The eLearning Guild’s annual gathering is in Orlando, Florida this week. One of the events is the Immersive Learning Simulations challenge, in which designers grapple with some challenge for which they’ll propose an ILS (a “serious game”) — a virtual environment in which people deal with actual problems.

From the challenge intro:

This is not a session about templates or tools or rapid development, but rather is an inspiring session about how thinking differently about tough problems, using an ILS/Serious Games set of tools and theories, can lead to extraordinary solutions. The goal is for you to be energized, and motivated by this session into exploring more deeply how you can implement ILS/Serious Games and great design within your own organization to improve learner outcomes.

This year’s challenge: a North American conglomerate has acquired two other companies, one in Africa, the other in Korea. These acquisitions will directly affect your own job. Design an ILS to help align the three entities and share their cultures. “Oh, and the big shareholder meeting is coming up too. Go.”

I have no idea what I would have come up with, but it would not have been what Alan Levine did. After reading — or experiencing — his post, I’m wider awake at 5:35 than if I’d managed to get downstairs for coffee.

This isn’t thinking outside the box — this is ripping the cardboard apart and finding six different uses for it.

See for yourself:

The Great Design Challenge (Hey, Mom) by Alan Levine (cogdogblog).

Photo by tew / t whelan.