Grow-A-Game
Instructions – Apprentice Edition
Instructions – Classic Edition
Instructions – Expert Edition
Slideshow (for Classic Edition)
Tiltfactor is delighted to be able to share some design methods with the public. Developed as part of the Values at Play project, the Grow-A-Game cards are widely in use in both K-12 and University classrooms.
Using Grow-A-Game, groups of people brainstorm novel game ideas which prioritize human values. While no prior game design experience is necessary, both experienced designers and those new to the field will have fun making games.
Now Featuring New Sets!
In response to consumer demand, our team has created three distinct sets of the cards, with each version designed specifically to meet the needs of a particular user group.
Apprentice, designed for 10+ beginners, as well as educators to use in classrooms and after school programs, focusing on digital game examples;
Classic, designed for general users or those without much experience with digital games who are interested in exploring values-conscious design;
Expert, geared toward advanced students for expert designers. This version is intended to complement more conventional brainstorming methods and without example games to modify.
- ARTICLES AND REVIEWS
- “Grow a Game.” Blacklodge, June 26, 2011.
- Hing, Geoffrey. “Gaming summit aims to encourage girls in technology.” Medill Reports, April 8, 2010.
- Schroyen, Joel. “Tilt Factor – Game Design for Social Change.” FUN, Anyone?, March 4, 2010.
- Glaves, Rachel. “Designing Fun: Games Design Lessons for User Experience.” Adaptive Path, June 3, 2009.
- “The Grow-A-Game Exercise.” The Pretentious Gamer, June 2, 2009.
- Abbott, Michael. “GLS: Embedding Social Activist Principles In Game Design.” Gamasutra, July 18, 2008.
- WORKSHOPS
- International Festival of Independent Games, Los Angeles, CA, October 2011
- Innovating for Value in Health Care Delivery, Salzburg Global Seminar, Salzburg, Austria, September 2011 – 60 participants
- Center for 21st Century Skills, Southbury, CT, September 2008 – 150 participants
- Games, Learning & Society Conference, Madison, WI, July 2008 – 20 participants
- 101 Workshop, Games for Change, New York City, June 2008 – 140 participants
- Values in Games Workshop, Games for Change, New York, NY, June 2008 – 150 participants on day 1, 70 participants on day 2
- Future of Interactive Technology for Peace Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, April 2008
- American Educational Research Association Conference, New York, NY, March 2008 – 25 participants
- Grassroots Media Conference, New York, NY, February 2008
- Game Developers Conference, Education SIG, San Francisco, CA, February 2008 (demonstration)
- GameLab, New York, NY, February 2008 (demonstration)
- Digital Games Research Association, Tokyo, Japan, September 2007 – 25 participants
- The Virtual 2006: Designing Digital Experience, Södertörn University, Stockholm, Sweden, June 2006 (prototype)
- RESEARCH
- Belman, Jonathan, Mary Flanagan, and Helen Nissenbaum. “Instructional Methods and Curricula for Values Conscious Design.” Loading: The Official Journal of the Canadian Games Studies Association 3.4 (2009). Web.
- Flanagan, Mary, Daniel C. Howe, and Helen Nissenbaum. “Embodying Values in Technology: Theory and Practice.” Information Technology and Moral Philosophy. Ed. Jeroen van den Hoven and John Weckert. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008. 322-353. Print.
- Flanagan, Mary, Helen Nissenbaum, Jim Diamond, and Jonathan Belman. “A Method for Discovering Values in Digital Games.” Proceedings of DiGRA 2007 Conference: Situated Play. Tokyo, Japan. 24-28 September, 2007.
- Flanagan, Mary, and Helen Nissenbaum. “A Game Design Methodology to Incorporate Activist Themes.” Proceedings of CHI 2007 conference. San Jose, CA. 28 April-3 May, 2007.
- Flanagan, Mary, Daniel C. Howe, and Helen Nissenbaum. “New Design Methods for Activist Gaming.” Proceedings of DiGRA 2005 Conference: Changing Views – Worlds in Play. Vancouver, BC. 16-20 June, 2005.
- Flanagan, Mary. “Troubling ‘Games for Girls’: Notes from the Edge of Game Design.” Proceedings of DiGRA 2005 Conference: Changing Views – Worlds in Play. Vancouver, BC. 16-20 June, 2005.
- Flanagan, Mary, Daniel C. Howe, and Helen Nissenbaum. “Values at Play: Design Tradeoffs in Socially-Oriented Game Design.” Proceedings of CHI 2005 conference. Portland, OR. 2-7 April, 2005.
- CREDITS
- Designers: Mary Flanagan, Zara Downs, Jay Bachhuber
