As someone deeply rooted in the intersection of game design and pedagogy, I’m always on the lookout for ways to engage students through games and play. “Tabletop game” can mean a lot of things, but at the most basic they’re exactly what they sound like– games you play on a table. The most common examples of tabletop games are board games and tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) like Dungeons & Dragons. Whether they’re used to build social familiarity, develop communication skills, enhance critical thinking, or simply break traditional lectures’ monotony, tabletop games have carved out a niche as powerful educational tools.

Why Tabletop Games?

In addition to the reasons I will outline below, it’s especially important to note that a recent spike in excitement around TTRPGs (thanks, Stranger Things) makes tabletop games an especially relevant way to help meet your students where they are and find a comfortable, exciting way for them to engage with your course content. 

Tabletop games offer tactile, face-to-face interaction combined with strategic thinking and information interrogation. They also encourage students to think on their feet, make decisions under pressure, and reflect on outcomes—all key components to learning. A recent study showed that TTRPGs specifically helped to improve feelings of social connectedness and confidence while also allowing the skills practiced in-game to be transferred to real-world experiences (Abbott et al., 2023). In fact, the role of play in skill acquisition is crucial across various educational contexts. As discussed in The Importance of Play in Skill Acquisition, incorporating playful elements like those found in tabletop games can significantly enhance students’ ability to learn and apply new skills, making these games not just a fun activity, but a meaningful part of the educational process. 

Build Communication Skills

One of the most compelling reasons to integrate tabletop games into the classroom is their ability to build communication skills. Even mass-market, entertainment-focused games like Castle Panic and Monikers require players to communicate clearly, work as a team, and think critically—skills that are vital not only in the classroom but in the world beyond graduation as well. Adding something like this into your curriculum solely for the purpose of helping students establish communication skills and get to know each other can be really advantageous. These games also provide a safe space for failure, allowing students to learn resilience and adaptability without stressing about grades or scores. 

Enhance Critical Thinking & Information Retention

Many tabletop games are essentially complex problem-solving exercises wrapped in a fun package. They challenge students to think several steps ahead, plan strategically and adapt to changing conditions. These experiences can be directly tied to curriculum objectives. In fact, a recent study showed that integration of tabletop games in a natural science course for elementary-age students significantly improved students’ learning attention (Lin, et al., 2023). 

Create Community & Social Ties

In an era where digital lifestyles hazard to isolate students or impact their feeling of connection with their peers, tabletop games bring them back together. The face-to-face interaction that these games necessitate can foster a sense of community within the classroom. A game that we published in the DePaul Instructional Game & Innovation (DIGI) Lab recently, Buddy Abroad, focused on creating community for students who were about to study abroad together as one of its core post-play outcomes. We intentionally designed some levity and silliness into the gameplay for Buddy Abroad to make sure that students who didn’t know each other had a nice time playing and got some laughs and memories out of it– all while reinforcing important travel strategies. 

Implementing Tabletop Games in the Classroom

Good news, if you’re an instructor at DePaul University you have DIGI to help you bring games into your classroom. You can reach out to us directly via email (digi@depaul.edu) and we’re happy to help you implement tabletop games (or other types of games) into your classroom or department.

If you don’t have a DIGI Lab to rely on, start small. Introduce a game that aligns with your learning objectives and observe how students interact with it. A quick Google might turn up more games that engage with your subject matter than you expected– there are a lot of games out there these days! For example, if you search “board games about geology” you’re immediately met with at least four board games that engage with geology as subject matter. You’ll also find helpful threads from Boardgamegeek and reddit of other people seeking games that engage with geology.

Over time, you can experiment with more complex games or even let students design their own games in lieu of other more formal parts of assessment. Take it from a learning games designer, there really isn’t any quicker way to learn and reinforce subject-specific knowledge quicker than designing a game around it. It’s also fun and exciting for most students to design games, which further deepen their engagement and overall experience. 

Reflecting on the Experience

After gameplay, it’s essential to debrief with your students. Discuss what strategies worked, what didn’t, and how the lessons learned can be applied to the course material. This can be a real “aha” moment for your students. This reflection reinforces the learning objectives and ensures that the game is more than just a break from traditional instruction—it’s a meaningful part of the learning process.

Tabletop games are more than just entertainment; they are a versatile tool that can transform your classroom. By integrating these games into your teaching, you’re not only making learning fun—you’re preparing your students for the complex, collaborative world they’ll face outside of school.

If you’ve been hesitant to bring games into your classroom, consider starting with a micro-experiment—test out a single game with a clear objective and see how your students respond. You might be surprised at the positive impact it can have on both their learning and your teaching practice.