Growing Together

Growth is often imagined as a solo journey. We picture personal goals, private breakthroughs, and quiet moments of self improvement. Yet when you look closely at the experiences that shape us most, growth rarely happens alone. It happens in conversation. It happens through shared challenge. It happens when we sit down at a table with other people and decide to play. 

That idea sits at the heart of this week’s Gather Game Grow theme: Growing Together. At g3 Games, we believe growth is not something you graduate into after you have mastered the rules of life. Growth happens while you are learning, laughing, fumbling, and trying again with others beside you. 

This week, we’ll explore what that looks like across gathering, gaming, and growing. Before we dive into those stories, it's worth pausing to name why growing together matters in the first place. 

Humans Grow In Groups

Research consistently shows that people learn and develop more effectively in social contexts. Psychologist Lev Vygotsky’s work on social development theory highlights how learning is shaped through interaction with others, particularly when people operate just beyond their current comfort zones with support from peers (Vygotsky, 1978). Growth accelerates when someone else is in the room, especially someone who invites curiosity rather than judgment. 

Play creates a natural version of this environment. Games offer shared goals, clear boundaries, and low stakes failure. That combination allows people to experiment with new behaviors without fear of lasting consequences. Studies on play based learning have found that games support problem solving, empathy, and collaboration by encouraging players to think together instead of in isolation (Gray, 2013; Gee, 2007). 

When people gather around a table, they aren’t just passing time. They’re practicing how to listen, how to lead, how to adapt, and how to belong. 

The Table As A Growth Space

A game table is a deceptively powerful space. On the surface, it looks like fun. Underneath, it’s a training ground for real life skills. 

Games invite players to take turns, negotiate rules, manage emotions, and respond to unexpected outcomes. Cooperative games build shared responsibility. Competitive games create opportunities to practice sportsmanship and resilience. Role based games encourage perspective taking and creative expression. All of these experiences contribute to social and emotional growth in ways that feel natural rather than instructional. 

Researchers studying tabletop and roleplaying games have noted their impact on communication skills, confidence, and group cohesion (Deterding, 2018; Bowman, 2015). When people play together regularly, they often report stronger feelings of connection and trust. Growth emerges not from being told how to improve, but from being invited to participate. 

This is why g3 Games centers growth at the table. The table becomes a place where people can try new roles, take small risks, and learn from each other in real time. 

Growing Does Not Require Expertise

One of the most common misconceptions about growth is that it requires expertise first. Many people assume they need to be confident players, experienced facilitators, or seasoned community members before they can contribute meaningfully. In reality, growth thrives when people are allowed to show up as they are. 

Educational research emphasizes the value of participation over perfection. Communities of practice grow stronger when newcomers are welcomed into active roles and given space to learn through doing (Lave and Wagner, 1991). Growth is not a reward for competence. Growth is the result of engagement. 

At our table, everyone brings something. A first time player brings curiosity. A returning member brings familiarity. A facilitator brings structure and care. Each role matters, and each role evolves over time. Growing together means recognizing that no one arrives finished. 

Belonging Fuels Growth

Belonging is not a bonus outcome of growth. It’s a driver of it. People are more likely to take risks, try new strategies, and persist through challenges when they feel they belong. Research on belonging and motivation shows that individuals who feel socially connected demonstrate higher levels of engagement and resilience (Baumeister and Leary, 1995; Walton and Cohn, 2011). 

Games create a fast track to belonging. Shared rules establish common ground. Shared experiences create inside jokes and memories. Shared challenges give groups a sense of identity. Over time, what starts as a game night can turn into a community. 

This week’s theme celebrates that progression. Growing together is not about scaling faster or doing more for the sake of expansion. It’s about deepening relationships and widening access so more people can experience the benefits of play. 

Where This Week Will Take Us

Throughout this week, we’ll explore growth from three angles. 

In Gather, we’ll look at how people move from their first game night to finding a sense of belonging and community. These stories remind us that connection often starts with a simple invitation. 

In Game, we’ll explore what it means to grow from player to facilitator. Facilitation is not about control or expertise. It’s about creating space for others to thrive and discovering your own leadership along the way. 

In Grow, we’ll share why g3 Games exists and where we’re headed next. Growth at an organizational level mirrors growth at the table. It requires clarity, collaboration, and a commitment to learning together. 

Each piece builds on the same core idea: growth is relational. It happens between people, not in isolation. 

Growing Together

You don’t need a plan for self improvement to start growing together. You need a table, a game, and a willingness to show up. Growth follows participation. 

As you move through this week’s articles, consider your own experiences with play and community. Think about the moments when you learned something because someone else was there. Think about the tables that shaped you, and the tables you might help shape for others. 

Growing together is not a destination. It’s a practice. And like any good game, it’s better when played with others. 

References

Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529.

Bowman, S. L. (2015). The Functions of Role Playing Games: How Participants Create Community, Solve Problems and Explore Identity. McFarland.

Deterding, S. (2018). Alibis for adult play: A Goffmanian account of escaping embarrassment in adult play. Games and Culture, 13(3), 260–279.

Gee, J. P. (2007). What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Palgrave Macmillan.

Gray, P. (2013). Free to Learn. Basic Books.

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge University Press.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.

Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2011). A brief social belonging intervention improves academic and health outcomes of minority students. Science, 331(6023), 1447–1451.