EA Taskmaster 2023
50+ new tasks👇Sign up for EA-TM24
Avid EA Forum readers may recall my previous post about the 2022 EA Taskmaster game - I recommend reading that first. I’m really pleased to hear that folks have been running their own versions of the game so thought I’d share the highlights and resources from 2023 EA Taskmaster.
Please feel free to use and I’d love to hear from you if you run your own version.
Differences from last year
A wee bit scrappier, I pulled this event together end-to-end in about 2 weeks on the side of my day job
To bulk out the task list, I borrowed some tasks from the awesome Misha Collin’s GISH (Greatest International Scavenger Hunt)
I used Notion + Notion Forms for organising submissions (I’d say my 2022 Whatsapp/Google Drive approach was better)
My favourite tasks and submissions
T4 Dual use: Stage a duel for the TM using the silliest items (v sad I can’t remember what the items were but I was definitely entertained)
T13 Newly Qualyfied: Create the best Qualy the Lightbulb (@QualyThe) costume and have one of your teammates model it
T16 Singularity: Best EA themed tinder bio
T27 "Michael Bay"esian reasoning: Record a video explaining bayesian reasoning in the style of a Michael Bay movie
T30 Base rate: Go to at least two military bases (barracks will do). Rate them
T34. DJ Green: What plants REALLY crave is a rave. Set one up for your plants.
T44. Low hanging fruit: Perform a low limbo dance under a bar of fruit
T46 No EV answers: For under £5, buy something of high expected value: ie, something that you expect to be very valuable in the future. The team can make their case for this and the taskmasters can decide how plausible it is.
T47 Pandemic Preparedness: Make a picture book for 3-5 year olds explaining biosecurity
T63 Urgh field: Help a teammate complete a small life admin project, something that would take less than an hour but has become big in their mind
The full spreadsheet list of 90 tasks can be found here
Reflections
Performance on task prioritisation spreadsheet meta task was much stronger this year (ie. T3 Cause Prioritisation: Most thorough/amusing/comprehensive task prioritization spreadsheet for the tasks in this game). Explicitly highlighting the ITN (Importance, Tractability, Neglectedness) framework in last year's post seems to have paid off - teams approached task prioritization with more strategic thinking this time around.
Next time I’d add in even more more directly head-to-head tasks as they seemed to be very energising eg.
T9 It's On!: Nominate one member of your team to be your representative in a dance off to Boney M's Rasputin JustDance version at 1.30pm
T26 Hands Down, Legs Up: Nominate two members to compete in a wheelbarrow race at 4pm
In hindsight, I rushed the team allocation process, missing an opportunity to create more balanced dynamics. Case in point: I inadvertently placed two members of last year's winning team together again. Next time, I'll dedicate more time to thoughtful team composition.
Participants also identified some areas for improvement as part of T78 Red Teaming (Think of something that would improve the experience of the event and send it to the TM)
Being more clear that it's helpful to bring a laptop
The task submission forms were fiddly and made for a less fun experience compared to team WhatsApp group submissions
Compiling submissions for the final presentation remains time-consuming, causing some participants to miss out as they had to leave before I finished. Streamlining this process is a top priority for the next event.
I’m so grateful for everyone who attended and brought their fabulous creative energy. Special shout out to everyone who contributed task ideas.
EA Taskmaster 2024: Save the date
While I originally planned to host earlier in the summer, my day job and other volunteering commitments took precedence. But fear not - better late than never!
I'm excited to announce a condensed version of EA Taskmaster, set for the afternoon of Sunday, September 8th, 2024.
Central London venue to be confirmed.
Sign up here