Chief Game Designer Micael Sousa Showcases Serious Game Design on the Global Stage

Over the past few months, CAPTRS Chief Game Designer Micael Sousa has been sharing his expertise and creativity with audiences around the world, from university classrooms to international conferences. His recent talks have explored how analog serious games can transform learning, collaboration, and preparedness planning. We are proud to have Micael share more about his work and CAPTRS at these events.

Micael led a master class on analog serious games for students majoring in Game Design. In his lecture, “Analog Serious Games for Participatory, Collaborative Planning Processes and Preparedness: Design and Application,” he discussed how board game design principles can be leveraged to engage communities in real-world problem solving. He showcased several CAPTRS games, illustrating how modern board game innovations—such as dynamic systems, player agency, and emergent strategy—can help participants explore complex challenges through play.

At the Game-On Conference 2025, Micael delivered the keynote address, “The Craft of Creating Analog Serious Games for Preparedness and Planning.” His talk offered a deep dive into the state of the art in serious game design, examining how techniques from contemporary tabletop games can enhance realism, collaboration, and adaptability in simulation-based exercises. Drawing from CAPTRS’ own portfolio, Micael highlighted how analog games can be tailored for different audiences and objectives, helping organizations practice decision-making, test strategies, and build resilience in uncertain environments.

At Essen SPIEL, the world’s largest board game fair, Micael joined the Educators’ Day to present the “Game Creator Set,” a hands-on toolkit that empowers teachers and students to design their own games. Micael developed this game and it is now commercially available. His session explored how the kit fosters creativity and systems thinking in classrooms, bridging entertainment and education. By showing how game creation can be used to teach complex topics, including preparedness and collaboration, Micael’s work continues to blur the line between play and practice.

Games are powerful tools for learning, planning, and engagement. The CAPTRS team is proud to be participating in these kinds of events and opportunities to share CAPTRS’ innovative approach to analog serious games. The CAPTRS Institute is also working to advance the science of preparedness through gaming, reaching new communities and inspiring fresh applications in preparedness and planning.