Sidequest

Sidequest is a serious game and gamified workshop studio that creates custom board games, card games, and hybrid experiences to make learning stick through active play. Founded by Jeroen van Welsenes in 2019, the studio turns business frameworks—like Scrum, sustainability, and team collaboration—into interactive sessions that participants remember long after the game ends.

What is Sidequest?

Sidequest is a studio that designs and facilitates gamified workshops and tailor-made games for organizations and individuals. Its core function is to replace passive training (slides, lectures) with hands‑on, play‑based learning. Inputs are your learning goals, team size, and a business challenge; outputs are a custom game or workshop session that delivers measurable engagement and knowledge retention. The studio operates both in‑person (facilitated workshops) and provides digital components as needed. The team consists of founder Jeroen van Welsenes, developer Thomas van Welsenes, and workshop host Peter van Welsenes.

Key Features

• Custom‑designed games — Each game is built from scratch to match your specific objectives, audience, and context. Examples include the Scrum Escape Room (a board game that teaches agile principles) and Switch City (a hybrid game about energy transition).
• Gamified workshops — Turn any business framework into a 2–4 hour interactive session. The Scrum Escape Room, for instance, lets teams crack puzzles in short sprints to experience agile collaboration firsthand.
• Hybrid physical‑digital experiences — For example, Switch City combines a physical board with a real‑time digital dashboard that tracks energy demand and climate impacts.
• Immersive role‑play — Players step into different characters (e.g., city district managers), building empathy and understanding of complex systems.
• Safe‑to‑fail environment — Games encourage experimentation and learning from failure without real‑world consequences.
• Team‑centric design — Most games are played in teams (3‑6 people), fostering collaboration and bonding.

Who is it for?

• Corporate teams needing engaging training on agile, sustainability, strategy, or onboarding—e.g., product owners, data analysts, and marketing managers (as seen in testimonials from KLM, Rabobank, and Snowflake).
• Workshop facilitators who want ready‑to‑run or custom‑built experiences for their own clients.
• Home users looking for purpose‑driven board games that make learning fun for families or small groups.

What can you do with Sidequest?

• Run a Scrum Escape Room workshop — Teams of 3–6 crack puzzles in short sprints, experiencing Scrum ceremonies and principles firsthand. Learn more →
• Facilitate an energy transition game — Manage city districts, chase regional energy demand, and deal with climate consequences in Switch City. Learn more →
• Create a custom serious game — Sidequest works with your brief to design a board, card, digital, or hybrid game tailored to your learning goal.

How does Sidequest work?

To get started, schedule a free 15‑minute call with founder Jeroen via Calendly. You discuss your goals, group size, and preferred format. Sidequest then designs and develops the game, optionally facilitates the workshop, and debriefs participants to reinforce learning outcomes. For custom games, the process runs from brief to tested game over several weeks.

FAQ

What kind of games does Sidequest make?

Board games, card games, digital games, hybrid physical‑digital games, and interactive workshop formats—all designed around a specific learning goal like sustainability, strategy, team collaboration, or onboarding.

How long does a typical workshop take?

Most workshops run 2–4 hours. Shorter 90‑minute formats are available for team energizers or conference sessions.

Can you create a custom game for our organization?

Yes. Tailor‑made games are a specialty. Sidequest works closely with your team to understand challenges, then designs a game that fits your content, audience, and goals.

Do participants need to be “gamers” to enjoy this?

Not at all. Games are designed for everyone—from non‑gamers to enthusiasts—with simple rules and intuitive experiences.

How do I get started?

Schedule a free 15‑minute call with founder Jeroen via this link. No commitment required. You can also email [email protected] or reach out on LinkedIn.