MitiGate: Risk Management Collaborative Tabletop Strategy Game

MitiGate is a collaborative tabletop strategy game designed to teach risk management through experiential play, responding to the persistent problem that risk training in project management education is often abstract and under-emphasized. The work is framed within a Design-Based Research approach, in which the game was refined through three iterative prototype cycles. The study drew on 129 participants spanning university students, corporate trainees, and project management and serious-game experts, with data gathered through questionnaires, observation, and expert review. Across the evaluation, players reported high overall satisfaction and perceived that the game effectively facilitated strategic discussion of risk, while luck mechanics and victory conditions were identified as areas requiring refinement.

Successive versions show measurable progress in player engagement. The third iteration incorporated mechanical rebalancing and expert feedback, and it produced a statistically significant increase in players' willingness to play again (p = 0.005). These results are presented as preliminary, however, given a low response rate for the third version (30%, n=13) and the possibility of sampling bias. A notable design tradeoff also emerged: expert-driven rebalancing made the game easier to win, which may reduce the negative emotional stakes that can support critical reflection on real-world project failure.

The scope of the work centers on higher education and corporate training contexts relevant to project management, with an emphasis on serious-game design for professional skill development. Its conceptual foundation draws on prior research into educational games and project risk management training, including established work on simulation-based instruction for project risk. Overall, the study positions MitiGate as a promising, iteratively developed pedagogical tool whose engagement benefits are encouraging but whose educational effectiveness and balance require further validation.