Grow-A-Game

"The game provides provocative combinations of words that spur thought. At times there is an interesting conjunction of words that make one rethink injustice or social problems."

Myoung721

"This app is a great way to practice brainstorming game ideas. At first the categories always seem perplexing and incompatible, but once our group gives them some thought the floogdates open and the ideas start flowing!"

Shnissugah

"We love using these cards because they are a great physical prop to use when talking about game design. These concepts can be very abstract, so it is great to have something physical to point to and hold."

Alex Fleming (MOUSE staff member)

"I have used the Grow-A-Game cards in many situations and the results have always been fruitful and very often surprising in the best possible ways. As a brainstorming tool, it helps folks think about games and game systems in approachable, provocative and liberating ways. The cards are adaptable in their usage and I have found that very experienced designers, as well as those new or simply curious about the process, learn something meaningful."

Susana

"Before I found this life-changing app, I was a cultural outcast, a social misfit with nothing to offer a party save a smile, good humor, great looks, and wonderful company. Now, this has all changed. The second I walk in the building, I pound my chest and scream as loud as I can: "LETS INVENT A GAME." I then proceed to flip out my smart phone and open the app, as those in the room stare at me, curiously, in suspense."

Zamayo

“Using these cards as part of the design process helps open up the discussion of what our games can do. Can we bring human values and complex emotions into game play? The answer is absolutely yes.”

Kellee M. Santiago (Head of Developer Relations, OUYA)

“From a computing standpoint, what I believe the cards do is open up students' minds to think of possibilities. There is more than one perspective for any technical problem. Grow-a-Game cultivates brainstorming and helps technical people avoid a "one solution mentality.”

Chris Egert (Associate Director, MAGIC Center, RIT School of Interactive Games and Media)

“I've been using the Grow-A-Game Cards in my university game design class for years, and I've also used them in a variety of workshop contexts, from professional adult settings to teens. You can combine different sets of cards, and you can use them not only in game design brainstorming, but also in various types of game analysis. They provide a really simple and compelling way to introduce and explore ways to think about the role of values in game design.”

Celia Pearce (Director, Experimental Game Lab, Georgia Tech)

“Having tools to scaffold the development of a student's process is essential, and over the past several years, the Grow-a-Game cards have evolved into one of the core tools in my repertoire of teaching game design. These cards help provoke great designs and important discussion around the design process.”

Tracy Fullerton (Director, USC Game Innovation Lab)

“As a game designer and a game design instructor, I find Grow-A-Game cards to be an invaluable tool for teaching and practicing game design principles. Drawing combinations of "Verb" and "Value" cards is a great way to lead a discussion on expressive game design. It's also a great way to warm up your design muscles or to find inspiration for your next brainstorm. I've been using these cards for years and highly recommend them to anyone who designs games or teaches game design.”

Sean Bouchard (Game designer, USC Game Innovation Lab)