With this paper we want to contribute to both anticipation studies and game studies by addressing how futures get made. By exploring the concept of anticipation in relation to game design, using Karen Barad's agential realism, we argue that anticipation should not be confused with prediction but rather seen as a fundamental force that shapes our experience of the world.

By using agential realism as a framework and games as context, we show how subject/object relations are continuously (re)configured through intra-actions, and how agency arises in specific situations. An experimental game, Lightning Dice illustrates how anticipation and measurements interact to create different future possibilities. By changing the game's rules and measurement methods, it demonstrates how different patterns and power dynamics can emerge.

The paper concludes by revisiting a design approach called re-verb, outlining a collaborative design workshop in which participants will explore anticipation and agency. The workshop aims to spark questions and further research on anticipation with respect to AI.