Board games — News in Games-Based Learning

As we get older and start to experience adult life – with all its busyness and responsibilities, plus a lack of time – the things we used to do for fun as children can easily fall by the wayside. In some cases, this doesn’t matter too much, but when it comes to board games, it seems a shame. There are many reasons why board games and tabletop games are good for you and why you should continue to play them as you get older. Read on to find out more, and it might persuade you to find your old games or even start playing new ones.

Board games, contributed article, stressDave EngMarch 13, 2023Board games, contributed article, stress, connection, functions, self-confidence.Comment

Mysterious Stone Spheres May be Earliest Ever Board Game

Key Points: Researchers believe tiny stone spheres found on the island of Santorini could be one of the earliest examples of an Ancient Greek board game. They used machine learning to analyze 700 stones according to a new methodology that shed light on potential patterning within the stone group.

board gamesDave EngFebruary 18, 2023Board games, stone spheres, Ancient Greek, science, researchers, archaeological, newsComment

Social Justice Board Games

Rise-Up, Monopoly, and Co-opoly: What did you learn playing board games? There are board games that teach us about capitalism, private property, and the myth of meritocracy. Normalizing empire, domination, and violence are three lessons Cold War weapon that was the board game Risk.

social justiceDave EngFebruary 17, 2023Board games, social justice, tactical skills, players, subjects, education, newsComment

Creating board games and historical simulations with designer David Thompson

Thompson's interest in games stems from his childhood and roleplaying games, such as Dungeon and Dragons. It was listening to the Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast that introduced Thompson to the concept of board game design.

board games, simulations, historyDave EngJanuary 27, 2023Board games, Rock Springs, Sweetwater County, Wyo4News, Wyoming, newsComment

DnD changed my life – now I teach board games in schools

Imagination Gaming ran a popular board games area at the WASD 2022 gaming convention, and afterwards we sat down with the owner, Nigel Scarfe, to delve further into what the firm does. Here's an edited version of our conversation, exploring Imagination Gaming's activities, the types of games they work with, and Scarfe's views on the power of tabletop games.

GBL, DnDDave EngJanuary 17, 2023Board games, schools, learning, students, skills, entertain, play, people, newsComment

Ancient board games and a few visual narrations

Board games/indoor games have been depicted in many ancient Indian paintings, sculptures and literature of ancient periods. From the 2nd century BCE onwards, the depiction of the Chaturanga board games became a subject of great interest.

gamesDave EngDecember 7, 2022Board games, indoor games, art, painting, Indian, medieval, newsComment

Cardboard Poachers: Fan Cultures and Paratext in Board Games

As Paul Booth notes, "Using board games to analyze media illustrates the performative aspects of media interpretation and reveals the multiple ways all viewers play with their media."7 Such notions of play can be analyzed and ultimately positioned within fan cultures and the industry as a whole, demonstrating how certain ways of interacting with media can have larger impacts on social, cultural, and economic contexts.

Paratext, Board Ga, gamesDave EngOctober 29, 2022Board games, paratexts, play, storytelling, transmedia, fandom, participatory culture, newsComment

OPINION: Social, mental health benefits of playing board games

I personally think that board games can be in box form but also online and even video games. From my childhood to now, I have seen board games grow from tabletop Shoots and Ladders to online and digital games.

Social, Mental, gamesDave EngOctober 26, 2022Board games, brain health, games, hobbies, mental health, playing, newsComment

Cardboard Poachers: Fan Cultures and Paratext in Board Games

Introducing a contrast between the video game industry and the board game industry, Will Emigh, a video and board game designer at Studio Cypher and lecturer in game design, notes how the former can sustain efficient means of distribution through the utilization of online spaces.

board gamesDave EngAugust 25, 2022Board games, play, popular culture, storytelling, transmedia, affective play, newsComment

Benefits of Using Board Games in the Classroom

As a kid growing up, I loved board games ... loved playing The Game of Life, Clue, and Sorry with my friends as a preteen and then Backgammon throughout my undergraduate years. Research indicates that there is power in using board games in the classroom.

gamesDave EngMay 9, 2022Board games, classroom, critical thinking, collaborative, education, newsComment

Board Games of The Ancient World

For thousands of years, people have been using board games as a great way to pass the time with friends and family. Ancient board games are still played today and are a great way of bringing friends and family together. I've carefully selected the board games in this list, either for their notability or because they inspire board games today.

gamesDave EngDecember 26, 2021Board games, history, educational value, family and friends, newsComment

Bullying-themed board game draws attention

A role-playing board game has been drawing a lot of attention on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo as it focuses on school bullying and is based on the developer's personal experience of being bullied for 10 years.

gamesDave EngDecember 18, 2021Board games, game developers, child development, newsComment

8 historical board games, from diverse designers, that show great promise

Now a new mentorship program, led by a blue-ribbon panel of industry experts, hopes to diversify tabletop gaming's cadre of designers as well.

gamesDave EngDecember 13, 2021Board games, game designers, diverse designers, newsComment

How To Effectively Collect Feedback For Gamified & Digital Learning Courses

Social engagement within the learning group, whether it is through upvoting the submissions made by their fellow learners, or comments, or even based on the promptness of the submissions, voluntary engagement - these are all effective measures of seeking feedback.

gamificationDave EngNovember 24, 2021Board games, gamification, engagement, collaboration, newsComment