Gameplay Activities

Critical Play Sessions

Throughout the term we will be engaging in critical play sessions during class time to explore, experiment with, analyze, and critique a range of tabletop games. The embodied and affective dimensions of play can elicit powerful feelings — of joy, animosity, or even vulnerability — which students may not usually encounter in the classroom.

Our gameplay activities are designed to furnish a critical perspective on tabletop games as media and culture, and we will strive to create an environment for exploring alternate play practices that embrace difference — these activities are never about winning.

As such, in-class gameplay activities should be undertaken in a critically engaged spirit that welcomes participation from players of all backgrounds and from all levels of gaming experience or ability.

Design Project Playtesting

This semester we will engage in several rounds of focused playtesting with our tabletop game designs. These playtesting sessions are a crucial element of the design process and important opportunities to gather feedback from our peers that will inform the iterative process of our designs.

When presenting our creative work to our peers, it is also important to maintain a rigorous and productive attitude when offering feedback. It is equally important that this feedback be offered in a spirit of intellectual generosity, and playful curiosity. Doing so will ensure that these sessions help us build a supportive and dynamic community in our classroom.

This means that these sessions are very high-priority dates for attendance. For our design ideas to shine, they need to benefit from the engaged scrutiny that comes from repeated playtesting.

Course Games List

The following games will be used throughout the course — for critical play sessions, mechanical demonstrations, and design inspiration. All copies are provided in the Greenlaw Gameroom; rulebooks are distributed via Canvas in advance of each session.

• MonopolyParker Brothers, 1935
• ClueParker Brothers, 1949
• RiskParker Brothers, 1957
• KlondikeGamma Two Games, 1975
• CoupIndie Boards and Cards, 2012
• MysteriumLibellud, 2015
• WingspanStonemaier Games, 2019
• Undaunted: NormandyOsprey Games, 2019
• Bristol: 1350Facade Games, 2021
• UnfathomableFantasy Flight Games, 2021
• WildstylePandasaurus, 2022
• John Company, 2nd Ed.Wehrlegig Games, 2022
• Rising WatersCMU Press, 2022
• Votes For WomenFort Circle Games, 2022
• Beacon PatrolPandasaurus Games, 2023
• DaybreakCMYK Games, 2023
• Molly HouseWehrlegig Games, 2025
• Habemus PapamSalt & Pepper Games, 2025

Please note: not all the games listed above will be played fully in class. Several will be used to highlight specific design features, or demoed in shortened form to showcase advanced mechanics as design inspirations.