The Mind of a Funsmith, an Interview with Bernie DeKoven

Bernie DeKoven, Master Funsmith and author of DeepFun.com, JunkyardSports.com, and MajorFun.com, has over 40 years of experience with games and play for both kids and adults.  I sat down with Bernie to talk about the value of play, not only in the workplace, but in life in general.

Bernie DeKoven

You can listen to the interview below:

Some highlights from the talk include:

• What it means to be a funsmith. (0:30)
• How teaching games to adults turned into an hour of playing Duck Duck Goose. (10:27)
• How playing games relates to our adult lives. (14:40)
• How you can learn system dynamics from games. (21:14)
• The value of play in the workplace. (26:43)
• The most creative Olympics you’ll ever watch. (29:30)
• The serious side of fun. (34:10)

A few of the resources and names Bernie referenced include:

• Duck Duck Goose
• King of the Mountain
• Brian Sutton-Smith
• Peter Senge
• Recess of the Soul
• Pointless Games

Finally, the interview has been transcribed for those who prefer reading to listening (note: it has been edited for clarity).  You can find the transcription at:

• The Mind of a Funsmith, Part 1
• The Mind of a Funsmith, Part 2

Note: This is the first of what will hopefully be a number of interviews, called Humor Talks, with some of today’s thought leaders on the topic of humor and fun in the workplace.  You can sign-up for the Humor Newsletter to stay up-to-date with new interviews or get all future interviews via Podcast.

Tagged as: community, fun, fun at work, funsmith, games, interview, office humor, people, play, relationships, team-building

More Humor:

1. The Mind of a Funsmith, Part 1
2. The Mind of a Funsmith, Part 2
3. Talking Improv Wisdom, an Interview with Patricia Ryan Madson
4. Hospital Humor… An Interview with Sally Franz
5. The Gift of Stress, an Interview with Zohar Adner