Playing games is often seen as time wasting. Board games though are different and can even bring benefits to those who play them. For that reason, a new initiative “Print and Play” was recently launched to give an opportunity for all to play and learn from a board game.
TK Board Game Club, a club under TK Park, recently held the first workshop-cum-competition to educate the young on how to design a tool that makes learning fun.
“The board game is a tool for players to learn new skills, namely decision-making, negotiating and analysing,” says TK Park’s director Kittirat Pitipanich.
Founded four years ago, the TK Board Game Club, which initially aimed simply to draw more users, quickly became a success with more and more students and the general public becoming interested in board games. The workshop-cum-competition titled “Print and Play” was introduced this year and is designed as a platform for young people to express their ideas and capabilities.
“Print and Play” provides access to edutainment to all and comes in a format that allows children to access the games anywhere anytime. All they need to do is download the game and print it, after which they are free to enjoy playing with their friends and family as and when they wish.
More than 40 teams from the high-school and tertiary levels entered the competition but only 10 were chosen to attend the two-month workshop. After working with experts during the workshop, the finalists came up with their best versions.
Burn the Midnight Oil from Mahidol University was the winning team for successfully combining crucial information about first aid with entertainment in their First Aid board game. Nichaporn Suebpaodee, a team member, said first-aid information and practice is necessary for everyone but not many know about it. The team’s First Aid game not only aims to be entertaining, but also to educate players of all ages.
Saving a life may seem irrelevant to our everyday routines but accidents or medical emergencies can happen at any time. Sadly, there are many misunderstandings about the first-aid process. To educate people about first aid and save lives, players are required to choose a tool or practice (featured on the cards) to match the situation as quickly as possible.
Decharut Sukkumnoed, founder of Deschooling Game and a judge for the competition, said board games can be fun for players of different ages. “It’s a safe space for everyone to learn and improve life skills at the same time.”
Watcharit Thanomsap, board game designer, was impressed by the variety of content designed by participants. Subjects ranged from human rights, medicine, bullies and science to Thai literature, proving that the board game is a learning tool.
TK Board Game Club holds a workshop on the second Saturday of the month, from 12 noon to 7pm, at the Craft Studio on the fifth floor of CentralWorld. The workshop allows participants to play board games, free of charge, while board game makers are invited to bring their new games for trial. For more information, call 087-794-1110.
