In this session, we collaborated in groups to create a prototype for a board game. In doing this we learnt the value of prototyping, and knowing as a group which creative ideas to build on, and which to reject.
We began my brainstorming ideas for the board game and by talking about what kind of game we would want it to be. In the beginning we decided on it being a drinking game, but as the idea evolved, we eventually got rid of the drinking aspect. We wanted the game to allow the player to move their piece in any direction they like, so we went for a network style layout.
As we were going, we kept developing the rules and the mechanics of the game, and had to keep making lots of changes to both the layout of the game, and the rules.
Eventually, we came up with a basic, playable version of the game, which we tested on another group. This showed us an important part of prototyping, testing on people who have no knowledge of the project. In doing this, important problems became very apparent immediately concerning the complexity of the game. These issues would not have been noticed by our group because we understood the game. So testing the game on an exterior group proved to be very valuable.
Creative Play Blog 