Disruptive thinking is a term that is used to describe the most extreme form of innovation. The award-winning board game Disruptus draws on this term in its design and theme. It is billed as the game that “dares players to think in an outrageously original manner.”
Disruptus is amazing to use in any classroom that values innovation and the design process. The play mechanism for Disruptus is simple to learn for players ages 10 and up. Players can play in teams or individually, as they create, transform, improve, or disrupt existing ideas or products. For example, if you draw a card with a picture of sunglasses and roll the die and get the “improve” symbol, you need to come up with an improved design for sunglasses. Similarly, if you draw a card with a picture of a water bottle and roll the “transform” symbol, you will need to come up with an entirely different purpose for a water bottle. A “create” roll results in combining two existing products into one, while the “disrupt” roll has players imagining ways that an existing product can be used to create a new market or change the human experience. Competitive or cooperative play work equally well, and kids absolutely love using their creativity to play!
Disruptus is a perfect way to encourage out-of-the-box thinking when students are brainstorming products for their TREP$ businesses. Playing it as a warm-up activity in Workshop 1 would be a lot of fun! It would be interesting to play again at TREP$ Workshop 6 to notice any changes that have taken place in the way the kids are thinking. Disruptus is available on Amazon for only $20.
