Global Serious Games Institute

LUCIO MARGULIS

Playing to Transform — A Story of Vision and Action

In 1984, Lucio Margulis was not following any trend. He was exploring a conviction: games can create meaningful encounters between people.

It started with fun. With recreation. But he quickly realized that play was not just entertainment: it was language, learning, transformation.

Over the course of more than 40 years, Lucio Margulis has always been where play turned into a tool: in classrooms, meetings, public institutions, and companies. He has facilitated difficult conversations, helped unlock teams, and trained educators, leaders, consultants, and change agents.

Not with abstract theories, but with models built with LEGO® bricks, stories told with hands, and decisions made together.

Across different countries, languages, and cultures, the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method has been the common thread and practice the foundation of transformation.

This is the story of someone who, beyond facilitating, continues to train facilitators and trainers, taking LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® further and further — crossing borders, cultures, and languages.

More than a Life Dedicated to Serious Play

1984 

Lucio Margulis completes his training as a specialist in games and group dynamics for recreational purposes.

1988
Begins teaching courses on the use of games applied to different themes, expanding the playful approach to various training contexts.

1991
Starts training activities in Europe, with courses on the use of play in teacher training.

2004
Begins promoting and designing serious games, focusing on active learning and managing complex topics.

2006
Begins collaboration with the LEGO Group, aiming to bring the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method to Latin America and Southern Europe.

2007
His organization, Juego Serio, becomes the first official partner of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® division within the LEGO Group for Latin America and Spain. Lucio Margulis becomes the first Spanish-speaking and Latin American facilitator of the method.

2008
Qualifies as a trainer and receives authorization from the Association of Master Trainers to deliver one-day trainings on the first four techniques of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology in Latin America.

2012
Juego Serio participates in the largest facilitator training project in the world to date, certifying over 110 facilitators from the Mexican government to apply the method nationwide. That same year, Lucio becomes certified as the first authorized Latin Trainer to train in Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, present in Latin America and Southern Europe.

2013 – 2017
Between 2013 and 2017, Lucio continues his learning. His conviction leads him to further develop his skills to bring a broader perspective to continue evolving Serious Play.

2020
Thanks to his influence in Spanish-speaking countries, the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method experienced exponential growth, and its popularity increased after seeing the results generated in different fields of application.

2023
Leaves the Association of Master Trainers by mutual agreement. Together with facilitators and partners of Juego Serio, he founds the Global Serious Games Institute, with the mission to take the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method further through research, development, and integration with other methodologies, also promoting the continuous training of trainers and facilitators.

Until 2025
To date, with Juego Serio and in collaboration with his local partners, Lucio Margulis has trained and certified more than 2,600 facilitators and trainers in 15 countries and 4 languages, conducting over 20,000 workshops using the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology in very diverse contexts such as classrooms, universities, companies, public administrations, and social projects. And he continues, every day, to walk this path: training, facilitating, and taking play seriously for new people, teams, and places.

And now?

All this happened because someone believed that LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® could be more than a method: it could be a path to change the way we learn, collaborate, and make decisions.

It is no longer necessary to ask if it works: the results speak for themselves.

The real question now is: are you ready to transform yourself and transform teams and organizations with the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method?

BECOME A FACILITATOR

TRAINERS IN TRAINING

Meet our future Trainers

Cristobal Papendieck

Cristobal Papendieck

Who am I?
Cristobal Papendieck, Argentina, Buenos Aires. Industrial Designer specialized in strategy, transformation, and project management.

  • What is my experience with the LSP method?
    I apply Lego Serious Play in companies with 3 areas of focus: Transforming Culture (Way of Thinking), Processes (Way of Working), and the Ecosystem (Way of Connecting). I have conducted more than 30 workshops with multinational organizations, associations, and startups. The impact generated focuses on aligning people around the challenges they face individually and within organizations.
  • Why did I choose the LSP method?
    I choose Lego Serious Play as a method to achieve much greater depth in understanding the motivations and issues related to transformation challenges. I am not a purist; I use the method integrated with other Design Thinking and Business tools.
  • How would I describe the LSP method in one word?
    Revelation.
  • What is my vision as a future GSGi Trainer?
    Since I started using Lego Serious Play, conversations have become much deeper and more honest. I believe a world with more people mastering Lego Serious Play can contribute to finding better answers to the challenges people and organizations face. I feel my differentiating value lies in integrating the method with other tools to enhance results.
  • If I had only 30 seconds to inspire someone with LSP:
    In this immediate, agile, and challenging world, only by stepping out of the "canned speech" do we have the opportunity to achieve deep transformations with real impact. Lego Serious Play is a powerful tool and, if used well, amplifies opportunities for meaningful evolution.
You can find me on LinkedIn in
Adriana Herrera Robert

Adriana Herrera Robert

Who am I?
I am Adriana Herrera Robert, a political scientist specializing in evaluation and organizational development. For over 20 years, I have accompanied transformation processes in public and private institutions. I hold a Master's in Gamification, which allowed me to integrate play as a tool for change in complex contexts.

  • What is my experience with the LSP method?
    I became a certified facilitator in 2014. I have used LSP in key projects, such as at the SAT, in diagnostics, change management, and service improvement. As a consultant, I design workshops for planning, culture, and team alignment. I have worked with notary firms, universities, and companies like BlackRock. LSP has been fundamental in activating collective intelligence and generating deep conversations.
  • Why did I choose the LSP method?
    Because it allows the abstract to become tangible. By building with their hands, people access ideas and emotions they cannot verbalize. LSP creates a safe, human, and powerful space to think differently and generate real solutions.
  • How would I describe the LSP method in one word?
    Magic.
  • What is my vision as a future GSGi Trainer?
    To train facilitators who take LSP where it is needed most. My experience in the public sector allows me to connect play to systemic change and explore its potential in leadership, innovation, and public policy.
  • If I had only 30 seconds to inspire someone with LSP:
    Trust your hands. Building with LEGO changes the way you see, think, and be. You discover that you can rewrite your story. This is the power of play. This is the power of LSP.
You can find me on LinkedIn in

FROM PLAY TO ACTION

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