Game-Based Learning with Economics Taboo

Every semester in almost every class I utilize game-based learning to convey economic and statistical concepts.  I look for games that can improve and activate the learning environment.  There is no question at this point regarding the positive correlations between comprehension and game-based learning.  In fact, the implementation of games has occurred within not just academic settings, but also within the military and business (Deterding, Dixon, et al., 2011).  As the research evolves on how to pivot away from traditional, lecture-based teaching, the use of games becomes increasingly important in terms of the impact on problem-solving and improved critical thinking (Kapp, 2012).

As a result of a colleague's suggestion (thanks Shweta!), this semester I used the game of Taboo as a foundation for teaching various economic concepts.  Taboo is a game developed in 1989 which has the objective of requiring players to have partners guess a word or phrase on the player’s card without using the word or phrase itself.  Read more about the game of Taboo.

This is a perfect game for an academic environment since we spend so much time teaching students the meaning of domain-based words, phrases, and concepts.  Here’s how I implemented the game:

Preparation:

1. Ask for two volunteers per team to act as “clue-givers.”  The clue-givers are the ones who go in front of their teams to facilitate the game.  
2. I also ask for three more volunteers: one for score-keeping at the front of the room on the board and two students to serve as judges.  
3. Days in advance, create "game cards" that contain the winning words at the top (bolded, underlined) and the Taboo words below.  To do this I simply create a 2 x 5 table in Word which yields 10 game cards.  I print the table, then cut out the cards (see example below).  There are also various websites where you can download and edit game cards.  (You may need PDF editing software.  I highly recommend PDF Expert or Adobe Acrobat.)  The next time I play, I will do this.  Last, I create separate categories based on the winning words being theory or famous economists.  Creating categories is optional but it does help the students to focus.
4. Before cutting your tables into game cards, make duplicates of them for the judges.  As the clue-givers give their clues, the judges will ensure clue-givers do not say the winning or Taboo words.  If clue-givers say the winning or Taboo words while giving clues, that is a point deduction for the entire team.  This is the most important point to emphasize while explaining the directions of play.
   

Implementation:

1. Create two teams.  For this, I simply split the class in half.  The reason to have two teams is because each team has a set period of time (30 seconds) to guess the winning words.  You could have more than two teams but that will require more work in game preparation as you have read above.
2. Within the set period of time, the clue-giver should attempt to move quickly through each game card without saying the winning or Taboo words.  Again, if the clue-giver says the winning or Taboo words, the team gets a point deduction and the clue-giver must move to the next game card.  The clue-giver cannot use gestures or append the winning or Taboo words.  For example, to say “increasing” when the Taboo word is “increase”.   Explain this carefully, as you’d be surprised what players try when the pressure is on!  Having these rules does create more game tension, but for the good as clue-givers are forced to use their vocabulary to get their team to guess the winning words.
3. I arrange the game into two rounds in which each team goes once per round.  This is why arranging the game cards into categories is useful.  For example, in round one, the category for both teams could be economic theory; for round two, the category could be famous economists. 
4. Each team should have a set period of time depending on your class time, number of game cards, and how much time you allocate per game card.  
5. As mentioned earlier, I ask for two clue-givers per team.  This is because each round must have different clue-givers.  This takes the pressure off one student clue-giver.  If they don’t perform well, then the second clue-giver can hopefully offset the losses.  Teams can self-select their clue-givers.  Don’t force a student to be a clue-giver and make sure the teams understand how important the role of clue-giver will be towards their team’s success!  A sample game structure for a 50 minutes class with two teams could be:

This will be a great experience for you and the students.  Always remember to keep it fun and light.  Give credit to the volunteers for their help.  Most importantly, be very organized in the preparation and delivery of the game.  If you are organized, this will be among the most memorable activities of your entire semester.

References:
Cheong, C., Cheong, F., and Fillipo, J. (2014). Towards the Gamification of Learning: Student Perceptions of Game
      Elements. Journal of Information Systems Education 25 (3), 233-245.
Deterding, S., Sicart, M., Nacke, L., O'Hara, K., & Dixon, D. (2011). Gamification: Using Game-Design Elements in Non-    
      Gaming Contexts. The Annual Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
Kapp, K. M. (2012). The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-Based Methods and Strategies for Training and
​      Education. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.