Paper Prototyping Workshop Toolkit

Welcome to the Paper Prototyping Toolkit from Biome Collective!

This toolkit is designed to be used in a workshop setting to encourage experimentation and to generate playful ideas for games or any other creative project. We hope it can be useful in creating an accessible and creative learning experience for you and the people you work with.

Paper prototyping is a fun and easy way to come up with new ideas for games and playful experiences using simple techniques that require little more than paper, pens, a little space and a bit of time.

The process demystifies game design and takes play back to its first principles, making it suitable for a wide range of people and projects. The materials in this guide will help you prepare and facilitate a paper prototyping game design workshop session for a group of 5-20 people.

In addition to ideating games, the toolkit can also be applied to a range of creative challenges and used as a tool for exploring new ideas.

Collaborative experimentation is a cornerstone of our game design process, fostering the creation of games and playful media that truly engage audiences. Paper prototyping has been a critical tool for us in facilitating this experimentation.

Using simple materials like paper and pen, we are empowered to think creatively, grounding our design process in the tangible. This approach lightens the group dynamic, making collaboration more enjoyable and significantly reducing pressure. With these insights, we have successfully hosted engaging, low-tech workshops focused on universally applicable game design principles.

Biome Collective is a creative studio, community and space for people to create, collaborate and explore new frontiers in games, digital art and technology. We create world-class interactive and multi-sensory experiences through experimental and collaborative design. Our unique and accessible games, interventions and installations span digital, physical and cultural spaces.

This toolkit was written and produced by Malath Abbas & Tom deMajo.

Graphic design, illustrations and layout by Tom deMajo.

Proofreading support from Jonny Walker.

We hope you enjoyed this toolkit and find it helpful in facilitating your own workshops, wether for games or any other creative and collaborative enterprise.

Feel free to contact us at info@biomecollective.com for consultation, workshop facilitation or collaboration.

Thanks to InGame for the collaboration and the support in creating this toolkit.