Prototyping
Prototyping. The part that students think they should do in the first ten minutes of your class.
Actually, they probably should. In fact, one of the first things I do is to have my students prototype games on the first day of class using random materials--index cards, cubes, markers, random game pieces, NO dice.
See Quick Game Design Workshop for more details on how to create a quick game.
Okay, back to the main process--prototyping the "real" game.
If you read The Design Process or the Introduction to Strategy Games pages, you saw that I incorporate the Stanford d.school's design principles into what we do. A reminder:
Bias towards action
Collaborate across boundaries
Focus on human values
Be mindful of process
Prototype towards a solution
Show, don't tell
These design mindsets really helped me to push my class forward, in terms of my own efforts as well as how I work with my students.
Bias towards action
I make them work with materials (paper templates, game bits) as they are brainstorming as soon as possible. Some students will sit and think, and think, and think, both to avoid working because they are unsure of where to start or because they enjoy the mental exercise. They need to be thinking, but they can easily overthink it. Have them start drawing right away--what does the world you're creating look like? Like a city? Use grid paper. Like the natural world? Try hexes. More freeform? Get blank paper. Start drawing and labeling. It's going to change, but it needs to get started.
Collaborate across boundaries
I apply this to our class by having students work with different students to collaborate on their ideas in this brainstorming stage. Mix up where they sit, have them talk with as many different people about their idea. They need to create the game they individually want, but they can get a lot of different ideas by talking to other students, and they will need to create a game others enjoy. (There's that empathy piece sneaking in.)
Focus on human values
What do players what? How do you want players to feel? This is pretty abstract and hard for new game designers, especially kids, but getting them to think about the player experience is crucial. They have to look at their game's physical design through others' eyes--does the layout make sense? Should the cards be labeled or color coded?
Be mindful of process
You'll have to do a lot of coaching through uncertainty here. Get kids to talk about their ideas, and don't be afraid to sit down and start sketching with them. Ask why a lot--are you using that piece because it's fun, or does it fit your game? Get students to articulate what they want the game to look like, especially at the end, and work with them to get there. Work avoidance pops up here--get students to reflect on why they are not at their workstation but are smacking someone else in the head--what are they trying to avoid? Where are they stuck?
Prototype towards a solution
The mack daddy, daddy mack. You know how they say when you're rehabbing a house, you have three choices: good, fast, and cheap, but you can only pick two? Well, when you're prototyping, you have to pick fast and cheap. But Kathleen! Don't you want them to be good?
Of course, we want prototypes to be good. But they are NEVER good at the beginning--and students discover that in the first playtesting. It's more important that they get done at this stage to be tested. They don't need full sets of all cards or decorated anything--just enough to get their first ideas tested to get that feedback (using the WINQ). Good evolves over time with playtesting, so getting the main ideas out is key.
I used to give kids two, three weeks to make initial prototypes and that's been slashed to one week. Why? Because they would spend two or three weeks making beautiful prototypes that wouldn't work, and would be faced with either keeping a bad game because of the time invested or throwing out all that work to make the game better. Both sucky. Fast and cheap.
FAST and CHEAP. I promise.
Show, don't tell
Students need to try to use symbols and less writing. Don't write "fire" on a space--draw a picture of a fire. Visually it will help players so much more. But the main thing is--make the prototype. Don't just talk about your ideas, what you want to do--just get it done.
Actually, they probably should. In fact, one of the first things I do is to have my students prototype games on the first day of class using random materials--index cards, cubes, markers, random game pieces, NO dice.
See Quick Game Design Workshop for more details on how to create a quick game.
Okay, back to the main process--prototyping the "real" game.
If you read The Design Process or the Introduction to Strategy Games pages, you saw that I incorporate the Stanford d.school's design principles into what we do. A reminder:
Bias towards action
Collaborate across boundaries
Focus on human values
Be mindful of process
Prototype towards a solution
Show, don't tell
These design mindsets really helped me to push my class forward, in terms of my own efforts as well as how I work with my students.
Bias towards action
I make them work with materials (paper templates, game bits) as they are brainstorming as soon as possible. Some students will sit and think, and think, and think, both to avoid working because they are unsure of where to start or because they enjoy the mental exercise. They need to be thinking, but they can easily overthink it. Have them start drawing right away--what does the world you're creating look like? Like a city? Use grid paper. Like the natural world? Try hexes. More freeform? Get blank paper. Start drawing and labeling. It's going to change, but it needs to get started.
Collaborate across boundaries
I apply this to our class by having students work with different students to collaborate on their ideas in this brainstorming stage. Mix up where they sit, have them talk with as many different people about their idea. They need to create the game they individually want, but they can get a lot of different ideas by talking to other students, and they will need to create a game others enjoy. (There's that empathy piece sneaking in.)
Focus on human values
What do players what? How do you want players to feel? This is pretty abstract and hard for new game designers, especially kids, but getting them to think about the player experience is crucial. They have to look at their game's physical design through others' eyes--does the layout make sense? Should the cards be labeled or color coded?
Be mindful of process
You'll have to do a lot of coaching through uncertainty here. Get kids to talk about their ideas, and don't be afraid to sit down and start sketching with them. Ask why a lot--are you using that piece because it's fun, or does it fit your game? Get students to articulate what they want the game to look like, especially at the end, and work with them to get there. Work avoidance pops up here--get students to reflect on why they are not at their workstation but are smacking someone else in the head--what are they trying to avoid? Where are they stuck?
Prototype towards a solution
The mack daddy, daddy mack. You know how they say when you're rehabbing a house, you have three choices: good, fast, and cheap, but you can only pick two? Well, when you're prototyping, you have to pick fast and cheap. But Kathleen! Don't you want them to be good?
Of course, we want prototypes to be good. But they are NEVER good at the beginning--and students discover that in the first playtesting. It's more important that they get done at this stage to be tested. They don't need full sets of all cards or decorated anything--just enough to get their first ideas tested to get that feedback (using the WINQ). Good evolves over time with playtesting, so getting the main ideas out is key.
I used to give kids two, three weeks to make initial prototypes and that's been slashed to one week. Why? Because they would spend two or three weeks making beautiful prototypes that wouldn't work, and would be faced with either keeping a bad game because of the time invested or throwing out all that work to make the game better. Both sucky. Fast and cheap.
FAST and CHEAP. I promise.
Show, don't tell
Students need to try to use symbols and less writing. Don't write "fire" on a space--draw a picture of a fire. Visually it will help players so much more. But the main thing is--make the prototype. Don't just talk about your ideas, what you want to do--just get it done.