1 Educational Board Game Design Strengths of Board Games ...

Strengths of Board GamesEducational Board GameDesign• Easily Stored• Self-Contained• Familiar FormatPart OneAdvantages, Limitations,Types & Structures1Limitations of Board Games• Class use requires multiple copies• Easily played just for fun unless theeducational content is well integrated• Losing one piece can render the wholegame useless (though less so than forcard games)Types of Board Games• Linear Movement orRace Games•Pieces move along apath (e.g. Monopoly,Candy Land)• 2-D Pattern Games•Object is to buildpatterns of pieces (e.g.Go, Othello, Scrabble)Types of Board GamesBoard Game Design Phases• Battlefield•Pieces attack otherpieces, removing themfrom the board (e.g.,Chess, Risk)• Combination•Games which combineelements of the other 3categories (e.g.Backgammon)• Do Front End Work• Draft a Preliminary Design• Produce Prototype• Conduct Field Trials• Revise as Needed• Publish, Disseminate and/or Use1

In Search of Elegance• Elegance = congruity between the formsof the game and structures within thecontent, such as...•Movement through space, time•Shortcuts•Obstacles•Patterns of elements•Prizes, trophies, treasuresExample Content+GameStructures• Content: Movement through space ortime•Getting a Masters degree•Stages of digestion•Evolution•The process of impeachment• Game: paths in a race gameExample Content+GameStructures• Content: Shortcuts•Marrying into money•Mutation•Scientific breakthrough•Finding the “smoking gun”Example Content+GameStructures• Content: Obstacles•Insufficient money or other resources•Not enough votes•Mountains or deserts to cross•Lack of data• Game: jumping along or between pathsin a race game• Game: blockage in paths in a racegame or the absence of a pathExample Content+GameStructures• Content: Patterns of Elements as Goal•Balanced meals•Balanced life•Electoral College votes• Game: acquisition of cards or tokens inparticular combinationsExample Content+GameStructures• Content: Elements with different levelsof power•Superintendent vs Principal vs. teacher•Large countries vs small•Microsoft vs just about anyone else• Game: use of game pieces that canmove more flexibly or that canovercome other pieces2

Example Content+GameStructures• Content: Elements with different levelsof value•Rare coins vs common ones•Real estate in La Jolla vs. somewhere else•Gold vs silver vs bronze medals• Game: tokens or play money to allowthe acquisition of these elements or touse as scorekeeping devicesExample Content+GameStructures• Content: Choices and Decisions•Go on to college, or get a job?•Attack the Nazis now, or wait?•Buy Qualcomm or Apple stock?• Game: branches in the path of a racegame, or strategies for deployingpieces or tokens.Example Content+GameStructures• Content: Variations in Risk•Buying futures options vs. stocks•Running an attack ad against your opponent•Quitting your job to start a small business• Game: parallel paths with more penaltysquares on the shorter path, or chancecards in different stacks depending onrisk.Example Content+GameStructures• Content: Changing Environment•The stock market turns from bullish to bearish•After the revolution, those closest to the kingare now most in danger•Drastic climate change bodes ill for reptiles• Game: changing the rules or structuresduring the game.Example Content+GameStructures• Content:Random or UncontrolledEvents•Weather•Prices of raw materials•Other people’s behavior• Game: dice, spinners, or chance cards3