Resources

Guides

Worksheet (for use in workshops)

Thousands of square icons that can be used with attribution. Webpage lets you modify colors.

Many images for a variety of applications. Can be used with attribution or pay a small cost per icon to use without.

CDC database of images. Many are public domain.

Dedicated to science images. Images have a DOI to cite the work.

Icons designed more for digital user interfaces.

Great bio/science icons. Many in public domain.

Creative commons collection of silhouettes of many lifeforms. Some like the charming mite to the right are public domain.

Public Domain Vectors, Icons and Brushes

Keynote or powerpoint can be used for simple designs
Indesign has more powerful tools including developing decks of cards from a spreadsheet (data merge).
Multideck ($25) is a lower cost mac application for card layout.
Nandeck is free windows software to generate cards for prototypes.
Component studio (https://component.studio/ ) can do many things for games for Gamecrafter.
PnpBuddy is a easy tool to take image files from cards and make sheets to print.
Print custom size box templates with Templatemaker

Gee Awards (~May-June)- The GEE! award recognizes excellence in educational game design. The award is judged by international leaders in the field. Empiric was a 2023 finalist. Critical Care Game was a 2024 finalist.
Games for change awards (~Jan to Feb)- The annual G4C Awards celebrates the year's best games and immersive experiences that transcend traditional entertainment, championing social impact, fostering learning, and pushing the boundaries of interactive media. Empiric is a 2024 Nominee for Best Board or Tabletop game for impact.
Serious Play - International Awards (~April-June)- International Serious Play Awards honor outstanding learning products that incorporate game elements to further education or training.

Board Game Design lab (facebook): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BGDLCommunity
R/Tabletopgamedesign: https://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/
Games for Medical Education (facebook): https://www.facebook.com/groups/609759219780965
Martins Print and Play Hideaway (facebook): https://www.facebook.com/groups/pnphideaway/
Tabletop Game Designers Association https://www.ttgda.org/

Building blocks of tabletop game design - This book is an Encyclopedia of game mechanics that can be used for tabletop game designs.
Rules of play - More aimed at games scholar than for education
Graphic design for board games - Excellent tips for design of cards, boards and graphic design with the fuction of game pieces in mind.