5. Role-playing games
Examples: Dungeons and Dragons, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, Magic: The Gathering
One of the big draws of a role-playing game is the character you play. Character types often have strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, they have certain tools, weapons, and spells available to them that other characters don’t. In Dungeons and Dragons, you can choose among barbarians, druids, clerics, wizards and more. In these games, developing a character and his/her persona is half the fun.
How to use it in class: Identify a class game theme (i.e. medieval times, Star Wars, fantasy, sports). Then, identify the types of characters and what their attributes are. Each character has higher or lower ratings in a given attribute. Determine how each attribute connects to class and how students can add (or possibly decrease) their ratings in each attribute. When students complete a task or demonstrate a skill in class, they can earn power-ups for their attributes.
