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In a world of complex challenges – from climate change to education inequity – we often look for big, technological solutions. But sometimes, innovation can be as simple as sitting around a table with a board game.

Over the past few years, I鈥檝e explored how play can unlock learning and shift mindsets in unexpected ways. From helping preschool teachers in India understand the lifelong impact of early education to supporting farmers in Tanzania as they navigate climate risks, I鈥檝e seen how games can sow the seeds for transformed decision-making.

Turning Research into Play

My journey into game design began in 2018, when I designed a board game for early childhood educators along with a fellow Ashokan, Siddhrath Parambi (YIF鈥�16). We were inspired by James Heckman鈥檚 research on the lifelong benefits of preschool education – but we wanted teachers to feel what the data was saying, not just read about it.

We translated the research into a playable format, utilising the mechanics of The Game of Life. Each player began by drawing a chit that determined their 鈥榝ate鈥� – and whether they attended preschool. That random draw also decided which dice they鈥檇 use – some with higher numbers, some lower – representing their life probabilities.

As players moved through the board, they made everyday choices: to study, take a job, get married, and have children. Yet their outcomes were governed by data – those who had attended preschool gradually accumulated higher 鈥榣ife points鈥�.

But the most powerful moments came from the players themselves. One teacher chose not to marry in the game, even though it meant losing points. When I asked why, she said, 鈥淚n my real life, I don鈥檛 get to make choices. Let me at least do that here – even if I lose.鈥�

That response reminded me that games don鈥檛 just teach; they reveal. They create safe spaces for reflection, emotion, and agency. In that moment, I understood that social change can be joyful – and deeply human.

Fields of Play in Tanzania

In 2024, I worked on a project to help smallholder farmers in Tanzania make climate-resilient choices. Traditional awareness campaigns – posters, trainings, and pamphlets – weren鈥檛 working. The problem wasn鈥檛 a lack of information, but how it was delivered. Farmers were being asked to invest in insurance and improved seeds for benefits they might see months later. Invest more today to reap the benefits tomorrow, wasn’t making sense to those who struggle with cash flow.

I found myself co-designing another board game – this time with fellow Ashokan alum Raghav Raghunathan (YIF鈥�13), an economist and researcher. Raghav brought the data, research, and behavioural insights; I brought the game design – mechanics, storytelling, and visual design.

Each player took on the role of a farmer making planting decisions over multiple 鈥渟easons.鈥� The goal was to maximise income and yield, but every choice came with trade-offs – cheaper seeds meant higher risk, and insurance offered stability but was more expensive. As players rolled dice, faced drought cards, and watched their friends鈥� farms flourish or fail, something shifted. The room buzzed with laughter, debate, and a sense of shared discovery. By the end, farmers were discussing risk and long-term planning – not because someone lectured them, but because they had felt it.

The result was electrifying. 24 per cent more farmers who played the game bought climate-resilient seeds compared to the control group. Overall, there was a 25% increase in the adoption rate than the previous year. Among those buying these seeds, 89 per cent also purchased insurance. The impact was tangible – proof that when people experience learning, behaviours shift.

Designing for Depth, Not Decoration

When people hear 鈥榚ducational games鈥�, there may be a tendency to fit in every concept that you can possibly imagine. But meaningful design is about clarity, not clutter.

I follow three simple principles:

鈥嬧�婯eep it minimal. Every element – card, token, or dice – must serve a purpose. Simplicity allows for depth.
Make it engaging. 鈥楨ducational鈥� doesn鈥檛 have to be dull; the joy of play should pull people in naturally.
Enable peer learning. In both the ECCE and Tanzania games, players learned as much from each other鈥檚 decisions as from their own.

Looking back, I can trace this way of thinking straight to my time at Ashoka (2016鈥�17). The curriculum pushed me to think critically, connect dots across disciplines, and design for meaning rather than form. Unconventional assessments trained me to express ideas creatively – a foundation that made translating research into play feel natural years later.

Ashoka gave me a language of curiosity and experimentation. It taught me that innovation doesn鈥檛 always mean invention; sometimes, it means reimagining the familiar.

From co-founding Barefoot Edu Foundation (now Unifly Collective) with Jonathan Mendonca (YIF 17) during our time at YIF (as Entrepreneurs in Residence in 2017 at the InfoEdge Centre for Entrepreneurship) to designing games that turn policy into participation, I carry that ethos with me – that learning can be powerful and playful.

Designing for social change through games isn鈥檛 about adding fun to serious topics – it鈥檚 about discovering how play can deepen understanding. It turns data into dialogue, and information into experience.

If innovation is about seeing the familiar anew, then perhaps play is one of our most underused tools. After all, long before we could read or write, we learned by playing. Maybe that鈥檚 where the next wave of social change will begin – around a table, a few dice, and a spark of curiosity.

About the Author

Saumya Aggarwal (YIF’17) is a learning designer and social entrepreneur working at the intersection of education, leadership, and systems change. She co-founded The Unifly Collective, which has impacted over 150,000 educators across India, and currently consults with organisations like UNESCO. Her work blends play, creativity, and systems thinking to make learning more human and joyful. Beyond her professional work, she finds inspiration in the arts – through crafting, dancing, and everyday creative expression.

Disclaimer – This article was created based on my own experiences and principles, with drafting and editing assistance from an AI tool.