1:1 Build Your Own Board Game

This class is a creative adventure in exploring both the games we love and what we love about them. 

We will explore a few game templates, enhancements and learn some of the terminology that goes along with game design.

Our goal is to create a simple board game that we can play with tokens and dice.  

Every week I will post a list of what is needed before each class.  

What follows is our planned outline for learners coming in without specific goals. If your learner is already working on a project or has a great idea, we will focus on that project and incorporate all of the learning goals into their project.  

Week 1: Let's talk board games.  Which ones do you play the most, which ones do you like, what would you change?  What makes them complicated, what makes them too easy?  Details, details. We will talk about these ideas and also talk about adding a piece on to the existing game: Snakes and Ladders.  Instead of coming up with a whole new game, this is our chance to see if we can change it to make it our own game.

Week 2: This week I will hand out and explain a simple board game template that you can take away and work on for the week.  We will discuss theme, components and what ideas you might have. 

Week 3: You should be working on your game at this point.  It would be a good time to describe your game to the class, go over the rules and answer questions from other learners that might help your players understand the game better.

Week 4: Review your game, what did you discover? This week I will get into a bit of higher level game design theory we can talk about how you can take the next step and modify a game.  This is where we get to really talk about playtesting and how it will improve your designs.

If you would like to share your final product as a short video of the game play with some pictures and maybe even your rules typed up, that would be fabulous.  Remember, everything we create in here is the property of the creator so if we are inspired by what we see, acknowledge what you borrow idea wise and keep your work original. 

This is a 1:1 class where we can customize our approach to your learner's journey in board game design! 

*This class applies to the curricular requirements for Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies 6 B.C. Grade 5-12.

*This course directly relates to B.C. Curricular Competencies for ELA Grades 4-12 under Comprehend and connect (reading, listening, viewing) Create and communicate (writing, speaking, representing).