About

A game is a contest with rules where people to compete for fun. Chess is a game that is played with pieces on a chessboard. There are rules about how to win the game of chess, and the moves that each piece can make, and so forth. We play games for fun and entertainment, but some games, like chess, are taken very seriously with international competitions and worldwide fame for whomever is crowned the champion. Social impact games are games that educate the players about important social problems, such as hunger, poverty, pollution, environmental destruction, and so forth. Social impact games might be played using a board, cards, or other equipment; and they may take place indoors, or outdoors, or on the city streets, for example. These types of games are mostly played by groups of players, as the game is a way for a community to learn about important subjects.
 

Your task

Design a social impact game to be played by children of any age group that is played for education, enjoyment, or even physical recreation, and that educates the players on the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) sustainable development goals. Your social impact game may have parts or equipment, as you wish; but it must not be a video game. Your social impact game will also have rules for playing. It may be any kind of game play of your choosing, but games that involve gambling, dares, aggression, or that are dangerous, are forbidden. Build a working model to test your playground game. Work on this project in a small team with a group of your classmates.
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The design thinking stages

Follow the five design thinking stages to ensure that you think of everything and do everything necessary in order to succeed in your design project. First, you must UNDERSTAND the design topic and the needs of the users. With that understanding, you can DECIDE what is important to your design solution and what is not so important. Then you CREATE to come up with ideas and improve them. Then you BUILD your chosen design idea in a physical form and improve it through trial-and-error. Finally, you TEST your built design idea to get the opinions of users. Use the methods from the Design Thinking for Schools website as you follow the design thinking stages.
 

Note for teachers

​​​​​​​Read the guide for teachers on Safety for the BUILD Stage for Level III to safely supervise this design project.​​​​​