Hero: Jane McGonigal

the games we play while physically distant brought us back to a topic that has been with us since the beginning of FUNDAMENTAL. we love to play. both in design, but also in pure and simple games.

play is a way of exploring and revealing rules, and it is the basis of our naïve approach to the mathematical world that inspires us. it is also a way to declare a portion of time and space to be sacred, different, magic. every board game is the manifestation of maths and every design we make is also a way to reveal, represent and challenge rules.

play with us. today we explore games, learning what hero jane mcgonigal has to say about the theory and practise of gaming, and how they can help us now. in tactics, FUNDAMENTAL staff reveal their favourite games for physical distancing, as well as those generous 50% off deals on staff picks.

nervous, anxious, can't concentrate? worried you're not being productive and wasting your time? don't be, says jane mcgonigal.

in her fascinating 2010 book 'reality is broken' mcgonigal dissects what a game actually is, and how our brain looks when we are playing. spoiler alert: all games are good for you, in some way. even candy crush is better for you that tv.

it is both the philosophical questions about what games are and why we play them, coupled with the insider accounts of the computer games industry that make this book enlightening and enjoyable. mcgonigal went on to write 'superbetter' about how she played her way through a serious illness, and she keeps a blog of that name to help others struggling with illness unlock the power of play. she has even updated it with handy corona virus games you can play in your apartment, to keep you engaged and social while physically distancing.

there is a great joy in rediscovering old games. if you are lucky enough to be quarantined with 2 or 4 people who are old enough to play card games and board games, you will have surely have re-discoverd this thrill already. rummy has become a firm favourite among the fundamental team, but it really requires people to be in the same room.

we also tried zoom charades, but it didn't really work. however, there are several fun social games that do work online, click here for our top 5. here is the second installment of our staff picks started in march.

blink and you will miss them - as always the idea is to reward you for your faithful readership of our newsletters with a sensationally generous reduction on a product for a very short period of time, 48 hours. usually we do this with new releases, but as you can imagine, our product pipeline is a bit blocked up at the moment, so gunnar, alice and antoine will recommend favourite products from the classic range for brightening up the cabin fever cabin. enjoy!

gunnar's favourite: i founded fundamental in 2010 with steve. one of the products that I use every day and always makes me smile is the benzin canister. it sits in my bathroom, full of earbuds and sunshine, always eager to be useful.

BENZIN - CANISTER & LID was alice's favourite: i just celebrated my 2 year anniversary working as a product designer at fundamental. one of the most challenging products to develop was the milk series. even though the shape is so simple, it was challenging to get that unreal chalky, ultramatte texture that doesn't stain.

i'm super proud of this one. MILK - VASE was MILK - OBLONG TRAY was MILK - BIG POT was Now MILK - DISH Buy Now MILK - ROUND TRAY Buy Now MILK - POT Buy Now MILK - 2 TINY TRAYS Buy Now MILK - 2 CUPS Buy Now antoine's favourite: i've been a partnership manager at fundamental since last year, after i moved to berlin from paris. one of the products i really love is the klick candlesticks, the fact that you stick them together reminds me of making toy aeroplanes from kits as a child.

KLICK - CANDLEHOLDER was now KLICK - TALL CANDLEHOLDER was now KLICK - TEALIGHT HOLDER was Now we contiunue our virtual tour of the bricks-and-mortar shops that sell our designs. you can't visit these wonderful places now, but join us on our virtual tour, take note, and look forward to discovering them when the good times return. the science museum in south kensington, london, is one of the worlds great places of curiosity and wonder.

a favourite for kids there is also an almost infinite amount of material for even the most discerning (nerdy) adult to digest.