FROM LEARNING MECHANICS TO TABLETOP MECHANISMS: MODDING STEAM BOARD GAME TO BE A SERIOUS GAME

摘要

Board games are thriving in the post-digital era. Digitalization is present in almost all dimensions of contemporary life and it is expected to be even more prevalent in the future. However, a growing number of players are choosing to play analog games, mainly influenced by modern board games and hobby game designs. These games are different from mass-market games and show that analog platforms still have much to offer in terms of gaming innovation. These new designs have not yet been adequately studied by the serious game research field, and the filling of this research gap can provide new solutions for learning and simulation games of all types. This paper proposes a new framework, relating learning mechanics to the tabletop mechanisms (LM-TM) of the modern board game designs. The case study of the adapted version of Steam board game, tested during a lecture with MBA students, is explained as an example of the application of the LM-TM framework. This case study proved to be useful to unravel future development paths in this field of research.