A military veteran on why you should play games at work | James "Pigeon" Fielder | TEDxMileHigh

During his 25 years in uniform, Lieutenant Colonel James "Pigeon" Fielder designed & executed military war games, some with thousands of participants, defending positions with blank weapons, launching real aircraft, and treating fake injuries on the battlefield. Why does the US military spend so much time and energy on something that isn't real? Because the first time you respond to a crisis shouldn't be during an actual crisis. Games let you work together to overcome obstacles that feel real – risk-free! Whether you work at a large corporation, a non-profit, or a startup, you can benefit from playing games too. After retiring from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Lieutenant Colonel James "Pigeon" Fielder, Ph.D., joined Colorado State University as a Political Science Instructor. He’s also a senior designer for the Littleton, Colorado-based tabletop roleplaying game company Mobius Worlds Publishing. For over two decades, Pigeon has designed and executed training exercises and wargames, from small-group tabletop discussions to multi-day exercises with 5,000+ participants. Today, his research and consulting work focuses on interpersonal trust and emergent political processes in gaming. Pigeon roosts with his wife Kelly, son Penny, a three-legged cat, and two pigeons (the source of his nickname). Their daughter Kyla lives in Ann Arbor, MI. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx