Open Mind

In a world increasingly marked by polarization, where meaningful dialogue often breaks down or turns into unproductive conflict, there is a growing need for tools and dialogues that foster perspective-taking. Open Mind is an educational tool functioning as a first introduction to perspective-taking and uncovering prejudices, priming players to be more open to participate in perspective-taking exercises and open dialogue.

The game offers an engaging environment that challenges your assumptions and encourages you to see the world from different perspectives. It allows you to reflect on their own experiences, question your assumptions, and explore diverse perspectives in a safe and interactive way. With Open Mind, you can discover, try, and stumble in the safety of your own phone. By presenting the player with different characters with diverse characteristics, interests, and opinions, Open Mind creates an opportunity to start the development of vital skills needed to navigate today’s diverse and interconnected world.

The player is first introduced to the theme of perspective-taking and instructed to selects one of three stories: The Mysterious Contact, The Psychic Sidekick, or The Lost Paper. Once the game cycle starts, the player is presented with an overview of the characters. By asking questions about the characters’ interests, ideas, and opinions, the player gathers information to select the correct “culprit” and reflect on their (in)correct choices and potential prejudices. Duration: 20-30 minutes. Playable in class mode or as an individual game.

This tool is one of three educational tools developed as part of the Comenius project ‘Fostering an open mind and open attitude in higher education using games and art-based educational activities’. All materials were developed by teachers, educational innovators, and students from multiple faculties at Utrecht University.