FA19 Board Game Design

Day/Time: 8 Mondays starting September 16, 6:00-8:30pm
There is no class October 14 or November 11.

Location: SAA 2D Studio (W20-425)

Instructors: Timothy Blank and Sarah Hirzel

Join in the growing board game design industry as you learn the principles of board game design and player experience. Students will be exposed to modern board games and learn to deconstruct them in an effort to study the various aspects of what makes a good game, ultimately resulting in students making their own game. This class will run in coordination with meetings of the Game Makers Guild, a community of local board game design professionals. Students are welcome to bring their games to these meetings and seek feedback from these professionals.

This class meets at MIT the following dates: September 16 & 30, October 21, November 4 & 18

Students enrolled in this course are invited (but not required) to attend the New England Game Makers Guild meetings held at Emerson College on September 23, October 7 and October 28.

Tim Blank is local to Boston and is a staple in the board game design community who has designed a number of published board games, both in the U.S. and internationally. More than a designer, he is the President of the Game Makers Guild, the largest board game playtesting group in New England, and Vice President/Board Member for BostonFIG, the world’s largest indie game festival. In addition to these organizations, Tim has served as a judge for many design contests, has appeared on numerous podcasts and videocasts, and has published a number of articles pertaining to game design.