How to Design Games for Impact

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Most of us love playing games. But have you ever thought of designing a game? 

Designing games is a fun way to express our creativity and a sense of fulfillment is guaranteed! And, by aligning with a purpose like sustainability or social impact, participants gain a deep appreciation of the issue, all the while having fun!

How may we facilitate a session for participants who are new to game design?

Step 0: Game design familiarity

If time allows, you may wish to first introduce participants to the key concepts of game design and the different types of games. A fun way to do this is via experiential learning where participants get to play different types of games and deduce the game mechanics.

Step 1: Theme

What theme should the game be about? This might be discussed and decided by the participants, or chosen by the organisers. It is more motivating for the participants if the theme is one they can relate to. For example, for primary school children, a theme like nature or animals would be more relatable than climate change.

Step 2: Problem Statement/ Intention

What problem should the game address? In other words, what is the intended impact of the game?

For example, if the theme is Protecting Our Rainforests, possible problem statements could be:

  • How might we design a game that helps players learn about the threats faced by our rainforests?
  • How might we design a game that helps players be amazed by the plants and animals that live in rainforests?
  • How might we design a game that helps players learn ways to protect the rainforests and apply in their daily lives?

Notice that the problem statements not only include the awareness/ knowledge that we want players to takeaway, it can also include the emotions and behaviours that we intend to cultivate in the players.

Depending on time availability and experience of the participants, the problem statements may be either provided by the organiser or developed by the participants. You may also provide problem statements but invite participants to come up with their own if they have any specific ideas in mind. You might ask: “What have you personally experienced that moved you about this theme?”

Step 3: Group formation

If groups have not been formed yet, this is a good time to form groups based on their chosen problem statement. An ideal group size would be 4 or 5, which allows for a balance between diversity of ideas and efficiency.

Step 4: Ideation

Now comes the really fun part! It’s time to go wild with ideas. The usual ideation/ brainstorming techniques can be used here. In general it helps to allow each individual time to come up with their own ideas first, to reduce groupthink.

You may either limit the format of the game, eg. card/ board game or Scratch digital game, or leave it completely open!

The ideation may go through several rounds, but at least by the last round, game ideas should have:

  • Winning condition: How do you win or lose?
  • Unpredictability: How significant is strategy vs luck? Where does the randomness lie? Does the randomness make sense?
  • Competition: Is it a competitive or collaborative game? If collaborative, who or what are the players up against?
  • Player interaction: How do players interact with one another? Can they influence one another?

After ideating, each group should choose or consolidate their ideas to come up with 1 or 2 ideas to prototype.

Step 5: Prototyping

Now participants get to bring their exciting idea to life! Regardless of whether it is a physical or online game, it helps to start by writing and sketching out how the game is played.

With the overall game flow in mind, it is easier to then start making a mockup of the game. For card games, it will be simply cutting out pieces of paper and drawing on them. A board game can be drawn on a big sheet of paper.

At the point, some basic tools like dice or tokens may be provided to groups which need them.

If time is short, the prototype can just be a “looks like” prototype to show how the game looks like. If there is more time, you would of course want to encourage the participants to make a playable prototype.

Step 6: Testing & Feedback

After the intense work, it is time to play! Each group will have the chance to present their game and explain how it works. If the prototype is playable, the rest can have a chance to try it out! One way to do this is gallery-walk, where everyone goes to the table where the group has set up their game.

Encourage the testers to give constructive feedback that the game creators can use to learn from this experience! Don’t forget to point out their strengths and end on an encouraging note!

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