Re: Suitability for a student game design challenge?

["mschoessow" <mikeschoessow@...>]

--- In piecepack@yahoogroups.com, "Steve Oliver" <steveoliverc@y...> 
wrote:
> 

Hi Steve. Welcome!


> 
> hi everyone -- I'm going to be starting a game club afterschool at 
my
> daughter's elementary school soon, and one idea I had was to let 
some
> of the students make their own game if they were interested. 
> Originally my idea was to supply them with markers, paper, bits, 
dice,
> etc. but then today I stumbled upon piecepack at Board Game Geek 
and
> this looks really interesting.  My thinking now is that this would 
get
> them focused on game mechanics and rules, rather than getting 
bogged
> down in the artwork and creation of pieces.  



Best of all perhaps, it's quite difficult to make a Monopoly clone 
using just piecepack bits, so you may want to put some restrictions 
on what extra bits are allowed after all :-)


>And they could always add
> to their piecepack-based game with their own bits.  
> 
> So my question to you all is, has anyone tried this before -- IE, 
any
> experience of kids using piecepack?  or anyone done a game design
> challenge with students?  


I recall seeing posts on spielfrieks over the past few years on game 
playing and game design in public schools, usually involving older 
kids though I think. You may want to post an inquiry over there.


>Any experience or suggestions that you can
> share?
> 
> The age groups are Kindergarten to 2, and from 3rd to 6th grade (2
> separate game clubs).


I don't have any direct experience with this myself, although I do 
have a 10-year-old son with whom I have occasionally played games 
over the past six years or so. I would say that your idea could work 
quite well, but I do some suggestions (I'm assuming this isn't just 
a "1 class period and it's over" thing). Introduce the game design 
idea to the older group by handing out rules for 3 or 4 diverse, 
simple, quick piecepack games that will give them some examples of 
what the possibilities are. Also, I suspect the results will be best 
if they work in teams of 3-4 kids each, perhaps with each group 
having a "captain" or leader, to make decisions when they're not 
unanimous on something. Smaller groups than 3-4 will yield less 
synergy; bigger will lead to too many compromises and freebooters. 

-Mike