I get hired a lot by organizations that want to make things “more fun.” The World Bank, schools, hospitals, Fortune 500 companies. They say something like, “We have this event, or this training, or this product, and we just want it to be more fun.” It is almost always the same request, and my answer is almost always the same. I nod. I tell them I can help. And then, privately, I get to work unlearning what they think they hired me for. Because they think they hired me to make a game. What they actually need is play. Why bother making things fun at all? Before I go further, it’s worth asking why this matters. If you’re reading this because your team meeting is a slog, or your weekly dinners are silent, or the volunteer event you’re planning feels doomed to be awkward, then you probably don’t need convincing. You want it to feel better. Good. But for the more serious-minded among us (and I include myself here) it helps to know why fun is worth pursuing in the first place. Fun loosens your thinking.…