Global History Series

Using Games to

Explore Complex Processes in

Global History

Using Games in H-SS Classrooms

Trade Networks

Board Game

• Please sign in.
• Find a seat where you like.
• Enjoy coffee and pastries!
• Begin taping your map together.

Introduction

8:30 - 8:45 AM

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How did merchants decide what and with whom to trade?

Meet Your Table

• What are your experiences using & designing classroom games?
• What do you hope to get out of this workshop?
• What challenges do you face in teaching about pre-modern trade networks?

Cormac Russell

8:45 - 9:30 AM

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Game Design Basics

Cormac Russell

8:45 - 9:30 AM

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Game Design Basics

What is a Game?

• Games vs Activities
• Goals
• Players must understand Goals
• Players must be able to choose actions to achieve Goals
• Meaningful Choices

Cormac Russell

8:45 - 9:30 AM

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Game Design Basics

Game Types (very abbreviated)

• Card Games
• Good at hidden information
• Board Games
• Good at visualizing structure
• Trade Networks
• Geographic conflict
• Family Tree
• RPGs
• Participatory storytelling
• High emotional identification

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Cormac Russell

8:45 - 9:30 AM

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Game Design Basics

Example Board Games

• Old-school
• Chess
• Monopoly
• Euro-style
• Settlers of Catan
• Lord of Waterdeep

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Cormac Russell

8:45 - 9:30 AM

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Game Design Basics

Analysis

• What are the Nouns and Verbs of what you are trying to encode in a game?
• How do you map those nouns to game objects, and verbs to game actions
• Scope, how big/small does your game need to be

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Cormac Russell

8:45 - 9:30 AM

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Game Design Basics

Scope

• How many players in a game
• How long is a play session
• How much time to learn rules
• Verbs will map to game actions, how long does each action take to choose and resolve?
• Actions/per player/per turn * # of turns * # of players + time to explain rules + time to get class organized <= Class Duration

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Cormac Russell

8:45 - 9:30 AM

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Game Design Basics

Choices + Results

• What do players do?
• How do they do it?
• Relate what they do and how they do it to the verbs and nouns of the topic
• Positive/Negative results
• Win less feels better than lose
• Zero sum vs Win-Win

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Cormac Russell

8:45 - 9:30 AM

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Game Design Basics

Refinement

• Map actions to time
• Cut time consuming non-critical actions
• Focus only on the core ideas
• Make sure goals align with concept
• What players need to do to win must align with what you want the players to take away from the game

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Cormac Russell

8:45 - 9:30 AM

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Game Design Basics

Q&A

retchthegrate@gmail.com

Bruce Hall

9:40 - 11:00 AM

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Scholar Talk

How did merchants decide what and with whom to trade?

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• Note verbs/nouns/adj. that describe human decisions, actions, relationships and spatial movements.

Map Scholar Talk

11:20 - 11:50 AM

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goods: salt, sorghum, millet, rice, textiles, gold, slaves, shea butter, baobab flour, ostrich feathers, tobacco, slaves

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towns: Timbuktu, Kano, Katsina, Jenne, Youvarou, Sansanding, Tichit, Ghat, Ghadames, Touat (oasis complex), Nioro

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Part 1 - 11:20 - 11:30

identify ideas

• blue cards: up to 15 verb/noun combos that describe human decisions, actions, relationships (“wrote letters” or “sold wheat”)
• yellow cards: up to 5 phrases to describe spatial movements or important locations (“stayed in Cairo” or “went back and forth”)
• pink cards: up to 5 important roles (traveling merchant, political leader)

Map Scholar Talk

11:20 - 11:50 AM

Part 2 - 11:30- 11:40

find patterns

• arrange cards on tables in groupings by color and idea
• stack identical cards on top of each other
• place cards with similar concepts close to each other

Map Scholar Talk

11:20 - 11:50 AM

Part 3 - 11:40- 11:50

full group discussion

• What patterns and outliers did you identify?
• What concepts do you think students need to learn about interactions along trade routes?

Working Lunch

11:50 AM - 12:30 PM

Board Game Brainstorm

Q: How did merchants decide what and with whom to trade?

Discussion:

• Who should game players represent?
• What should “winning” look like?
• Should winners be individuals or groups?

Game Design

12:30 PM - 1:45 PM

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How did merchants decide what and with whom to trade?

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Design and Construct Board Game

*playable in 20 - 40 minutes

*3 - 6 players

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• Choose google-doc notetaker & prototype builders for your team
• Identify player roles and winning condition
• Describe types of gameplay and consequences for player actions
• Record rules, game-pieces, etc. in googledoc for your table
• Construct draft game with materials on hand.

Play Games

1:55 - 2:35 PM

Play & Mix & Play

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• 1:55 - 2:05 - Modify your game rules as needed
• 2:05 - 2:20 - All but one player move to a different table and play new game
• repeat

Debrief & Survey

2:35 - 3:00 PM

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How did merchants decide what and with whom to trade?

Discussion

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• What did you learn about trade in the pre-modern world?
• What are your takeaways about the student experience in a game-building activity?