Game Designer Program v4 — print preview. Rebuilt as six labeled phases of building your own game: 1 My Game Idea (describe → draw → write a paragraph with connecting words) · 2 Game Loops (learn it → detective → design mine) · 3 Play it & update it · 4 Friend playtest · 5 Pitch & present · 6 Math Brainstorm (open idea bank, teacher's choice). One question per box, circle-ONE vs ✗-many kept consistent, ½-inch ruled lines, OCR anchors on all four corners of every page, name bar in every footer.

💡1 · my game idea

🔁2 · game loops

🎮3 · play & update

👀4 · friend test

🎤5 · pitch

➕6 · math ideas

PHASE 1 OF 6My Game Idea describe it → draw it → write it

💡 Step 1 — Describe your game

Sheet 1A

🛠️ This packet turns into a REAL game on our class island. Your design is the inspiration — the island builders bring it to life in the island's style, so some details may change on the way. That happens to professional designers every day!

What KIND of game is it? Circle ONE.

racingcollectingbuildingrescuing sportsexploringcookingflyingmy own idea ⤵

MY OWN KIND OF GAME (ONLY IF YOU CIRCLED IT)

WHERE DOES MY GAME HAPPEN? (THE PLACE, THE WORLD)

How should players FEEL? Put an ✗ in up to 3 boxes. L.3.3.a · choosing words for effect

excited

brave

silly

calm

speedy

curious

spooked

powerful

cozy

amazed

sneaky

epic

Your game's colors! Color these three boxes with your game's main colors:

the builders will use these!

WHAT MAKES MY GAME DIFFERENT FROM EVERY OTHER GAME?

Next page: you get to draw your hero. 🖍️

DESIGNER: iMATH · PHASE 1 · SHEET 1A · MY IDEA

PHASE 1 OF 6My Game Idea describe it → draw it → write it

🖍️ Step 2 — Draw your hero

Sheet 1B

Who does the player get to BE? This hero is all yours — invent them. Draw big, dark, and bold, all the way to the edges of the box, so the builders can see every detail.

DRAW YOUR HERO — FILL THE WHOLE BOX

MY HERO'S NAME

MY HERO'S SPECIAL POWER

ONE THING YOU WOULD NOTICE ABOUT MY HERO RIGHT AWAY

DESIGNER: iMATH · PHASE 1 · SHEET 1B · MY HERO

PHASE 1 OF 6My Game Idea describe it → draw it → write it

✍️ Step 3 — Tell me about your game

Sheet 1C · writing

Now write it out like a real designer. Describe your game to me in a whole paragraph — what it is, and what happens in order. Use the connecting words below to glue your sentences together.

W.3.2 · write to inform & explain a topic W.3.2.c · use linking words to connect ideas L.3.1 · grammar & usage L.3.2 · capitals, punctuation, spelling

🔗 CONNECTING WORDS — USE THESE TO START YOUR SENTENCES

First,Next,Then,After that, Also,Finally,Last,Because

MY GAME PARAGRAPH — FINISH EVERY LINE IN YOUR OWN WORDS

My game is about

First, the player

Next,

Then,

Last,

My favorite part is

Check yourself: Did every sentence start with a capital and end with a . ! or ? Did you use at least three connecting words?

DESIGNER: iMATH · PHASE 1 · SHEET 1C · WRITING

PHASE 2 OF 6Game Loops learn it → spot it → design yours

🔁 Step 1 — What IS a game loop?

Sheet 2A · read together

A game loop is a SEQUENCE that repeats. You already know sequences: first, next, then, last. A loop is a sequence that curls back to the beginning and runs again — like the days of the week, or the water cycle, or your morning routine. Every game you love is secretly one of these circles. RI.3.3 · sequence of steps in a text RI.3.8 · connections: first / second / third in a sequence

Every game loop has three parts. Around and around they go:

And one island rule: the GENTLE MISS. In a good loop, missing isn't the end — it just sends you back around. You slide back a little, you lose a coin, the timer wiggles… and you get to try again right away. On our island, nobody loses everything. A gentle miss is what makes players say "one more turn!"

