Designing Belonging: How Inclusion Is Created On Purpose

Belonging rarely happens by accident. It’s not the happy coincidence of good intentions or a lucky mix of personalities. Belonging is designed. It’s shaped by choices, habits, and signals that tell people, sometimes before a single word is spoken, “You are welcome here.”

We see this truth play out every time people gather around a table. A game night can feel warm and inviting, or awkward and closed off, even when the same games are played. This difference is not luck. It’s design. 

This week on the Gather Game Grow blog, we're exploring what it means to design belonging on purpose. Inclusion is not a side effect of community. It’s one of the main rules of the game. 

Belonging Is A Feeling, Not A Feature

Researcher and author Brene Brown defines belonging as the innate human desire to be part of something larger than ourselves, paired with the courage to be authentic in that space. Belonging is not about fitting in by changing who you are. It’s about being accepted as you are. 

That distinction matters. Many spaces unintentionally reward conformity instead of connection. People quickly learn the unspoken rules about how to talk, how much to know, and how to behave. Those who already match the norm relax. Those who don’t start editing themselves. 

True inclusion flips that script. It asks, “What signals are we sending?” and “Who might feel unsure here?” Designing belonging means noticing those moments and adjusting on purpose. 

Inclusion Is Active, Not Passive

One of the most common myths about inclusion is that it happens automatically if people are kind. Kindness helps, but it’s not enough. 

Studies on inclusive environments, including research summarized by the Harvard Business Review, show that people feel a stronger sense of belonging when leaders and facilitators actively invite participation, normalize questions, and acknowledge differences. Inclusion shows up in action. 

In tabletop gaming, that can look simple but powerful. Explaining rules without judgment. Checking in about comfort levels with competition or complexity. Offering options instead of assumptions. These small choices add up. 

When inclusion is passive, people must push their way in. When inclusion is designed, the door is already open. 

Games Make Design Visible

Games are a remarkable lens for understanding inclusion because their design is literal. Rules define who can act, when they can act, and how success is measured. When someone struggles to engage, it often points to a design issue, not a personal flaw. 

Game designers have long discussed accessibility and inclusive design. Organizations like AbleGamers and advocates within the tabletop industry emphasize that accessibility features benefit everyone. Clear iconography, flexible difficulty, and cooperative portions don’t lower the experience. They expand it. 

The same principle applies to communities. When we design spaces that support different communication styles, experience levels, and comfort zones, more people thrive. The community becomes richer, not diluted. 

Psychological Safety Builds Belonging

Google’s Project Aristotle study on team effectiveness identified psychological safety as the most important factor in success groups. People perform better and engage more deeply when they feel safe to take risks without fear of embarrassment or rejection. 

Play is a natural training group for psychological safety. A well run game table allows mistakes, experimentation, and laughter at outcomes rather than at people. When facilitators model curiosity and grace, players learn that it is safe to try. 

Designing belonging means protecting that safety. It means setting expectations about respect. It means addressing exclusion when it happens instead of hoping it resolves itself. 

Comfort Is Not The Goal

One concern sometimes raised about inclusion is that it might make spaces too comfortable or too cautious. Research suggests the opposite. 

Inclusive environments support growth because people are more willing to stretch when they feel secure. Social psychologist Amy Edmondson’s work on learning organizations shows that people take more productive risks in psychologically safe environments, not fewer. 

At the table, that might mean trying a new role, speaking up, or engaging with unfamiliar people. Inclusion does not eliminate challenge. It creates trust needed to face it.

Designing Belonging Is An Ongoing Practice

Belonging is not a checklist item. It’s an ongoing practice of attention and adjustment. Communities change. People change. Design must adapt. 

At g3 Games, we think of inclusion as something you do, not something you declare. It lives in how spaces are set up, how games are taught, how conflicts are handled, and how voices are invited. 

Explore inclusion from three angles. How gathering spaces signal welcome. How games themselves can be more inclusive. How inclusion fuels real growth rather than staying in comfort zones. Belonging doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when people care enough to design it on purpose. 

If this topic resonates with you, we invite you to follow along this week and subscribe to the Gather Game Grow blog. Inclusion grows stronger when more people are part of the conversation.