The Lemniscate of Reality: A New Way to Understand Learning and Change

Based on the work of Ivo Wenzler and Steven de Rooij

“In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.” - Yogi Berra

Most of us have lived this truth. We can read the instructions, watch the tutorial, and sit through the training session. But the brain ultimately learns through experience, by comparing what it expects with what actually happens and encoding that difference as memory.

The scientific term for this is the transfer of learning into action. And as our world becomes more complex and less predictable, tools that support this leap, from knowing to doing, are increasingly important.

A paper by Ivo Wenzler and Steven de Rooij explores this idea through a framework called the Lemniscate of Reality, a model that shows how humans move between the world as we experience it and the worlds we simulate, imagine, or rehearse. Their research focuses on how serious games help us navigate uncertainty and act with confidence.

Serious games definition: A serious game is a game designed primarily for learning, training, or problem-solving rather than pure entertainment.

Why We Learn Better Through Experience

We discover what works only when we try, fail, adapt, and try again. Experiences have lasting impacts.

Serious games let people step into a simulated world that mirrors their real challenges. Inside that world, consequences unfold. Patterns become visible. Assumptions are exposed. And the gameplay can feel true to life. It’s a way to rehearse the future.

The Lemniscate of Reality: Two Worlds, One Learning Loop

In the Lemniscate of Reality, change happens through two continuous cycles

1. The world as we live it: perceived reality

   
   

   Here we reflect on difficult moments, compare them against our expectations, revise our understanding, and design actions to improve things. It is the messy, emotional place where problems first become visible.

   
   

2. The world as we test it: simulated reality

   
   

   Here we turn those insights into a game and run it like a laboratory experiment. People try new behaviours, test strategies, and observe the consequences without real-world risk. After the game, they reflect on what happened, compare their insights to their mental model of reality, and refine that model further.

   
   

These loops feed each other. Each turn through the lemniscate deepens understanding, strengthens confidence, and clarifies what actions are truly needed.

Why Simulated Worlds Can Change Real Lives

Wenzler and de Rooij highlight four outcomes that emerge when organisations use serious games well

1. Holistic understanding

   
   

   People stop seeing problems as isolated events and start seeing systems, including their own role within them.

   
   

2. “Memories of the future”

   
   

   Neuroscience shows that our brain prepares for tomorrow by simulating possibilities today. Games accelerate this process, giving people a felt sense of what future success or failure might look like.

   
   

3. Commitment to action

   
   

   Once people experience themselves succeeding in a simulated future, they are far more willing to act in the real one.

   
   

The Lemniscate of Reality reminds us that we live in two worlds at once: the world we inhabit and the worlds we can imagine. Serious games link those worlds. They let us feel our way into the future, learn from possibilities, and return with a clearer sense of how to move forward.