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Editorial
. 2021 Jun 10;17(6):e1009009.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009009. eCollection 2021 Jun.

Ten simple rules for designing analogue science games

Sam Illingworth  1 , Paul Wake  2
Affiliations
Editorial

Ten simple rules for designing analogue science games

Sam Illingworth et al. PLoS Comput Biol. .
No abstract available

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. A game that was designed to communicate information about the pollution index of the world’s 50 most polluted cities, based on Top Trumps.
Fig 2
Fig 2. A schoolchild sits down to enjoy a game of Science Ninjas: Valence.
Image credit: Agustina Isidori.
Fig 3
Fig 3. The Greenhouse Gas Tracker from the Catan: Global Warming scenario [29].
This scenario can be downloaded as a free print-and-play game in both English and German (https://www.pnparcade.com/products/catan-scenarios-global-warming). A copy of the original version of Catan is required to play.
Fig 4
Fig 4. An early prototype for a game about developing a global map of the protein shape universe [43].
To read this “flavour” text, the player needs to temporarily remove themselves from the game experience.
Fig 5
Fig 5. A selection of cards from the game Chemistry Fluxx [50].
In this setup, players win by achieving the “Goal” of having 2 “Keeper” cards in their hand (“Hydrogen” and “Helium”). The combination of text and graphic design, which recalls the periodic table, helps to convey information (that the sun is made up mostly of hydrogen and helium) in a clear and accessible manner that helps to engage interest through visual learning while also supporting gameplay (set collection/pattern matching).
Fig 6
Fig 6
An image showing how a selection of cards from the game Carbon City Zero: World Edition [52] look to someone with no colour blindness (A), anomalous trichromacy with red-weak protanomaly (B), anomalous trichromacy with green-weak deuteranomaly (C), and anomalous trichromacy with blue-weak deuteranomaly (D). Introducing symbols that correspond to the different colours of the card can help to remove the reliance on colour, helping those people with visual impairments, and ultimately, making the game easier to play for everyone. This image was prepared using the free “Color Blindness Simulator” from the website www.color-blindness.com.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Climate Change Bingo.
The fun of playing this game will largely be determined by the audience.
Fig 8
Fig 8. A section of a survey used to gather feedback during the playtesting of Catan: Global Warming.
This section was designed to ask specific questions about the ease of following the rules, the scientific accuracy of the game, and the capacity for dialogue.
Fig 9
Fig 9. Learning materials that were designed for the game Chemistry Fluxx [50].
These resources provide additional information for how the game might be used by young children to discuss the differences between compounds and elements. These resources were produced in collaboration with the biochemist and cartoonist Matthew Partridge [64] and the librarian Darren Edwards, as part of a grant from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Fig 10
Fig 10. A group of players collaborate to adapt MultipliCITY for their own target audiences.
Image credit: Molleindustria 2014; CC BY 4.0.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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