MODIFYING TIC-TAC-TOE

MODIFYING TIC-TAC-TOE

in-class exercise

Summary
Analyze Tic-Tac-Toe and then redesign the game by changing a few rules.

Goals
• understanding how changing game rules changes the system of a game
• introduction to the iterative process
• icebreaker game design exercise

Before the exercise
Through class discussion, make a general list of the rules of Tic-Tac-Toe. For example:

1. play takes places on a 3x3 grid
2. two players alternate turns placing an X or an O in an empty square
3. three of the same symbols in a row wins
4. if no one can play, the game ends in a draw

Then discuss why Tic-Tac-Toe always ends in a draw for most players. Have the class brainstorm what they might modify in order to change the game: the grid size and shape, the number of players, the winning conditions, the things you can do on a turn, etc.

Modify!
Pairs of students try to redesign the game in order to increase the space of possibility of the game – to make it more interesting to play than the “solved problem” of classic Tic-Tac-Toe.

As they design, have them change as little as possible – one, two, or three rules at the most. They should follow the iterative process of making small changes, playing their modified version, analyzing how they affected the game, and then redesigning again.

Finally, groups can share their modifications with the class, and what did and didn’t work. If there are too many groups for everyone to share, then pairs of groups can play each others’ games and discuss.