This is week 2 of our project. Did you pick a good topic? As we go along, I will be sharing my 12 year old son's process of designing the game he created this fall and winter, Steorra. So, the topic he picked was stars. We were studying space and it was a natural choice. This week is going to be extra fun. You are going to research! This is a 2 part process.
If you chose a topic that you need to know more about, you will need to research that topic. My kiddo spent weeks studying books, websites, and documentaries about stars. Write notes about your topic to come back to as you design your game. You could even add fun facts from your studies to your rule book when you get farther along.
The second thing you need to research are game mechanics. What kind of mechanics do you want to use for your game? What components (pieces) might it use? The best way to figure this out is to PLAY GAMES! I told you it would be fun! This week play a variety of games and think about what makes them work. What types of mechanics would make your topic pop?
If you don't have many games, I have some options for you. You can find a great starter list of print and play games here. You can try some board game apps, our favorites are here. You can play games for free on Board Game Arena and happymeeple.com. You can also study game mechanics with our Game Mechanics 101 course here.
Homework
Research your topic
Research game mechanics (play games!)