Ecosystem:
Fall 2021
Ecosystem is a board game designed to help young children learn about the environment while developing complex decision-making skills with multiple inputs. The game is designed with both children as the primary users and their parents as the purchasers in mind.
USER RESEARCH
IDEATION OF GAME TYPE
Journey Board Game
Odd One Out
Navigation Game
Creation Game
GAME DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Game Time
To keep kids engaged throughout the entire gameplay, the complexity of steps and the number of players must be carefully considered. For the target age range of 8 and up, an ideal game duration is around 20 minutes per round, ensuring sustained interest and participation.
FULL PROCESS AND PITCH VIDEO
We were tasked with creating fictional user profiles based on people we know to help guide the design process and better understand the target user base. These two profiles represent different perspectives within the board game market: the parent, who purchases and facilitates gameplay, and the child, who plays the game while learning and mastering new skills.
Complex Thinking
The complexity of gameplay must align with the players' age and skill level. Adjusting the number of components and their constraints allows the game’s difficulty to scale appropriately, ensuring an engaging and accessible experience for different players.
Reading Ability
In games designed for younger children, reading ability can impact their level of engagement. Incorporating more visual cues and symbols instead of relying heavily on text enhances comprehension, making it easier for children to understand and follow the rules.
EXPERIMENTATION & ITERATION
Board Size
The board serves as the foundation for all components of Ecosystem. Defining its size and constraints was a crucial step in shaping the game's overall structure. Iterations of the board’s shape determined the tile design, which in turn influenced how tiles interact with one another. Board size and spatial layout also play a key role in balancing complexity and controlling the duration of each round.
Testing Game Play
User testing Ecosystem with a diverse range of players at different skill levels led to one clear conclusion—all of my initial assumptions were incorrect. Players interpreted the rules in vastly different ways, the species cards were not as intuitive as intended, and the variety of possible ecosystem elements introduced too many uncertainties. This highlighted the need for iteration, focusing on simplifying gameplay to create a clearer and more accessible experience.
Iteration and Refinment
Incorporating user feedback and gameplay observations led to significant simplifications in both rules and card/tile variability. Through multiple iterations, clear patterns emerged that made the game more playable for the target age range of 8 and up while reducing confusion around rules and instructions.
