A Conceptual Framework of Game-Based Ideation

Abstract

The ideation process has a great impact on the success of innovation projects, given that innovation is development and implementation of new ideas. Ideation is often identified as a key component of the "fuzzy front end", and recognized as one of the highest leverage points for a firm. Today's democratizing innovation has led to a situation that the best ideas for new products and services no longer originate only from companies' staff. Instead, they come from almost anywhere and anyone. By opening up the ideation phase in the digital era, companies actually open their doors to external experts and solution-providers, searching for new partners and new technologies to incorporate into their existing products and services. Having this in mind, the goal of this study is to propose an integrated approach to collaboration in the phase of ideation, which would be in line with the concept of open innovation and supported by an appropriate business model. Accordingly, this paper enables understanding of how game-based ideation fits into innovation models; how games are incorporated into ideation processes; how games affect creativity and the nurture of ideas; how to develop a sustainable business model for this concept; and how to implement it in a real-life business environment.