Game Design Card Combo Exercise (30 minutes)

Materials Needed

Each student creates three cards, one for each category:

BLUE CARDS: Core Mechanics

Write one interesting game mechanic you'd like to explore
Examples: "Wall jumping", "Shrinking/growing", "Time rewinding", "Building bridges", "Swinging physics"

RED CARDS: Themes/Feelings

Write one theme or emotion you want your game to convey
Examples: "Loneliness", "Wonder", "Nostalgia", "Growing up", "Environmental care"

YELLOW CARDS: Worlds/Settings

Write one specific place, time, or situation where your game takes place
Examples: "Abandoned space station", "Inside a storm cloud", "Microscopic world", "Ancient library", "Child's bedroom"

Collect and shuffle each category of cards separately
Each student draws one card from each pile
For the next 8 minutes:
- Students can trade any card one-for-one with other students
- Students can return any card and draw a new one (once per category)
- Everyone must end with exactly three cards (one of each color)

Students write down a game concept using at least two of their final cards
On their concept, they note:
- Whether it's 2D or 3D
- Solo project or looking for collaborators
- Approximate scope (small/medium/large)
Students post concepts on the board and briefly share them
Students place a star next to concepts they'd be interested in joining

Mechanic: "Gravity switching" + Setting: "Ancient library" + Theme: "Wonder" → A game where you solve physics puzzles in a magical library where each book contains its own gravitational field
Mechanic: "Swinging physics" + Setting: "Inside a storm cloud" + Theme: "Environmental care" → A game where you're a rain drop using lightning bolts as swing points to help form beneficial rain patterns
Mechanic: "Building bridges" + Setting: "Child's bedroom" + Theme: "Growing up" → A game where you help toys connect different parts of a room while dealing with changes as the child grows older