The Creativity Playbook

Inspiral Game

Roll two themes, then spend three minutes on ideas that link them. Each unique idea moves you one space toward the centre of the spiral.

Updated

Inspiral Game

A worked example from the book

  1. 1. Roll for two themes. You roll two dice to find the first theme, then roll again to find the second. The dice give the place on the board. A 4 and a 3, for example, means 4 around the spiral and 3 in toward the centre. The book’s example lands on these two:

    • Theme 1candy
    • Theme 2animals

  2. 2. Link them in three minutes. Come up with as many ideas as you can that connect the two themes, sensible or crazy. The book’s example for sweets (candy) and animals gives:

    • Sweets shaped like animals.
    • Sweets to give to animals as treats.
    • Sweets made from chicken, to give to children as a way to sneak protein into their diets.

  3. 3. Count the unique ideas and move. Count the ideas that are different from one another. Three unique ideas means three spaces toward the centre of the spiral. The first player to reach the centre wins. The book adds that the chicken one is just an example.

  4. 4. Why it works. The book says that making connections between seemingly unrelated things is at the heart of creativity, and this game forces you to make them.

Now roll your own two themes below.

How to play

  1. Roll the dice. You get two themes from the spiral, such as “health” and “space”. Each one comes from a pair of dice.
  2. Start the three minutes. Write as many ideas as you can that link the two themes. Sensible or crazy, it does not matter.
  3. Count the unique ideas. Exact repeats do not count. Move your counter that many spaces toward the centre.
  4. Roll again. The spiral has 36 spaces. Reach the centre and you win. Your score is how many turns it took.

In the book you play against other people and the first to the centre wins. Here you play against yourself. To play with others, each person writes their own list during the same three minutes and compares counts. The most unique ideas moves furthest.

Why it works

The Connected chapter says creativity is about making connections between two seemingly unrelated things. This game forces that, and it is a quick way to get past the blank page: you do not choose the themes, so you cannot pick the easy ones. Most pairs will feel unrelated at first. The three minutes are for working past that.

The book sets three minutes a turn, and it counts ideas, not quality. The aim is to get many ideas down, not to find the best one.

The board

The spiral has 36 themes in six rings of six. The first die counts around a ring and the second counts in toward the centre, as the book’s rules say. The themes are the ones on the book’s board, and a few are blunt, which is part of the fun.

Where this comes from

This is the Inspiral board game at the end of the Connected chapter, played on screen. The rules, the themes and the example are the book’s. Nothing you type leaves your browser and nothing is stored.

Questions

Is this the same as the Random Idea Generator? It is related. The Random Idea Generator deals two things and leaves you to think. This game adds a timer, a score and a race.

What counts as unique? Ideas that are different from one another. The tool only removes exact repeats. Deciding whether two ideas are really the same is up to you.

Do I have to use all three minutes? No. Press Finish early.