reading and Writing the Brain
- Future of Mind and Body Technology
Advanced Positive and Shadow Imagination
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1
Videos
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1
Readings
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1
PeerReview
1
Peer Review
- Use Positive and Shadow Imagination
1
Videos
- Advanced Positive and Shadow Imagination
1
Readings
- OPTIONAL: Results from the Feel That Future Forecasting Game
Leading Edge Interviews
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1
Videos
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3
Readings
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1
Discussion
1
Discussions
- What's a leading edge behavior YOU are interested in?
1
Videos
- Mini-Masterclass: How to Find Leading Edge Behaviors
3
Readings
- 5 Questions to Start a Conversation About the Future
- Leading Edge Behaviors in Social Virtual Reality
- BONUS: Voices from the Leading Edge of Work
The Four Future Feelings Tool
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2
Videos
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1
Readings
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1
PeerReview
1
Peer Review
- Explore Four Future Feelings
2
Videos
- How to Explore Four Future Feelings (Part 1)
- How to Explore Four Future Feelings (Part 2)
1
Readings
- TOOL: Explore Four Future Feelings
What's an Epic Win?
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3
Videos
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1
Readings
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1
Discussion
1
Discussions
- What problem do you think needs an epic win?
3
Videos
- What's an Epic Win?
- Epic Wins from the Future of Technology
- Tips on Creating Epic Wins
1
Readings
- Epic Wins from the Future of Tech
The Equitable Future Card Game
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2
Videos
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1
Readings
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1
PeerReview
1
Peer Review
- Design your own Equitable Futures card deck
2
Videos
- How to Play the Equitable Futures Card Game (Part 1)
- How to Play the Equitable Future Card Game (Part 2)
1
Readings
- TOOL: Equitable Futures Card Game
Congratulations! You've Successfully Gamed the Future!
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1
Videos
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1
Readings
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1
Discussion
1
Discussions
- What's your biggest "a ha" moment from this course?
1
Videos
- Congratulations on finishing the course!
1
Readings
- An invitation to join our free Alumni Network
Auto Summary
"Collaborative Foresight: How to Game the Future" is a foundational business and management course offered by Coursera. Led by the Institute for the Future, it teaches collaborative gaming techniques to explore diverse future scenarios. The course includes insights from the Ethical Operating System to help anticipate risks and prevent unwanted consequences, focusing on technology's impact on truth, privacy, democracy, and security. Suitable for professionals and beginners alike, the course spans 900 minutes and is available through Starter and Professional subscription options. Join to enhance your foresight and strategic thinking skills.
Jane McGonigal