Game Design

Jul 2022

Together with Dominic Weibel, we created resources to co-design a video game with children. As part of Dominic's master thesis, we used these documents during co-design workshops with girls aged 10-12, where we focused on designing a mobile game to teach Computer Science.

Game Pillars Template - This document is used to gather first ideas for the game. In the "Game Idea" section, the participants write one sentence describing the general idea. The different pillars are completed with the information about the different game aspects, separated in "Concept" and "Universe". (en) (en*) (de) (de*)

Feedback Template - This document is used after playing a game prototype. The participants can complete the document to indicate what they liked and did not like. The first column (rectangles) is filled with observations, while the second column (arrows) focuses on action points. (en) (de)

Overview of the Playtesting Sheet document

Playtesting Template - With this document, the participant acts as a designer. Prior to the testing, the designer-participant asks another participant for general information about themselves. Then, they observe the other participant while they play a game, and complete the sheet accordingly. Finally, they conduct a short interview to gather feedback. (en) (de)

Manual

We assembled a detailed manual describing how to use the kit and in which context. (pdf)

How to cite

Weibel, D, & Chatain, J. (2022, July). Resources for Co-Designing Games with Children. https://juliachatain.com/game-design-resources/

 @misc{weibel_chatain_2022,
    title={Resources for Co-Designing Games with Children},
    url={https://juliachatain.com/game-design-resources/},
    author={Weibel, Dominic and Chatain, Julia},
    year={2022},
    month={July},
    doi={10.13140/RG.2.2.10692.71046}
 }

Team

Dominic Weibel - Design, Artwork
Julia Chatain - Supervision, Design, Artwork

Support

Girls Code Too, in particular Xenia Augustin who helped conducting the workshops
Game Technology Center, ETH Zurich
We would also like to thank Anna Laura John for her help conducting the workshops, as well as all the participants for their great ideas!

References

Earth Spirit Font. (font) (credits)

Sanders, E. B. N., & Stappers, P. J. (2008). Co-creation and the new landscapes of design. Co-design, 4(1), 5-18.

Publication