Let's practice together first — the loop of TAG at recess: SL.3.1 · collaborative discussion

1 · THE GOAL

2 · WHAT YOU DO

3 · THE TRICKY PART

Loops are everywhere — video games, board games, tag at recess, even the cardboard arcade games you'll build this year. Turn the page and go find one. 🔍

DESIGNER: iMATH · PHASE 2 · SHEET 2A · LEARN THE LOOP

PHASE 2 OF 6Game Loops learn it → spot it → design yours

🔍 Step 2 — Game Detective

Now you know what a loop is

You know the secret now — so go find a loop in the wild. Pick a game you already love and crack it open, detective. RI.3.3 · describe a sequence

MY FAVORITE GAME IS…

Now dissect it! Answer for YOUR favorite game:

1 · THE GOAL — WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO IN THAT GAME?

2 · YOU DO — WHAT DO YOU DO OVER AND OVER, THE WHOLE TIME?

3 · TRICKY — WHAT MAKES IT HARD?

4 · THE GENTLE MISS — WHAT HAPPENS IN THAT GAME WHEN YOU MESS UP?

That's the loop you just learned — now you've found it in a real game. 🔎

DESIGNER: iMATH · PHASE 2 · SHEET 2B · DETECTIVE

PHASE 2 OF 6Game Loops learn it → spot it → design yours

🔁 Step 3 — MY game's loop

Sheet 2C · upgrade your idea

Time to upgrade the game you invented in Phase 1 — give it a LOOP. Same three parts, but now they're yours. Fill in the circle: CA NGSS · 3-5-ETS1-1 · define a design problem

1 THE GOAL What are players trying to do?

3 TRICKY What makes it hard?

2 YOU DO — over and over The main thing players do: jump? catch? mix? race?

MY GENTLE MISS — WHEN YOU MISS, WHAT GENTLE THING HAPPENS? (NOBODY LOSES EVERYTHING!)

You thought it all through — NOW give it a name! (Great names come last.) Capitalize the important words. L.3.2 · capitalization

MY GAME'S NAME — WRITE IT BIG!

DESIGNER: iMATH · PHASE 2 · SHEET 2C · MY LOOP

PHASE 3 OF 6Play It & Update It after your game is built on the island

🛠️ Update Card — My Turn

After YOU play your game

Your game is real now — and real games get UPDATES. Design like a scientist: observe, pick ONE change, predict. CA NGSS · 3-5-ETS1-3 · improve a design from tests

MY GAME'S NAME

THIS WILL BE VERSION #

WHAT I LOVED MOST WHEN I PLAYED IT

Circle one: playing my own game felt…

😴 too easy😊 just right😵 too tricky

Designers call "just right" FLOW — exciting, but never so hard it stops being fun.

THE ONE THING I'M CHANGING (JUST ONE — REAL STUDIOS SHIP SMALL!)

I PREDICT THIS CHANGE WILL MAKE THE GAME…

DESIGNER: iMATH · PHASE 3 · UPDATE (MINE)

PHASE 4 OF 6Friend Playtest watch someone else play — silently!

👀 Update Card — Friend's Turn

Watch a friend play it

Pro designers watch OTHER people play — quietly! No helping, no hints. Watch closely, then write what you saw. SL.3.1 · collaborative discussion CA NGSS · 3-5-ETS1-3

MY PLAYTESTER'S NAME

WHERE THEY GOT STUCK (OR CONFUSED)

WHEN THEY SMILED OR CHEERED

ONE IDEA THEY TOLD ME AFTER PLAYING

THE ONE THING I'M CHANGING BECAUSE OF THEIR FEEDBACK

📣 PATCH NOTES — TELL THE CLASS WHAT'S NEW IN THIS VERSION

DESIGNER: iMATH · PHASE 4 · UPDATE (FRIEND)

PHASE 5 OF 6Pitch & Present show the class what you made

🎤 Pitch & Present

End of the program

Your game has been designed, built, played, and updated. Time to sell it! One sentence per box — linking words are your friends. W.3.1 · opinion writing with reasons

YOU SHOULD PLAY MY GAME BECAUSE…

ALSO…

FINALLY…

FINISH STRONG! "THAT'S WHY…"

🎤 Your 1-minute pitch SL.3.4 · report with facts & details: 1) Your game's name and what kind of game it is. 2) Walk the class around your loop (goal → what you do → what's tricky). 3) Tell the story of one UPDATE you made and why. 4) Speak clearly — not too fast!

