Final Lesson: Hinduism Board Game

Objective:

Procedure:

Students should be broken into groups of 2-4, depending on class size. Each group will be responsible for creating a unique board game that incorporates elements of Hindu belief and practice. For example, students could create a 'chutes and ladders' type game where players are advancing towards enlightenment and land on squares labeled with good or bad karma-creating events like 'Went on pilgrimage to Ganges- advance 3 spaces', or 'Reincarnated as a goat- sit out two turns.' The possibilities are endless, but try to encourage students not to make a game focused on answering trivia questions about Hinduism. That can play a role, but the game is really supposed to help them see how karma and the Hindu system works.

The game can be graded on the accuracy of the concepts it uses, the creativity of its presentation, the clarity of the directions (this is sometimes very important) and the ease of play.

For a printable handout of the instructions below, click here.

Assessment:

Hinduism Project
“The Game of Samsara”

Goal:  Develop a board game incorporating elements of Hindu cosmology.

Requirements: 

  1. Your game should include at least 4 of the following elements:  karma, dharma, caste system, moksha, stages of life, goals of life, puja, pilgrimage, deities, Indian geography or history, sacred texts, etc.
  1. Your game needs:
    1. typed directions that are clear and do not need you to explain them
    2. a decorated game board
    3. tokens or game pieces
    4. a method for moving the pieces around the board (dice, spinner, drawing cards, etc.)
    5. a beginning
    6. an end

Your games will be graded based on the following criteria: