Let's Design Board Games!
Explore a Playful Way to Tackle Social and Cultural Issues
Board game design is recognized as an inclusive art form that offers a safe space for diverse ideologies. It's valued for its ability to convey impactful stories, make complex themes accessible, and foster intimacy in social interactions. The workshop focuses on the educational and intellectual aspects of board games, using them as tools to address social and cultural issues. Participants will engage in playing, discussing, designing, and play-testing games, learning how these activities can raise awareness, propose playful interventions to current problems, and provide analytical skills for evaluating board games. The workshop also guides attendees in starting their board game prototype, encouraging exploration of any chosen topics or themes through game design.
The workshop was initially proposed by Ziye Zhang and Doris Duanmu in 2022 and, after several revisions, made its debut in January 2023 as part of MIT's IAP winter session. It achieved remarkable success upon its first implementation. Following this, we received substantial support from the Council for the Arts at MIT and the MindHardHeart Foundation. With this additional aid, a second workshop was held during the summer of 2023. In 2024, we plan to continue this momentum by organizing two more workshops, one at MIT and the other at NYU, early in the year.
For more information and news, please check HERE
