Opportunity of a Lifetime: A prototype for making connections
What it is:
Opportunity of a Lifetime* is a simple game where the players use their own experience to apply for a fictional job based on unrelated skills and experience.
Why we did it:
We were exploring the role of interdisciplinary collaboration and we wanted to see if we could find ways to spark new connections between concepts and attributes.
What we learned:
The structure of the game forces the players to make connections. In addition to opening up space for new connections, the game also created a space within the room for people to see each other in a different way. While this finding is quite early, we believe it is worth further inquiry.
*This game was inspired by a game called “Absurd Job Interview” created by Nicki Maslan, a student at the Hive.
Part 1
Think about something in your life that has some relationship to creativity. It can be something traditionally considered creative (you may paint, play music, or write poetry) but it can also be something less traditional. Perhaps you restore clocks, get people to show up to a volunteer activity, or find a way to balance a life with family and demanding work.
Your Task: Write a sentence or phrase to capture this “creative” activity.
Guidelines
The activity should be something that’s an active part of your life. If you haven’t painted in 3 years, leave that off for something that’s more of a part of your life.
Pick something that you approach with intention. You should care about it.
Choose something you are comfortable talking about. (Sharing the creativity required to selling endangered eagle eggs on the dark web will be awkward.)
Example. I’m really good at writing emails that get people to show up to boring events.
Part 2
A preposterously rich, bold, and forward thinking philanthropist is looking to donate her entire fortune to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. She is looking for a breed of problem solvers with deep technical expertise and the ability to solve problems with known and unknown factors. She’s assembling a team and you have the opportunity to be on it. This is beyond a doubt, a chance for you to make a huge impact on the future of the planet. You recognize this opportunity will only come up once in a life time. The team is looking to fill a variety of roles.
Your goal is to get a job on one of these projects.
Part 3a: The Interview
You are interviewing for the role of:
Thermodynamics Group Leader for Worlds Largest Solar Project
You will have three minutes to explain why the thing you’ve captured on your card will make you the best person for this job.
Part 3b: The Interview
You are interviewing for the role of:
Orbital Dynamicist for the Human Mission to Saturn
You will have three minutes to explain why the thing you’ve captured on your card will make you the best person for this job.