How to Make a Board Game on Global Warming

Determine a target age range for your board game, to help you gauge the level of complexity to bring to the game -- both in how it will be played and in the information it conveys to the players.

Study other popular and classic board games and take note of the methods and equipment used to play those games, such as the use of any combination of dice, cards and playing pieces, as well as the layout of the game board as the players move from start to finish. Construct your game in a way that contains elements of other games while still making it unique and not simply a copy of an already-existing game.

Outline the goals that you want your game, and the game's players, to achieve. Decide whether to focus on the large-scale effects of global warming on the planet; smaller, local actions that can be taken to avoid contributing to the causes of climate change; or a combination of both.

Establish a set number of players and list of rules for how the game will be played, starting with the basic steps of how each player proceeds from the starting point, what is and isn't allowed as the game progresses, and how a winner is determined. Decide how much of the players' movements, advancements and obstacles will be left to chance, and how much will be determined by the strategies used by the players.

Have the structure of the game tie into what you want the players to learn on the topic of global warming. For example, you may have the players advance by taking steps to help the environment -- such as recycling, reducing emissions or using alternate energy sources -- or lose ground by contributing to the problem, such as polluting or wasting energy and natural resources. The intended age range of the game's players should also be considered here, as you factor in the depth of the information you want them to soak up.

Draft and construct the final layout of the game on a large sheet of paper or cardboard, or create one on your computer. Design the layout and colors of the board, and the number of steps needed to get from start to finish -- which will affect the estimated time needed to play the game. Consider the age and attention span of potential players when creating your layout.