Learning Through Gaming

The School Library System of Genesee Valley Educational Partnership has put together an impressive collection of games for use in school libraries. At the bottom of the page are links to catalogs of game descriptions categorized according to grade level. Some of the logistics of lending out games, such as MARC records, are also discussed.

This is an outstanding review that emphases the influence of paranoia and the pleasure of gaming with a close circle of friends. The reviewer touches upon the mechanics, but the mechanics are peripheral to the game's purpose: to create an environment that resembles a live action role-play of the television program's outstanding story lines, characters, and atmosphere. Loyalty cards determine who is a Human, and who is a Cylon. The Humans must ferret out the traitors as the Cyclons do their best to undermine the Humans without revealing their identities. It is good to remember that this IS a game of paranoia. Therefore, people who are unable to conceal their motives may not enjoy this game; however, those who thrive in social environments will likely learn to love the challenge.

For more advanced gamers, this game combines role selection, tile placement, and economics. The board is beautiful, and the game design keeps everyone continuously involved. The learning curve is high, but well worth the effort.

Dungeon Lords is a complicated game of worker placement and resource management. Players compete with each other to gather resources to carve out and populate a dungeon before the heroes invade. The strong fantasy theme should keep even players who don't usually like economic games interested.