Board game development

Board game development is the process of creating and developing a board game.

Steps

Board game development is generally broken down into six steps:^[1]

Content analysis

This is a form of brainstorming aimed at creating a list of suitable topics which fit with the theme of the game.

Incubation

This involves subsequent reflection on the list of topics and the addition of new topics.

Chunking

This involves assigning the topics to one of the following gaming elements:

• Pieces
• Patterns
• Paths
• Probabilities
• Prizes
• Principles

Aligning

This involves aligning the content structure with the game structure.

Drafting

This is hands-on experimenting with the physical elements of the game and the development of an explanatory set of rules.

Incubating

This is a second period of reflection allowing the sub-conscious help come up with more ideas.

References

1. First Steps in Board Game Design Archived February 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. by B. J. Dodge.