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Strategizing Life Through Board Games: Career Planning and Workplace Exploration Workshop Builds Communication, Collaboration, and Adaptability
To help international students develop greater awareness of career development, strengthen self-understanding, and enhance their career readiness, the Office of Global Affairs held the “Use Board Games to Strategize Your Life Workshop” on August 27, 2026, at the Shuinan Campus. Combining board game experiences, group discussions, and career reflection, the workshop encouraged students to explore how strategic thinking and decision-making can be applied to both everyday life and future career development.
Led by instructor Mark Lin, the workshop introduced Super’s Career Development Theory and Krumboltz’s Planned Happenstance Theory, to help students reflect on their current career development stage and better understand their personal strengths, values, and needs. Students also used the “To Be / To Do / To Have” framework to develop clearer medium- and long-term career goals.
The centerpiece of the workshop was the board game Verflixxt! / That’s Life!, which was used as a practical platform for experiencing decision-making, strategy, and collaboration. Students participated in two rounds of gameplay combined with reflection activities. In the first round, they became familiar with the game mechanics and observed how different decisions produced different outcomes. After discussing their experiences and identifying possible strategies, they adjusted their approaches in the second round.
Student reflections highlighted the value of using gameplay to examine strategic thinking in real life. After experiencing the first round, students became more aware of the different roles played by various elements of the game and how individual decisions could influence subsequent outcomes. By reviewing the consequences of their choices, they learned to reassess situations and modify their strategies rather than simply repeating the same approach.
Communication and collaboration also emerged as important learning themes. Through group interaction, students recognized that effective communication and cooperation can lead to stronger outcomes in workplace settings. Rather than focusing solely on individual competition or actions that disadvantage others, working together, coordinating with peers, and sharing resources can create more constructive and mutually beneficial results. These experiences directly supported the workshop’s goal of developing workplace communication, teamwork, and resource-sharing skills.
The workshop also encouraged students to reconsider how they respond when things do not go as planned. Through the game, students experienced situations in which unfavorable circumstances could be addressed by changing their approach and making new decisions. This helped reinforce the idea that setbacks do not necessarily determine the final outcome. Instead, flexibility, optimism, persistence, and a willingness to explore new possibilities can open up alternative paths—an idea closely connected to Krumboltz’s Planned Happenstance Theory.
The workshop concluded by connecting the lessons from the game to students’ own career development. Through reflection and action planning, participants were encouraged to transform their gameplay experiences into concrete thoughts about their future goals and next steps. By viewing life through the lens of a game and reflecting on career decisions through real-life experiences, students developed a stronger awareness of strategic decision-making, adaptability, communication, and collaboration.
The Office of Global Affairs will continue to provide experiential and interactive learning opportunities that encourage students to explore themselves, understand workplace dynamics, and develop the adaptability and initiative needed to navigate future career challenges.
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