No description available.

Yes / Archaeologists have unearthed a stone scoreboard in Chichén Itzá, Mexico, shedding light on the Mayan civilization's ancient board game called Pok-a-Tok. The Mayan games held deep cultural and religious significance, reflecting the beliefs and values of the people. Winning such games was considered a sign of divine favor, while losing could result in human sacrifices. Mayan games fostered communal identity and connections between the physical, spiritual, and social realms. The concept of the "magic circle" in gaming, where players enter a temporary world with its own rules and boundaries, can be applied to modern education to promote inclusion, collaboration, and the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. By incorporating ancient and modern games, educators can create inclusive learning environments that cater to diverse student needs.

China is a cultural and economic giant in today’s world, but has been somehow misunderstood in the past decades . With more and more educational and economic communication between China and the western world, more non-Chinese people find a need to know China. This project has created a board game based on Journey to the West, a 2000-page novel which is one of the four great classical novels in China. The project seeks to transmit some of the cultural aspects of China, stimulate people’s interest in China through simple gameplay. The ultimate goal of this project was to develop a game which was fun for friends and families to play together, as well as to offer a relaxing and pleasant play space for people to experience a different culture without extensive reading. The paper explains the research that has been done to realize the project, Journey to the West: the Board Game, and the production expectation. A study has been done behind the project explored the game’s mechanics, appeal and effectiveness. The paper also details the results of this study to determine if players of this board game learn about Chinese culture more than readers of the book.

The aim of the work was to present the history of board games from a historical- sociological perspective. The theoretical section described the history of board game development, taking into account their role in society. Subsequently, the results of qualitative research conducted among members of the board players community in the Czech Republic were interpreted in practical part. These were complemented by the results of the questionnaire investigation. This gave a comprehensive view of the evolution and transformation in the board player community, as well as the board game itself. So the work presented not only a thousand-year history of board games, but also focused on contemporary board games and their players.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Chinese Historical Studies / Master / Master of Arts

Abstract is available to download.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1990. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-118). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-130).

This study explores the processes, considerations, and pitfalls of manual drafting and playtesting for board game designers. The board game manual is perhaps one of the most important items in a board game box, yet it is often neglected in game design books and other media. Through interviews with twelve board game designers and editors, this study compiles the best practices and classic pitfalls that designers encounter while writing these high-stakes documents. Observations in this study are geared toward the technical writing community, who can stand to benefit from learning more about the playful nature of game documentation and the affective data gathering processes that these designers undertake as they test their games and rulebooks. In an effort to make this data more accessible to board game designers, a Manual on Writing Manuals is included as an appendix to this study.

This thesis investigates a possibility of using phone-based Augmented Reality in a board game-setting in order to support immersion for experienced board game players. Using a user-centered design approach with workshops, interviews and play sessions to understand the qualities and applicability of phone-based Augmented Reality in combination with a board game, the research contributes with an advisory conclusion for future designers developing a board game including phone-based Augmented Reality components.