All game links on this page go to the BoardGameGeek website, where you can learn more about each game.
The games on this page are sorted by:
- course disciplines or learning skills;
- beginner, intermediate, and advanced categories; and
- in order of difficulty; with those easiest to learn and play at the top of the list and those most challenging at the bottom.
The difficulty rating is based upon:
- the rules (how many, how complex);
- the skills required for gameplay;
- the amount of strategy and thought that goes into actions;
- the amount of luck;
- the length of the game; and
- the complexity of gameplay.
The ratings are for the average person playing the game, so those who study the course material will likely have a better understanding of the gameplay and content.
Some Considerations When Choosing a Boardgame
Borrow a Boardgame from the RGASC
Boardgames by Discipline:
- Biology (+ Chemistry) Living Learning Communities
- Economics & Commerce Living Learning Communities and FSGs
- Mathematics/Logical Reasoning Living Learning Communities and FSGs
- English
- History
- Political Science
Boardgames by Learning Skill:
- Cooperative / Teamwork Building
- Gateway Games for Orientation
Other:
- Other: games that do not necessarily fit into one of the categories above, although some of these games do touch on the subjects above.
Some Considerations When Choosing a Boardgame
Analysis paralysis
This is a state in which a person is frozen in thought. This is common for some people in games; over-thinking a situation to the point that nothing happens is a phenomena that is seen more in games that are more complex. This is because there is either so much information to process or too many possibilities to choose from. This indecisiveness will decrease over time while playing the game, as one becomes more familiar with the gameplay.
Emergent Behavior
This is the game play that is not explicitly stated in the rules. Emergent behavior is the gameplay that you learn/figure out on the go. This best equates to your critical thinking and strategy for the game. Thus, emergent behavior is the behavior that a player displays while playing a game to win the game. Some of these games on this list have easy rules, but are ranked as being difficult because of emergent behaviour. For instance, chess is an easy to learn game but is extremely hard to master. This is because the skills and strategies one must learn are numerous and complex.
Borrow a Boardgame from the RGASC
UTM faculty, instructors and staff may borrow any of these games from our inventory for game-enhanced learning initiatives on campus. If a game you wish to use is not on the list, let us know as we may be able to obtain it.
Please contact academicskills.utm@utoronto.ca if you have any questions.
Biology (& Chemistry) Living Learning Communities
These are games that exercise knowledge of biological or chemical concepts and constructs such as molecular structures or evolution:
Beginner
Intermediate
- Evolution: Flight
- Evolution: Climate
- Primordial Soup
- Pandemic: In the Lab
- Pathogenesis
- Bios: Megafauna
- Alchemists
- C02
Advanced
Cooperative/ Teamwork Building
These games involve working as a team, either against others or for a common cause. As such, they promote communication.
Beginner
- Codenames: Pictures
- Codenames
- Cranium
- Hanabi
- Santorini
- Frontier Stations
- Tack-Tics
- Wok Star
- Captain Sonar
- Unlock! The Nautilus’ Traps
- Unlock! The Island of Doctor Soorse
- Black-orchestra
- Pandemic
Intermediate
- Pandemic: On the Brink
- Runebound (second edition)
- Pandemic: State of Emergency
- Pandemic: Legacy
- Pandemic: In the Lab
- Freedom: The Underground Railroad
- Space Alert
- This War of Mine
- Robinson Crusoe
- Spirit Island
Advanced
Other
These are games that do not necessarily fit into one of the categories above, although some of these games do touch on the subjects above.
Beginner
Intermediate