Waiting For Your Turn Is Boring — Here's How to Fix It
When playing games, I suspect most people are like me and don’t like waiting for our turn. It’s not that fun waiting and wondering if another player’s turn is finished.
Are you done? Done now? Ok, how about now?
I prefer a game that keeps me engaged even when it’s not my turn. And, I like a clear signal when a player starts and ends a turn, so we don’t have to keep asking if they are done.
With our GoVenture Card Game, we fixed this issue by having a player pick up a card to signal the start of a turn and pick up another card to signal the end of a turn.
And, to help with the "waiting for your turn" issue, we use a game mechanic that I describe in this video ...
Action Cards
Another game mechanic to combat "waiting for your turn" is the use of Action cards. Action cards are used in many modern games to give players special powers that affect the gameplay.
Action cards encourage players to monitor what other players are doing so that they can play an Action card at the right time.
Here are some examples from our new Food Truck Entrepreneur board game.
Play!
The best way to come up with ideas to improve gameplay is to play games yourself.
Or, watch game tutorials or other people play games so you see various game mechanics in action. There are lots of videos online for you to level up your gaming experience.
Have fun!
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I'm Mathew Georghiou and I write about how games are transforming education and learning. I also share my experience as an entrepreneur inventing products and designing educational resources used by millions around the world. More about me at Georghiou.com