On the surface, Slay the Spire may just look like a card game. Players fight monsters and navigate events as they climb the titular spire, armed with a deck of combat moves. The real meat of the game, however, really only shows itself later on. After each game, win or lose, your card inventory is expanded, the dungeons are reset, and you are free to enter again, equipped with new knowledge of what the titular spire holds. If you do beat the game, it then throws you additional challenges where the difficulty is ratcheted up. This is the essence of the roguelike genre – simple gameplay loops, randomised challenges and new surprises along the way.
In games like these, the player is encouraged to continually enter mechanically similar gameplay experiences. In doing so, the player learns that failure is not only acceptable, but sometimes encouraged. They then learn from those failures. Subsequently, the player improves – not just on a mechanical level, but also on a cognitive one. Eventually, they are ready for all sorts of challenges that might arise, and more importantly, ready to bounce back.
One of the reasons that workplaces often feel stifling is a perceived lack of tolerance of failure.
When mistakes are severely punished, it creates a climate where people are afraid to innovate because they fear failure. The same can also be said for education. Additionally, achieving competence in a process doesn’t mean we have nothing else to learn from redoing the process.
We can help our teams grow into more competent, loyal and healthy individuals by fostering an environment where failure can be cultivated. It doesn’t have to come at the cost of employee performance. A good culture of simulation allows employees to correctly identify gaps in their knowledge and take steps to improve on them. This enhances company culture and brings staff together on a more cooperative basis.
