Decision-making is a serious matter. One simple decision can impact our life and constrain future choices. When we aim to address democratic decision-making, several dimensions emerge. This approach departs from ideological premises that people have the right to choose and that those choices can be correct.

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Departing from these philosophic and ideological influences, spatial planning research and practice is trying to enlarge the participation of citizens, stakeholders, and more people than before in planning processes. To achieve this goal planning practitioners need adequate tools. Flexibility is important because each context might require different approaches. Independently of this, these participatory processes should engage participants, allow them to express their claims, and learn from other participants and experts, while generating solutions. Decision-making should be unconstrained but based on learning and the openness to negotiate and collaborate. Collaborative planning is the way to achieve it.

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Thus, how to do this? The research focused on the use of serious games, analog, physical, and face-to-face approaches. Planning practitioners can develop game-based planning processes to engage participants. They can deliver new learning and testing spaces for collective decision-making. Modern board/tabletop game designs are fit to support these approaches, avoiding the complexity and cost of digital game development. These analog games are easy to prototype when mastering game design elements. Serious games can be done when game systems are defined to achieve goals like fostering collaboration and achieving a planning solution for a given problem or project. Playing these face-to-face games, making decisions, and interacting with objects foster tangibility, participants socialization and collaboration. It increases the community resilience for future challenges.