Hani Chaudry Interview

Who are you, what year of study are you in, what dept. Bio info.

My name is Hani (she/her). I am a third-year PPE student.

What is this article is about.

This article is about my experience at the UK Games EXPO with Warwick!

Why did you choose the Serious Games module?

I chose the Serious Games module because I have loved making board games ever since I was a child. I used to make card games with my siblings. As for the serious aspect, I feel that board games in education are underutilised and can be a great help in fields like economics, which I based my game upon!

What did you learn from the module and the other students from other depts?

I learnt how board games can be used as an educational tool, as they can cement new skills, teach new facts, and bring it all together with creativity. As for students from other departments, they challenged my ideas and inspired new ones.

How/why you designed your game and something around the decisions you made when designing it.

I designed my game with economics teaching in mind. Often, an understanding of the economy and markets leaves out government intervention and state-ran industries. Here, I wanted to create a game that simulated the pros and cons of public services. I also wanted some capacity for teachable moments, and simulating more complex terms in economics. Above all, I wanted the game to be competitive to drive more learning and fun, since on a personal level I enjoy those kinds of games more.

Why did you decide to go to the UKGE? Did you enjoy it?

I decided to go to the UKGE since I love games. It’s why I took this module. That being said, I also took it as an opportunity to meet new people at our stall and gain feedback on my game. It was also nice to explore around and experience other people’s board games. It was an experience I would love to do again.

Who did you meet/talk to at the UKGE?

I met a lot of different people at the UKGE. Of note, there was an educational board games mixer on the final day of the Expo. There, I met a lot of interested parties, as well as meeting educators and understanding their needs for an educational board game.

Have you had to push yourself in any ways or find new skills in the process of game making and discussing your game at UKGE? Have you ended up doing things you never thought you would be doing?

Honestly, going to UKGE as an exhibitor was something I never thought I would do – I thought meeting so many people at such a rapid rate would drain me more. But it actually made me more excited and happy to meet so many people with similar interests and with a positive attitude towards me and my game. As for skills, I learnt that you really must playtest games as much as possible, making proxy copies that you can easily alter; and just get that annoying work done to get onto the fun bit!

What's next for Hani and/or Happinomics? If it's just Hani (the game project is now complete) are there any interdisciplinary skills you learnt during the module and UKGE that you will use again in your studies going forward or in the way you think about things you encounter?

What’s next is to develop Happinomics further! I have played my game with many different people who have enjoyed this game. So, I would love to make the game more balanced and more fun, with greater variance on how the game can be played. This is at the very least so I can have a fun game to play during board game nights; if it is successful, I may even go on to publish it!