Presented at 2013 Wayne County Public Schools Summer Institute. How board games and video games can be used as effective tools for engaging students, specific games for math and science to encourage critical thinking, research and social interaction.

1. Everybody Wins
Using Games and Gaming Effectively in the
Classroom
M. Brandon Robbins, M.L.S.
Media Coordinator
Goldsboro High School

2. In This Presentation
• Why use games in the classroom?
• What subjects are most appropriate for
games?
• What games are most effective for classroom
use?

3. About Me
• Graduate of Mount Olive College, 2005, B.A.
English
• Graduate of East Carolina University, 2011, M.L.S.
• Over 10 years experience in libraries
• Author of Library Journal’s “Games, Gamers, and
Gaming Column”
• Life-long gamer and reader
• Loyal patron and assistant at our friendly local
comic shop.

4. The Challenges of Implementing
Games
• Games are still seen as purely recreational,
frivolous, and juvenile.
• Games are expensive and it can be difficult to
justify their cost.
• Games don’t teach hard facts.
• Games often cover dark subject matter and
their mere presence can welcome controversy.

5. Justifying Games
• Games are democratic.
• While an expensive initial investment, they are a
long-lasting investment and don’t even have to
be an annual cost.
• Games may not teach hard facts, but they do
offer simulations of real-world skills and
concepts.
• They enhance a suite of critical thinking skills: risk
assessment, cost analysis, resource management,
decision making.

6. Justifying Games
• Every game in existence is built on the principles of
probability and logic.
• The best games are representations of all man-made
systems: simple concepts interacting in complex ways.
• Tabletop games encourage landscape thinking.
• Video games encourage detail thinking.
• All games, to some degree, ignite the imagination.
• Added bonus: no tabletop game can ever be accused of
having explicit sex, violence, gore, profanity, or other
controversial content.

7. Planning Strategies
• Math and Science Teachers
– ALL OF THEM!
– Some games are specifically inspired by science.
• Language Arts and Fine Arts
– Role-playing games
– Games with heavy thematic elements
– Numerous games based on movies, books, and
comics.

8. Planning Strategies
• Social Science and Career Readiness Teachers
– Games that are based on economics and politics.
– Games that encourage cooperative and/or team
game play.
• No matter what subject you teach, there is a
game out there for your classroom.

9. Rory’s Story Cubes
•Players roll dice, using the icons
that come up as elements in a
short story they create.
•Have students work in groups
to tell, illustrate, and act out the
stories they create.

10. Last Night on Earth
•Players divide into Hero
and Zombie teams.
•There are numerous
scenarios, each with their
own objectives for the
Heroes to accomplish.
•This game encourages
teamwork, brings out
natural leadership skills, and
invites discussion of how
people react to disasters.

11. Settlers of Catan
•Players act as leaders of
groups settling Catan.
•Resources are harvested
and used to build structures
and securing assets.
•It’s a competitive game, but
players can only win by
making mutually-beneficial
trades.
•Great for demonstrating
economic and
environmental principles.

12. Portal and Portal 2
•Players use a gun to create
portals that instantly transfer
them from one space to
another.
•They use this to solve
puzzles and navigate hostile
environments.
•Heavily dependent on
physics, spatial relations, and
timing.
•GLaDOS is on of the greatest
video game villains ever.

13. Yikerz!
•Players take turns
placing magnets on a
play surface.
•If you attract other
magnets, you have to
add them to your stack.
First player to run out of
magnets wins.
•A simple, easy, and
versatile science game.

14. Android: Netrunner
•Players compete one-on-one as
either Runners of the Corporation.
•Runners try to hack into the
Corporation’s servers to disrupt their
agendas.
•The Corporation uses security
software to protect their resources
and stop the Runner.
•An illustration of network security
that also welcomes discussion of
corporate responsibility/oversight and
the justification of terrorism/criminal
activity.

15. Forbidden Island
•Each player takes on
the role of a different
adventurer, each with a
unique skill.
•The players work
together to recover
treasures from the
island before the island
floods over.

16. Jenga
•Players take turns removing
a block from the tower and
stacking it on top.
•If you make the tower fall,
you lose.
•A crash course in
engineering and
architecture.

17. Pandemic
•Players work as a team
of medical and civic
professionals who must
stop deadly viruses from
going pandemic.
•Communication and
division of labor is
paramount to success.
•The game is nearly
unwinnable, but it is so
on purpose.

18. Thematic and Narrative Games
• Any role-playing game
– Dungeons and Dragons
– World of Darkness
– RPG systems such as Savage Worlds and GURPS let
you use the game system for combat, exploration, and
puzzle creation but create your own world.
• Arkham Horror
• Multiple adaptations of Lord of the Rings, Game
of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice), and Star Wars
• Many games based on comic-book characters

19. Research and Experimentation Games
• Any entry in the long-running Pokemon series
• Collectible/trading card games
– Pokemon
– Yu-Gi-Oh
– Magic: the Gathering
• Miniature games
– HeroClix
– Warhammer
• If you see students using downtime to play, discuss,
and research these games, please let them: they’re
strengthening the skills you taught them!

20. You Can Make It Work!
• If the game is too difficult for your students,
simply ignore some of the rules.
• If it’s too easy, make it more challenging!
– Limit hand sizes for games that use cards.
– Give opposing characters advantages.
– Up the required number of points to win.
• AVOID BAIT-AND-SWITCH.
• Use games to establish cross-curriculum
connections.

21. Resources for You
• Board Game Geek
– An online community for discussing board games, specifically
clarifications on rules, suggestions for modifications to rules,
and variations on game play.
– http://www.boardgamegeek.com
• FunAgain Games
– An online store that offers discounts grants to educational
institutions.
– http://www.funagain.com
• The Escapist
– An online video games journal that offers excellent reviews and
critical articles.
– http://www.theescapistmagazine.com