Week 1 · Empathize · Part Two of Two

Analyzing Board Games: How It Plays

Now look at the experience of playing — choices, luck, theme, rules, and what you'd borrow for your own game. Save it as a PDF copy on your laptop to share with your group.

Game titlePlayers in my groupDate

Part 6: Choices, Chance, and Strategy

Where does chance show up in the game?Examples: dice rolls, shuffled cards, random events, spinners, hidden information.Where does strategy show up in the game?Examples: deciding where to move, saving resources, choosing a card, making a plan, predicting another player.

Which has a bigger effect on who wins?

Explain your answer:Describe one decision that felt important while playing.

Part 7: Theme and Story

A game's theme is its setting, subject, world, or story.

What is this game's theme?How do the pieces, board, cards, artwork, or names connect to the theme?

Part 8: Rules and Clarity

How easy was it to learn the game?

Which rule was easiest to understand?Which rule was most confusing?

What helped you learn the game?

Part 9: Fun and Frustration

The most fun moment in the game was:The most frustrating or boring moment was:When did players seem most engaged or excited?

Did the game feel balanced?

Evidence:

Would you play this game again?

Why?

Part 10: Borrow Like a Designer

Game designers study other games for ideas, but they do not simply copy them.

What is one idea from this game that your team might adapt for your own game?How could you change that idea so it fits your Gibson Ek graduation theme and game goal?What is one part of this game you would not want in your own game?Why would you avoid it?

Exit Ticket: Three Things Every Board Game Needs

Based on the game you played, list three elements you think every successful board game needs.

All done with Part Two?

Save a PDF copy on your laptop to share with your group.

Teacher: quick debrief prompts

Which games had the clearest goals? What made the goals easy to understand?
Which games gave players the most interesting choices?
Which games used luck well? Which depended too much on luck?
Which components were essential to gameplay, and which were mostly decoration?
Which games had the best balance of competition, challenge, and fun?
What did you notice about game length, waiting time, and player engagement?
What mechanics did several games share, even if their themes were completely different?
What ideas could we borrow, transform, or combine in our own game designs?

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