Movers & Shakers is a two-player tablet serious game created as a research tool to explore how players communicate based on conflicting perspectives within the game. The aim of Movers & Shakers is to create a meaningful conflict between its players and to facilitate a controversy beyond the screens.

When players start the game, they are informed that the earth has slowed down and they are in charge of managing lava sprites in the center of the earth to get the planet back on track. They are each tasked with individual goals, met by arranging the lava sprites using a boardgame-like interface, but in real-time like a strategy game.

The gameplay experience is unique to each pair of players, as the intention of the game is to explore issues of modern office environments and leadership dynamics through asymmetrical gameplay and subversive elements.

Movers & Shakers is used as a research tool to explore how a social component influences experiences in serious games. In addition subversive game design elements are implemented in the game to foster the players' thinking process and to get them out of unquestioned routines.

Follow our research at the MIT Game Lab.