Librarians are beginning to see the importance of game based learning and the incorporation of games into library services. This book is written for them--so they can use games to improve people's understanding and enjoyment of the library. Full of practical suggestions, the essays discuss not only innovative uses of games in libraries but also the game making process. The contributors are all well versed in games and game-based learning and a variety of different types of libraries are considered. The essays will inspire librarians and educators to get into this exciting new area of patron and student services.

Tabletop and board games aren’t just for rainy days or awkward family events anymore. As the game industry grows, people of all ages are jumping to play “the original social network.” In our ever-increasing technological world, playing old-school games is a welcome retreat from the overexposure to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and the rest of social media. Over the past few years, board games have become the hot new hobby. Instead of friends sitting around the same table and staring at their phones, they are now either working with or against each other. Millions upon millions of new fans have begun to join their friends in real life for a fun game of Pandemic, 7 Wonders, or Ticket to Ride. The Everything Tabletop Games Book shows how to play some of the best tabletop games in the world, from classic strategy games like Settlers of Catan to great new games like Gloomhaven. Throughout the book, you’ll learn the different genres of tabletop and board games; how to play each game; rules and strategies to help you win; and even where to play online—including new expansions to keep your favorite games fresh and exciting. So gather up some friends, pick a game from this book, and start playing! You’ll be having a blast in no time.

Board Game Publisher "Better than a real job" Eric Hanuise (Flatlined Games) Understand The Board Game Industry Start Your Own Publishing Business The tabletop games market has never been as large and diversified as today. Yet, there are few books that focus on the business aspects of publishing tabletop games. In this book, Eric Hanuise, founder of boardgames publisher Flatlined Games, shares his experience learned from years of publishing: - The whole publication process, from the author's prototype to the finished game on the retailer's shelves - The different jobs available in the industry - Setting up your publishing company - Contracts with authors and artists - Manufacturing board games - Safety and legal obligations - Distribution and logistics - Retail, direct sales and crowdfunding - Fairs, conventions and events Written by an actual publisher, this book will help you figure out the tabletop games industry. No matter whether you are just interested in how things work or you intend to set up your own board game publishing business, you will find answers to most of your questions here.

Create the Digital Games You Love to Play Discover an exercise-driven, non-technical approach to game design without the need for programming or artistic expertise using Game Design Workshop, Third Edition. Author Tracy Fullerton demystifies the creative process with a clear and accessible analysis of the formal and dramatic systems of game design. Examples of popular games, illustrations of design techniques, and refined exercises strengthen your understanding of how game systems function and give you the skills and tools necessary to create a compelling and engaging game. The book puts you to work prototyping, playtesting, and revising your own games with time-tested methods and tools. It provides you with the foundation to advance your career in any facet of the game industry, including design, producing, programming, and visual design.

Do you have a board game idea, but can't get it out of your head? Use my 4 I's Framework, and you'll get your game to the table and quickly discover if it will be the next Cards Against Humanity (hint: good!) or the next Trump: The Game (hint: not so good!). Have you made a game, but it's just sitting in a closet somewhere? Dust off that box and let The Board Game Designer's Guide get you unstuck and finish your game for good! Is your game done but you don't know what to do next? In section 6, I'll walk you through all the options available, so that you can finally figure out which one is right for you, and grow a huge legion of fans all proclaiming "Whoever invented this game is a friggin' genius!" Don't let your board game idea sit on a shelf or in your head. There are thousands of people out there who want to play it. You need to share your amazing game with the world! And now you finally can ...

“[A] timely book . . . a wonderfully entertaining trip around the board, through 4,000 years of game history.” —The Wall Street Journal Board games have been with us even longer than the written word. But what is it about this pastime that continues to captivate us well into the age of smartphones and instant gratification? In It’s All a Game, Tristan Donovan, British journalist and author of Replay: The History of Video Games, opens the box on the incredible and often surprising history and psychology of board games. He traces the evolution of the game across cultures, time periods, and continents, from the paranoid Chicago toy genius behind classics like Operation and Mouse Trap, to the role of Monopoly in helping prisoners of war escape the Nazis, and even the scientific use of board games today to teach artificial intelligence how to reason and how to win. With these compelling stories and characters, Donovan ultimately reveals why board games—from chess to Monopoly to Risk and more—have captured hearts and minds all over the world for generations. “Splendid . . . A quick and breezy read, it doesn’t just tell the fascinating stories of the (often struggling) individuals who created our favorite games. It also manages to convey the entire sweep of board game history, from the earliest forms of checkers to modern-day surprise hits like Settlers of Catan.” —Mashable “Artfully weaves together culture, business, and ways games impact society.” —Booklist “A fascinating and insightful discussion not only of games past, but the socioeconomic and historical factors that contributed to their popularity.” —Chicago Review of Books

A Board Game Education is an entertaining and valuable resource for parents, teachers, educators, and anyone who appreciates the fun and entertainment provided by classic, traditional board games. The book provides an informative analysis of how classic board games that everyone has played_and probably owns_are not only great family entertainment but also develop core educational skills that have been proven to lead to academic achievement. Through A Board Game Education readers learn a bit of the fascinating history trivia and little-known facts regarding the most loved board games of all time (i.e., how Monopoly was used by WWII POWs to escape). At the same time, Hinebaugh identifies the distinct educational skills developed by each of these games and explores in detail how the play of these games cultivates such skills. A Board Game Education also provides valuable suggestions about how to modify and vary these classic board games to specifically enhance additional core educational skills and concepts. Who would have thought that Candy Land could be modified into a strategy game and Chutes and Ladders could be used to teach algebraic equations and advanced math.

Winner of the 2012 Origins Award Pull up a chair and see how the world's top game designers roll. You want your games to be many things: Creative. Innovative. Playable. Fun. If you're a designer, add "published" to that list. The "Kobold Guide to Board Game Design" gives you an insider's view on how to make a game that people will want to play again and again. Author Mike Selinker (Betrayal at House on the Hill) has invited some of the world's most talented and experienced game designers to share their secrets on game conception, design, development, and presentation. In these pages, you'll learn about storyboarding, balancing, prototyping, and playtesting from the best in the business.

A group of the finest boardgame designers answered Ignacy Trzewiczek's invitation to take part in creating the book. They shared their anecdotes, tips and memoirs, making the book an unique trip over different designing styles, a formidable guide into the world of boardgame creation. Learn about process of design such games like Robinson Crusoe, Pathfinder, Hanabi, Neuroshima Hex and many other!--

Infinite games, infinite fun, infinite possibilities. The Infinite Board Game—meticulously edited and curated by W. Eric Martin, a widely respected figure in the gaming world—combines a complete, custom-designed 56-part piecepack system with a full-color book containing instructions for 50 of the liveliest games to play. Designed by James Kyle to be for board games what a deck of cards is for card games, the piecepack system is a 56-piece gaming set that can be used to play hundreds and hundreds of board games, both classic and newly created. A piecepack includes dice, pawns, tiles, and coins and is already an online phenomenon among gamers. It’s the perfect kit for game night with friends, for families, for board game lovers of all ages. There are classic games: Checkers and a version of the ancient Indian game Pachisi. Games for one: Piece Gaps, Landlocked, Crocodile Hop, and Fuji-san—possibly the most entertaining way to kill 15 minutes by yourself. Plus, destroy the enemy in Sea Battle; play the part of a corporate bigwig in Takeover; and get the adrenaline going with Moto-X. You can also go online to join the piecepack community and discover hundreds more games to play.