What are the elements of a good game? How do you choose the right activity at the right time? How do you make an activity feel safe and fun for everyone? In our rapidly changing world, learning games that already exist might not be enough. We need to be prepared to make up new ones. Good games are like good stories - there's an invisible structure that you can count on. We know with a story, there's a beginning, a middle, and an end. With a game - what IS that invisible structure? Come learn J.W. James' four structural elements of game creation: The Purpose/Goal, the Objective, the Mechanics, and the Metaphor. We will also explore how to leverage the natural arc of group development to create the conditions for safety, equity, positive growth, and creativity. Once you know these elements, you'll be able to create activities that fit the needs of any group. Then we will make up some games! And play them! Depending on the weather, we may choose to integrate a foray into the city into our creative process. We will conclude with a debrief of our creations and the possibility of offering them to the wider conference during Open Space.