Trilicious: The Triple Helix Innovation Game

The custom-designed Innovation Game®, created especially for the Triple Helix IX conference.

On July 14, 2011 at the Triple Helix IX International Conference at Stanford University, we debuted Trilicious, a custom-designed game to help people learn about – and more importantly, apply – the Triple Helix model to solve complex problems. Designed by CEO Luke Hohmann based on the work of Professors Henry Etzkowitz and Dr. Marina Ranga, with contributions from Mei Lin Fung, several Innovation Games® trained facilitators, and with custom artwork from Bevill Edge® Consulting, the game motivates players to work collaboratively to create innovative solutions to complex problems through university-industry-government interactions.Through their collaboration, players learn the core model, learn how to extend the model, surface hidden skills and knowledge, and model the interactions required by Triple Helix actors.

Applying Triple Helix Via Serious Games

Trilicious gave the more than 50 attendees who played a chance to share their knowledge and collaborate in teams, while learning how Triple Helix model can be applied to solve difficult dilemmas. Each table of players created game boards that illustrated their fresh ideas on how to solve the large-scale issues they took on. The actual results of each game are helpful to identify valuable ideas and innovations that can benefit the entire community.

Play Trilicious in Your Community or Classroom

The game results (pictures of the finished game boards and solutions) are available for you to download below. We’re also making the game and game materials available for use under the Creative Commons License.

Read the rules and overview of Trilicious, consider the notes on game strategy, look at the solutions from the Triple Helix IX conference, and try playing the game with the materials we have posted below. We hope Trilicious will spark your creativity and critical thinking in order to form innovative ideas on how to solve world problems.

Game Results

Download the solutions from all the tables here!

The 10 tables chose from a variety of current issues, including “Corrupt Government,” “Housing and Education for Slums,” “Government Enforcement of Intellectual Property,” “Aging Population” and “Green Region.” Each group’s interpretation of the scenario helped guide them toward an effective solution for the pressing problem they selected. The results were then judged and scored based on the novelty, feasibility and impact of the ideas. The winning team was selected by our judges to submit a formal paper about a Triple Helix solution scenario, which will be distributed to all of the conference attendees. Look over the results from the tables to discover what Trilicious can do to motivate critical thinking and creativity. If only seven people and one hour was needed to form each solution, imagine how this impactful game could change the world!