[game_edu] Game Suggestions

[Dan Carreker]

I give a weekly game to play in my game design course. They are all
available on the internet for free.

 

War

Mancala

Parcheesi

Blackjack

Monopoly

Poker

Risk

Chess

Settlers of Catan

Magic the Gathering

 

Obviously Blackjack and Poker are at non-gambling sites. For M:TG I use
Wizards of the Coast's online tutorial (though, if you can, bringing in a
deck for them to play wouldn't be a bad idea.) The other ones can be found
pretty easy, though you might have to use a "clone" for Risk and Settlers.
Each week the student discusses the game assigned and then I introduce a new
concept related to that (War turns to a discussion on the importance of
choice, Mancala introduces optimal paths, etc.)

 

We also use League of Legends as a common reference throughout the quarter.
Students are required to downloads the game and play several games each week
(either PVP or against the AI) during the first half of the term. We use LoL
because it's entirely free (a major consideration) as well as having most
elements that would be discussed in a game design class. This makes it
simpler to discuss any particular aspect of game design since it gives all
students at least one common point of reference.

 

The card game Fluxx that Alex recommends would also be a great one to
include, but can be difficult to locate. I'd also suggest the board game
Zombies!!!  but it doesn't lend itself to the non-violent condition you
listed. 

 

--Dan Carreker

 

  _____  

From: coachpayne at aol.com [mailto:coachpayne at aol.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 4:51 AM
To: game_edu at igda.org
Subject: [game_edu] Game Suggestions

 

Thanks for the input on game design programs and environments.  My students
all have laptops, heavy on the MacBook side, and most of these suggestions
were playable on both. 

 

Next question:  if you could have a group of high school students play a
game to get a feel for game design, what would it (they) be?  I'd like to
know which games, digital and non-digital,would be useful to play, maybe
prior to the first real meeting after signup.  Preferably, these would be
accessible online, and free is better.  I want the students to figure out
"fun" for themselves prior to discussing the idea.  Games I've used include
the classic tic-tac-toe and rock-scissors-paper, as well as checkers and
chess, Risk, and the ball game 4-square for non-digital, Angry Birds (of
course) for smartphones and tablets, and Sim City and others for digital.  I
might also have them play some arcade games such as Space Invaders and
Asteroids. Relatively non-violent games would be preferred, given an
audience of sophomore/junior private school kids, with a girls school
hosting this mini-term course.  I'd really like to develop a large range of
games.  I've got lots of resources, mainly at my "old" school,
(http://dpsgaming.wikispaces.com/Books+and+Other+Resources)
<http://dpsgaming.wikispaces.com/Books+and+Other+Resources> , but your
current suggestions would be welcome. I'd like to create some sort of list
this week, if possible.

 

Thanks.

 

Charlie Payne, M.Ed.

Teacher of Physics

St. Catherine's School

Richmond, VA

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