The future is in your hand
The decisions you make change the game for everyone

As Seen On:

Education Reimagined Logo
Unfiltered Gamer Logo

Bring Your Future to the Table

IMPACT: Learning Edition is a board game that uses futures thinking to help you imagine and think critically about changes that could impact the future of learning. Players take on diverse characters – each with their own role, values and unique set of preferred future conditions – and compete to create a world where their future role is relevant and secure.

Perfect for three to five players, IMPACT: Learning Edition helps players to recognize the roles they play in shaping the future they want – even after the game is over.

“Just reading about a policy change is not usually going to make it stick in your brain, but having some sort of interaction with it, a conversation, a story you have to tell around building the headline, that actually creates those neuropathways and connections in your brain that allow you to remember.”

– Calli Wright, Unfiltered Gamer

“Games are a really effective way to create space for folks to approach issues impacting learning creatively and through a different lens. It is great to see another tool out there!”

– Jessica Fuller, Director of Project Development and Operations, RESCHOOL Colorado

“Through role-playing, the game naturally attunes players to see the greater system you are operating within so each gain or loss might be viewed as an opportunity. I could imagine how over time this ‘systems’ way of thinking would naturally lead to more holistic approaches to solving community-wide issues leading to stronger, more resilient communities? Wouldn't it be wonderful to empower not just young people in their learning but all people with this way of seeing into the future?”

– Monica Snellings, Vice President of Communications, Education Reimagined

Learn as You Play

Deepen your understanding of cause-and-effect relationships

Engage in conversations about the future of learning
Grapple with change through systems thinking

IMPACT: Learning Edition offers endless re-playability with interactions among future impacts, disruptions and your own perspectives.

WATCH GAMEPLAY IN ACTION

Diverse Character Personas

Illustration of Alex Weber

ALEX WEBER

Community Intelligence Specialist

Alignment, accountability and algorithms are Alex’s areas of expertise. He curates data about learning and helps his learning community make sense of it all. He helps educators use technology for evidence-based, formative assessment and feedback and ensures alignment with state accountability systems, keeping an eye on privacy and security.

Illustration of Ayren Batiste

AYREN BATISTE

“Most Likely to Become President” Learner

Ayren is a high-school junior who aspires to a STEM career. Always thinking about their next move and what it takes to succeed, they are constantly looking at how learning experiences, extracurricular activities and work experiences build toward college and career. Ayren thrives in learning environments where the connection to goals is clear.
Illustration of Cruz Gomez

CRUZ GÓMEZ

“Most Likely to Become an Influencer” Learner

Cruz is an easygoing high school sophomore who is eager to be done with school; he would rather create digital content than study. Proud of his Mexican heritage and bilingual, he teaches elders in the community to recycle and compost. He will join activities, including rallying others to support climate actions, if his friends also participate.
Illustration of Jayden Harris

JAYDEN HARRIS

Youth Justice Advocate

Jayden’s calling is to activate youth to make change. A tireless champion of Black youth, Jayden supports them in developing critical consciousness and in advocating for themselves and broader social change. He is a young adult who supports youth-led initiatives and works with schools to elevate issues affecting youths’ ability to thrive.
Illustration of Karissa Williams

KARISSA WILLIAMS

Governor

Karissa was always a leader, so it came as no surprise when she was elected Governor. In her role, she seeks to foster productive civic discourse and bolster the state’s standing and economy. She also works to ensure the state has the resources needed to support its citizens, particularly those who, like her, need assistive devices to walk.
Illustration of Pat Li

PAT LI

Learning Journey Mentor

Pat dreamed of being a navigator. They live their dream, guiding learners in designing learning pathways. As an educators’ union member, Pat knows that strong learning outcomes rely on healthy bodies, minds and relationships. Pat connects learners with supportive people and activities and ensures learners are recognized when they master competencies.
Illustration of Sequoia Yazzie

SEQUOIA YAZZIE

Well-Being Coordinator

Sequoia takes great pride in helping learners and colleagues with the two big “W’s:” well-being and wayfinding. She guides learners in organizing environmental justice actions. She also assists them with developing the social-emotional skills, racial literacy and cultural competency needed to participate fully in society.
Illustration of Siri Devi

SURI DEVI

Chief Experience Officer

The CXO for an ed tech company and mom of two elementary learners, Suri seeks to gamify learning for student engagement and mastery. She constantly campaigns for learning communities to use (and purchase) her company’s tools, advocating for permissive polices that align educational games with state standards and broaden device access.
Illustration of Vania Perez

VANIA PÉREZ

Early Childcare Facilitator

Vania wants all young children to flourish. At her home-based childcare center, she emphasizes play and community through culturally relevant early learning, balancing the work of childcare with the work of running a business. A first-generation immigrant parent, she wants her middle school children to do well in school and find good jobs.
Illustration of Ying Cho

YING CHO

Director, Community and Environmental Initiatives

Ying seeks to do good while doing well. He leads the integration of the three “P’s,” people, planet and profit, into the everyday operations of a big corporation. Ying advocates for renewable energy policy. He encourages collective action on issues affecting employment policies that support employees’ well-being in his workplace and beyond.
Read Detailed Bios

Game Highlights

10 Real-World Domains for players to influence in the pursuit of their characters’ preferred futures
100 Impact Cards that describe plausible future developments inspired by real events, trends and projections
Disruption Cards that explore large-scale shifts whose consequences can’t be avoided
“Headline of an Era” Challenges that invite players to flex their creative and critical thinking skills
Interested in online play opportunities or workshops exploring IMPACT: Learning Edition in your local context?
Contact Us

IMPACT: Learning Edition is an adaptation of IMPACT: A Foresight Game, a game originally designed by Idea Couture in collaboration with Policy Horizons Canada. This version was created with permission from Idea Couture and its parent company, Cognizant.

KnowledgeWorks

IMPACT: Learning Edition reflects extensive strategic foresight research done by KnowledgeWorks over a two-year period, led by Maria Romero and with contributions from Katherine Prince, Jason Swanson, Katie King and other colleagues from KnowledgeWorks.

Order a copy for your learning community today (U.S. only).

Related Resources

A dry erase board shows an objective for an art class, connecting to standards

Shifting Your Grading Practices: 8 Examples from the Field

How schools and districts across the U.S. are redefining grading through student-centered, competency-based approaches that prioritize mastery, transparency and consistency
Abbie Forbus Everett
Senior Director of Teaching and Learning
gold background with graph paper squares overlaid. An image of a laptop with a hand moving toward it has a popup of a search bar and prompt text.

Building AI Readiness with Portraits of a Graduate

As AI accelerates, states and districts can use portraits of a graduate as the organizing vision for AI-ready skills—then make that vision real by hardwiring it into graduation requirements and…
Jon Alfuth
Senior Director of State Policy
A group of adults gather in a large event space around a table, talking to each other in front of a chart on an easel

The Value of Networks and Ecosystems in Creating the Future of Learning

Why networks and ecosystems are essential tools for navigating fragmentation in education, highlighting how collaboration, shared purpose and adaptability can drive lasting systems change
Jason Swanson
Senior Director of Strategic Foresight
Explore All Resources

Menu

Search