From “Spectacular Failure” to Success: Board Games as Effective Teaching Tools

Board games can be successfully harnessed to help students obtain a better understanding of course concepts. Indeed, board games can sometimes be easier to implement than developing a new game, as they come prepackaged with clear rules already in place. They may also already be familiar to students, decreasing the hurdle of grasping the rules of the game in addition to the lessons the games are meant to illuminate. However, care must be taken to strategically use the games. This paper draws lessons from a failed attempt to design a course around board game play, presents data as to the effectiveness of two specific board games, the Risk mobile app and Dice Catan, and provides a discussion of techniques to successfully leverage the board games into course planning.