If you want to understand how to design an effective game, it helps to experience a variety of different game types and narratives. I have a collection of affordable and fun games that can expose students to many unique games and get their ideas flowing. In addition, there are many sites online that allow for playing games remotely or via a video call if you do not own the game or cannot get together face-to-face.

Before diving right in to making an original game, I find it best to instead tweak existing games based on their theme or mechanic. For example, asking students to think about how they could take a game like tic-tac-toe and change one aspect of it to affect gameplay would be an act of remixing a game. Similarly, challenging students to replace the common chess pieces with, say, characters from a play or animals in a food chain would be an example of reskinning a game. 

The most important aspect of a game is its objective - how do I win? When you and your students begin to design a game from scratch, it’s crucial to start with the goal in mind. What does success look like in my topic? How might I measure success? Is it being the first to do something? Doing it the most effectively? Do I need to get somewhere? Earn the most of something? All of these questions help you identify a goal.

All of our students first began playing one type of game: the “roll and do” board game. Many of them will default to making a “roll and do” game because of its comfort and simplicity. To help the students break out of their comfort zone, show them a variety of different game types. Some of these game types include deck games, creative/party games, combat games, cooperation games, and meeple movement games.

Think of mechanics as all of the individual actions, rules, barriers, interactions, and more that happen during the course of the game. Often, mechanics are those fantastic choices that a good game forces you to make. Many mechanics answer the questions of how can I get closer to a victory? What stands in the way of my victory? How can I adapt to these challenges and succeed?

Now the fun part: building the game. Depending on the game type, it’s key to start with the most important game elements to make what is called a minimum viable product. These items could include game cards, game boards, custom dice, and much more! The GameStormEDU website has many templates and resources on how to make the prototype items, so you do not need to start from scratch.

If possible, try to be a passive observer while other individuals play your game. Avoid jumping in and explaining how they should be playing the game, and instead watch how the players interpret the rules, strategize, and approach the game. Sometimes you will discover entirely new strategies, gaps, and lessons by standing back and letting others experiment with your creation. After watching the gameplay, you can create a running list of concepts to keep, remove, or change. If you want to practice playtesting games, check out the collection of student and educator-created games on GameStormEDU’s Games Library.

Game revisions can take a number of directions, but four areas are really key to a great game. Consider revising your game based on balance, or each player having a chance to succeed, as well as flow, the overall pace and downtime for players. You should also think about agency, the ability to offer tough choices to the player, and clarity, or how understandable the game is to each person. If you can solidify these four areas, you will have a successful game!