Exploring Sustainability Through Board Game Design as a Learning Approach in Schools

Sustainability and environmental education aiming to foster a nuanced understanding of environmentalsustainability is receiving growing attention in schools. Simultaneously, board games have gained popularity as a pedagogicaltool in primary and lower secondary education, especially in design-based approaches where students engage in iterativeprototyping and developing games with various mechanics. This study explores the potentials and pitfalls of integrating boardgame design processes into sustainability education, focusing on how students engage with environmental issues throughvarious game mechanics. The study uses principles from Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a framework tounderstand students’ development of systems thinking, anticipatory thinking and problem-solving. The paper is based on apilot study conducted in 2024 at a school in Copenhagen, using a Design-Based Research approach. The study involvedstudents aged 12-15 redesigning board games to explore oceanic climate challenges. Through a six-weeks iterative processinspired by design thinking processes, students analysed games to develop game literacy while progressing through phasesof inquiry, interpretation, ideation, prototyping and testing. The empirical data consists of field notes and photos fromobservations of the students’ design processes. Furthermore, we conducted workshops and interviews with selectedteachers. The theoretical framework draws on game theory, design-oriented approaches and creativity. The analysishighlights potentials and challenges in students’ engagement with board game prototyping, particularly in balancingeducational content, aesthetic expression, and functional game mechanics. The three redesigned game: Pictionary, Dixit,and Ego, each demonstrated specific affordances for supporting sustainability-related learning, including perspective-taking,emotional engagement, and values-based reflection. However, the process also revealed a need to explicitly support iterativework, as many students struggled with revisiting and refining their prototypes, often aiming for polished products ratherthan engaging in open-ended experimentation. Based on the analysis, the paper presents a series of design principles aimedat using board game design as an approach to working with ESD in schools.