What makes games useful in learning is not just that they get people participating, that they involve physical movement and responding to a changing environment, that they require creativity and quick responses, that they create a kind of mini-world in which what we say and do has immediate and obvious relevance and measurable impact, not just that they are fun...
All of this is true and important, but games also give us a chance to practice equality, to escape from roles and power relationships that are unequal, even if only in the confines of the game. Even if the impact is limited, it can contribute to a culture of equality that in turn becomes a resource we can use when we challenge inequality.