Board Game Design: Create, Design & Build Your Own Game

Date: 30 October

Time: 9:30am–4:30pm

Cost: £90 — includes all materials and refreshments

Please bring: A packed lunch

Age: Suitable for students aged 11+

From Idea to Playable Game

What makes a board game fun to play?

In this immersive, hands-on workshop, students will step into the role of a board game designer and develop their own original game from the first idea through to a playable prototype.

They’ll explore how successful games combine storytelling, strategy, visual design and clear rules, before creating and building a game of their own.

The day takes students through the complete creative process: developing an idea, designing the gameplay, creating the visual identity and finally turning their concept into a physical board game.

Morning — Design Your Board Game

The morning is all about developing the idea.

Students will explore the key ingredients of a successful board game, including objectives, rules, player interaction, challenges, rewards and game mechanics. They’ll consider what makes players want to keep playing and how a game's design can communicate its world and rules.

Each student will develop their own original concept, thinking about:

• The theme and story of the game

• The objective and how players win

• Rules and game mechanics

• Player interaction and strategy

• Board layout and visual design

• Playing pieces, cards and other components

• Creating a clear and engaging game experience

They’ll then create a design plan for their game, including the board layout, rules, cards, characters or playing pieces and visual style.

The emphasis is on experimentation and problem-solving — developing an idea that is both visually engaging and genuinely playable.

Afternoon — Build & Prototype

Now it’s time to turn the concept into a physical game.

Using card, paper, craft materials and everyday objects, students will build a prototype of their board game. They’ll create the board, playing pieces, cards and other components needed to bring their game to life.

As they build, students will test and refine their ideas, discovering how small changes to the board, rules or components can affect the way the game plays.

The afternoon is about making, testing and problem-solving — turning an initial concept into something that can actually be played.