Educational Board Game Design

1
Educational Board Game Design

• Part OneAdvantages, Limitations,Types
  Structures

2
Strengths of Board Games

• Easily Stored
• Self-Contained
• Familiar Format

3
Limitations of Board Games

• Class use requires multiple copies
• Easily played just for fun unless the educational
  content is well integrated
• Losing one piece can render the whole game
  useless (though less so than for card games)

4
Types of Board Games

• Linear Movement or Race Games
• Pieces move along a path (e.g. Monopoly, Candy
  Land)
• 2-D Pattern Games
• Object is to build patterns of pieces (e.g. Go,
  Othello, Scrabble)

5
Types of Board Games

• Battlefield
• Pieces attack other pieces, removing them from
  the board (e.g., Chess, Risk)
• Combination
• Games which combine elements of the other 3
  categories (e.g. Backgammon)

6
Board Game Design Phases

• Do Front End Work
• Draft a Preliminary Design
• Produce Prototype
• Conduct Field Trials
• Revise as Needed
• Publish, Disseminate and/or Use

7
In Search of Elegance

• Elegance congruity between the forms of the
  game and structures within the content, such
  as...
• Movement through space, time
• Shortcuts
• Obstacles
• Patterns of elements
• Prizes, trophies, treasures

8
Example ContentGame Structures

• Content Movement through space or time
• Getting a Masters degree
• Stages of digestion
• Evolution
• The process of impeachment
• Game paths in a race game

9
Example ContentGame Structures

• Content Shortcuts
• Marrying into money
• Mutation
• Scientific breakthrough
• Finding the smoking gun
• Game jumping along or between paths in a race
  game

10
Example ContentGame Structures

• Content Obstacles
• Insufficient money or other resources
• Not enough votes
• Mountains or deserts to cross
• Lack of data
• Game blockage in paths in a race game or the
  absence of a path

11
Example ContentGame Structures

• Content Patterns of Elements as Goal
• Balanced meals
• Balanced life
• Electoral College votes
• Game acquisition of cards or tokens in
  particular combinations

12
Example ContentGame Structures

• Content Elements with different levels of power
• Superintendent vs Principal vs. teacher
• Large countries vs small
• Microsoft vs just about anyone else
• Game use of game pieces that can move more
  flexibly or that can overcome other pieces

13
Example ContentGame Structures

• Content Elements with different levels of 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 allow the
  acquisition of these elements or to use as
  scorekeeping devices

14
Example ContentGame Structures

• 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 race game, or
  strategies for deploying pieces or tokens.

15
Example ContentGame Structures

• 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 penalty squares on
  the shorter path, or chance cards in different
  stacks depending on risk.

16
Example ContentGame Structures

• Content Changing Environment
• The stock market turns from bullish to bearish
• After the revolution, those closest to the king
  are now most in danger
• Drastic climate change bodes ill for reptiles
• Game changing the rules or structures during the
  game.

17
Example ContentGame Structures

• ContentRandom or Uncontrolled Events
• Weather
• Prices of raw materials
• Other peoples behavior
• Game dice, spinners, or chance cards