CRITICAL THINKING IN GAME DESIGN
UNIT OVERVIEW
Activities in this unit of instruction are
designed to develop critical thinking and
problem solving skills.
Learners will be introduced to various
strategies and techniques for idea
generation, problem solving, and critical
analysis
MAJOR TOPICS
In this unit, learners will explore the
following topics:
Critical Thinking (e.g. definition, comparison
to creative thinking, well-developed
arguments)
Idea Generation Techniques (i.e. What is
brainstorming? How is it useful? What are
the rules?)
Critical Thinking for Game Analysis (e.g.
purpose in game design, function in game
development)
What does it mean to think
critically?
Critical thinking means making
reasoned judgments that are logical
and well-thought out.
It is a way of thinking in which you don't
simply accept all arguments and
conclusions you are exposed to but
rather have an attitude involving
questioning such arguments and
conclusions
What does it mean to think
creatively?
A way of looking at problems or
situations from a fresh perspective that
suggests unorthodox solutions (which
may look unsettling at first).
Creative thinking can be stimulated both
by an unstructured process such as
brainstorming, and by a structured
process such as lateral thinking.
THE SIX TYPES OF SOCRATIC
QUESTIONS
Questions for clarification:
Why do you say that?
How does this relate to our discussion?
Questions that probe assumptions:
What could we assume instead?
How can you verify or disapprove that
assumption?
THE SIX TYPES OF SOCRATIC
QUESTIONS
Questions that probe reasons and
evidence:
What would be an example?
What is....analogous to?
What do you think causes to happen...?
Why:?
THE SIX TYPES OF SOCRATIC
QUESTIONS
Questions about Viewpoints and
Perspectives:
What would be an alternative?
What is another way to look at it?
Would you explain why it is necessary or
beneficial, and who benefits?
Why is the best?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of...?
How are...and ...similar?
What is a counterargument for...?
THE SIX TYPES OF SOCRATIC
QUESTIONS
Questions that probe implications
and consequences:
What generalizations can you make?
What are the consequences of that
assumption?
What are you implying?
How does...affect...?
How does...tie in with what we learned
before?
THE SIX TYPES OF SOCRATIC
QUESTIONS
Questions about the question:
What was the point of this question?
Why do you think I asked this question?
What does...mean?
PHASES OF CRITICAL THINKING
1. Trigger Event
An unexpected happening that prompts a sense of inter-discomfort and
perplexity
2. Appraisal
A period of self scrutinizing to identify and clarify the concern.
3. Exploration
Search for ways to explain discrepancy or to live with them
4. Developing alternative perspectives.
Select those assumptions and activities that seem the most satisfactory
and congruent.
5. Integration
Becoming comfortable with, and acting, on new ideas assumption and
new ways of thinking
Critical Thinking Skills
Analyzing
Separating or breaking a whole into parts to
discover their nature, functional and
relationships.
Applying Standards
Judging according to established personal,
professional, or social rules or criteria.
Discriminating
Recognizing differences and similarities among
things or situations and distinguishing carefully
as to category or rank.
Critical Thinking Skills
Information Seeking
Searching for evidence, facts, or knowledge
by identifying relevant sources and
gathering objective, subjective, historical,
and current data from those sources
Logical Reasoning
Drawing inferences or conclusions that are
supported in or justified by evidence
Critical Thinking Skills
Predicting
Envisioning a plan and its consequences
Transforming Knowledge
Changing or converting the condition,
nature, form, or function of concepts among
contexts
Improving Creative Abilities
Keep track of your ideas at all times.
Pose new questions to yourself every day.
Keep abreast of your field.
Engage in creative hobbies.
Learn to know and understand yourself.
Improving Creative Abilities
Learn about things outside your specialty.
Avoid rigid, set patterns of doing things.
Be open and receptive to ideas (yours and others).
Be alert in your observations. Look for similarities,
differences, as well as unique and distinguishing
features in situations and problems.
Adopt a risk taking attitude.
Idea Generation
Brainstorming
is a technique often used by groups, but can
be done alone (although this is not as
effective) to generate a large number of
ideas for the solution of a problem.
Purpose
Creative group facilitation technique that
encourages participation from all group
members.
Idea Generation
In the classical approach to
brainstorming there are four basic rules.
Focus on quantity
Withhold criticism
Welcome unusual ideas
Combine and improve ideas
Idea Generation
Mind Mapping
Mind mapping is a highly effective way of
getting information in and out of your brain.
Purpose
Mind mapping is a creative and logical
means of note-taking and note-making that
literally "maps out" your ideas.
Idea Generation
How to Make a Mind Map
Think of your general main theme and write that
down in the center of the page. i.e. Food
Figure out sub-themes of your main concept and
draw branches to them from the center, beginning to
look like a spider web i.e. Meats, Dairy, Breads
○ Make sure to use very short phrases or even single
words
○ Add images to invoke thought or get the message
across better
Try to think of at least two main points for each
sub-theme you created and create branches
out to those
Activity
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
Learning Goals
Overcoming fear of failure; reviewing the
basic components and mechanics of a
game; writing a rule set; testing your game;
reflecting on your game design experience.