Rehearsal check — put an ✗ in each box once you've practiced it out loud:

I said my game's name

I walked the class around my loop

I told the story of one update

I spoke slowly and clearly

DESIGNER: iMATH · PHASE 5 · PITCH

PHASE 6 OF 6Math Brainstorm optional · teacher's choice

➕ Math Brainstorm

Just ideas — nothing is decided yet

This is a brainstorm, not a rule. We don't know yet exactly how math will live inside everybody's game — every game is different! So here's an idea bank. Read them, argue about them, add your own. Later we'll pick the ones that actually fit. In a brainstorm there are no wrong answers. 🧠

Which math could live inside YOUR game? Put an ✗ in TWO boxes.

Arrays 3.OA.A.3 · multiply with equal groups & arrays

Things in equal rows. Could your treasure, enemies, or trees come in rows?

2 rows × 3 = 6 coins

Quadrilaterals 3.G.A.1 · shapes & their attributes

Four-sided shapes: squares, rectangles, rhombuses. Could your platforms, doors, or windows be shapes players have to name?

Equal groups 3.OA.A.1 · interpret products of whole numbers

Sharing things out fairly: 4 baskets, 5 in each. Could players pack, split, or feed things in equal groups?

Symmetry stretch · 4.G.A.3 · lines of symmetry

One half mirrors the other. Could a level, a creature, or a puzzle be built to match on both sides?

Coins & money 3.NBT.A.2 · add & subtract within 1000

Only if your game even HAS coins! Prices, change, saving up for something big.

My own math idea designer's choice

Time? Measuring? Patterns? Fractions of a pizza? Write yours here:

Pick ONE of the two you marked. How could it live inside your game? Draw it or write it — a rough sketch is perfect.

THE MATH IDEA I PICKED, AND HOW IT WOULD WORK IN MY GAME

SKETCH IT — SHOW ME WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

DESIGNER: iMATH · PHASE 6 · MATH BRAINSTORM (OPTIONAL)

FOR GROWN-UPSTeacher's Corner not a student sheet · one per designer

📋 Teacher's Corner

Rubric & program map

What we're looking for	Standard	⭐ rating
Phase 1: game idea described, hero drawn, paragraph uses connecting words	W.3.2 · W.3.2.c	☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Phase 2: detective sheet + own loop — goal, action, tricky part, gentle miss	RI.3.3 · 3-5-ETS1-1	☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Phases 3–4: both update cards — observation → ONE change → prediction	CA NGSS 3-5-ETS1-3	☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Phase 5: opinion + reasons + linking words + strong finish	W.3.1	☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Conventions throughout: capitals, punctuation, spelling	L.3.1 · L.3.2	☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Presentation: clear pace, relevant details	SL.3.4	☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Phase 6 (optional): math idea chosen and connected to their own game	3.OA.A.3 · 3.G.A.1	☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

The six phases at a glance 💡 1 My Game Idea — 3 sheets: describe it → draw the hero → write the paragraph (connecting words). → 🔁 2 Game Loops — 3 sheets: teach what a loop is (a repeating sequence) → detective a game they already love → design the loop for their own Phase-1 idea, then name it. → 🎮 3 Play It & Update It — after their game is built on the island. → 👀 4 Friend Playtest — silent observation. Repeat phases 3–4 as often as you like; designers collect versions. → 🎤 5 Pitch & Present. → ➕ 6 Math Brainstorm — optional, teacher's choice: an open idea bank, not a requirement. Nothing assumes a game has coins. Phases 2–4 work unchanged for a cardboard-arcade unit — same design loop, cardboard instead of pixels.

Standards touched, by phase 1: W.3.2 (inform/explain) · W.3.2.c (linking words) · L.3.1 · L.3.2 · L.3.3.a | 2: RI.3.3 (sequence) · RI.3.8 (first/second/third connections) · SL.3.1 · CA NGSS 3-5-ETS1-1 | 3: CA NGSS 3-5-ETS1-3 | 4: SL.3.1 · CA NGSS 3-5-ETS1-3 | 5: W.3.1 (opinion + reasons) · SL.3.4 | 6: 3.OA.A.1 · 3.OA.A.3 · 3.G.A.1 · 3.NBT.A.2 · (stretch 4.G.A.3)

TEACHER NOTES ON THIS DESIGNER

DESIGNER: iMATH · TEACHER'S CORNER