Focus Games has been making board games to help you learn since 2004. Fast forward to now, and we’ve grown from a two-man band to having offices in Scotland and England, and a driven, determined team who work on every aspect of board game development, from content, to design, to marketing and selling the final games.

So why board games? When we’re children, we learn through playing and interaction. It’s natural, and it works. So why should things be different when we grow up? We don’t think it should. So we’ve taken the idea of learning through play and interaction, and applied it to the workplace. It’s called “game learning.”

We’re the world’s leading game learning developer, and we think that using games is a great way to deliver the knowledge, skills and confidence people need to improve the way they work. We develop board games which allow people and organisations to learn and change, by presenting structured scenarios in a relaxed environment, to open up face-to-face discussions about specific issues.

Not convinced? Think about other board games, like Trivial Pursuit. As you play you answer questions, and before you know it you’ve learned who Henry VIII’s fourth wife was and the main ingredients of a Screwdriver. That’s a bit like how our games work – you’re learning while you’re playing and having fun.

Because our games are played in teams, they have the added benefit of promoting discussion and collaboration. Players share their opinions and experiences, and this helps them learn from each other and understand each other better. Game learning presents training in a way that people enjoy, rather than solitary or intimidating classroom or e-learning.

We’ve worked with national and international organisations to develop games which are relevant, evidence based and engaging. Our clients, partners and customers using game learning are as vastly different as the NHS, McDonald’s, Heineken and GlaxoSmithKline.

Game learning is growing, and Focus Games is leading the way.