Summary
Make a board game in 10 minutes, then test
it and report back on your experience
making and playing your game.
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
Introduction
Beginning game designers often wonder how to
start designing.
This exercise walks you through a complete
game creation process. It isn't guaranteed to
make a good game, but it will make a complete
one.
Don’t be afraid of creating bad games:
○ game designers come up with, try out, and test
dozens of bad ideas before they get to the good
ones.
○ The faster you run through your thoughts and
ideas for a game, the sooner you learn what
works.
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
Organization
Gather necessary components
Create the game, on a 10 minute timer
Do a play through of the finished game to
understand what you created
Finally, report back
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
Make a game
Remember this is a speed exercise. Do the
first thing that comes to mind, and move on to
the next step. You’re not looking to make a
good game, or a balanced game, or even a
fun game - you’re just looking to make a
playable game, quickly! Go with the flow.
Set the time to 10 minutes, and start it.
Choose a player interaction style:
Competitive: Only one player can win; the rest lose.
Cooperative: The players work together to win the
game.
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
Choose a setting. With the setting, you
also create a theme for your game - if
you choose space, it’s unlikely your
players will be exploring a haunted
house.
In space!
In a city!
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
Create the game board:
Grab the marker and draw a board. It’s ok if it is
nothing but lines, dots, and abstract
representations of what you imagine things to
be: for example, if you’re drawing a set of
planets, draw a bunch of circles scattered
randomly around the board. If you’re drawing
the woods, then those circles might be trees!
Keep your marker handy! If you add a rule that
requires something to be added or subtracted
from the board, you can edit as necessary.
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
Choose a goal for your players: what
do they do to win the game?
Get the most of something? (Points, bird
nests, rooms explored, planets blown up,
fish eaten, etc.)
Get someplace first? Visit a series of places
first?
Remove all of something from the board?
Remove the other player from the board?
Make up some other winning condition!
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
How do your players achieve their
goal? You only need one player action. Giving
your players options adds complexity, and
sometimes depth, of play.
○ What action(s) can a player take to advance toward
their goal?
○ What action(s) can a player take to hinder another
player?
○ What action(s) can a player take to help another
player? (Cooperative games especially!)
○ If players move around on the board, how do they do it,
how far can they go, and how do they know ‘where’
they can move?
How many actions can a player take each turn? One
is a good default!
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
How do players lose?
Starting game state:
If the players are collecting things, destroying
things, or visiting things...
○ where are they, what are they, and how do they
get placed on the board?
What interferes with players achieving
their goals?
Could be each other (see above)
The game might have actions, adding
complications to the players’ game.
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
Choose game actions: Very necessary for
cooperative games, unless the Starting Game Setup
has all the challenge needed.
Does the game need to do something each turn or round
to keep the game challenging for the players?
Does the game create more things? Destroy them? Move
them around?
Does the game move the players around?
Is there a time limit (or a turn limit) for the players to
win/lose the game by?
When do the game actions happen? Could be
○ After each player’s turn, so the game gets a turn after
each player takes theirs.
○ After a full round, when each player has gotten a chance
to do something, and then the game does something.
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
Finishing Up
Once you feel like you’ve got a complete game -
it’s OK to turn off the timer.
If you’ve got time left, it’s also fine to do some
very fast playthroughs - just a few moves - to
see how the game plays and feels, and make
some changes based on that.
Don’t be afraid to do partial playthroughs - play
it for just a minute or two, and as soon as you
notice something you think needs changing,
change it, and start over.
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
Grab a friend and play your game!
Expect to find problems as you play through your game
for the first time; use this as a chance to learn from your
game.
What problems did you find? What was their impact on
the game?
You need to address the problems once you identify
them. Try to prioritize the problems you see, and tackle
them one at a time. For each problem, ask yourself:
○ Can you fix it by removing a rule?
○ Can you fix it by changing a rule?
○ Can you fix it by adding a new rule? (Use this only as a last
resort; the more rules you have, the more complicated your game
becomes. Most problems are better fixed by modifying rules, or
be removing them.)
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
Report Your Results
It isn't enough to make games. You also
need to talk and think about them critically.
Hardest of all, you need to critique the
games you create, and the choices made
while working on them.
By reflecting on your experiences as a game
designer, you recognize both mistakes and
victories, and can use them to improve your
skills.
Paper Prototyping a 10 Minute
Game
1 2 3 4 5 AWARDED
Did the student describe the game clearly? 5 20
Did the student state what he/she liked about the game and why? 5 20
Did the student state what he/she disliked about the game and why? 5 20
Did the student describe problems they found and propose solutions? 5 20
Did the student describe problems testers found and propose solutions? 5 20
TOTAL: 100
