paper make game

Want to play a game?

Use arrows or WSAD to control your paper block

Don't hit the walls

Bite enemy tails but don't let them bite yours!

Compete against other players

Paper.io play online

More! More! More territory! Take it all with new amazing game - Paper.io 3D

This game concept is linked to old Xonix, which appeared in 1984. Like in any other IO game there are you and enemies willing to outwit you. But you'll prevail of course :) Take their terriory and destroy your enemies, but be careful, your tail is your weak point.

This game is very cool and has nice paper-like graphics and fluid animation. Enjoy!

You can play paper.io online and offline both on a mobile device and a desktop computer. Get paper.io and join the world gaming community. Manage a small board and win territory from your rivals.

Paper.io 2 - behold the sequel to the popular game. Capture new territories and become the king of the map!

The more space you win the higher ranking and scores you get. You have to act and think quickly. Develop your own strategy and action plan.

Paperio has simple rules but is very addictive in its simplicity. The competitors are also on guard. Watch out for your tail.

The game is very addictive and makes gamers from all over the world connect from home, from work, from campus or even the office!

Join the game, figure out your strategy and become the ultimate winner. Have fun!

Beginners Guides

How to make fun games with paper.

Paper is an enjoyable and simple resource to incorporate into gameplay. Numerous methods exist for creating games using paper, such as producing game boards through printing, taking pictures of what you’ve made, or simply printing out instructions and letting the paper facilitate the game.

Games are very enjoyable to look at while playing, so making them with paper is an easy way to get started. The challenge comes in when players want to take some time to think about their play ahead of time and preparations for next time.

Some things must be done in advance of play? How about no preparation before games? This is what brings the game to a quick end .

Table of Contents

Make a circle shape with the paper ball

Now, divide the paper into two equal columns . One column should be blue, and the other should be yellow.

Now, draw a line down the middle of each column to create the circle shape. This is important!

If you do not do this, your game will not look pretty. The line should go all the way through the center of the circle.

Now, tie a small bow around each little circle to create your neckerchiefs. You can also add some printed markings or material for lining, if you want!

These games are a great way to learn basic mathematics such as areas, areas, areas. There are also lots of games that use only letters or numbers to denote games! www.teacherpumpkarlene.

Make holes in the circle shape

Instead of printing the letter c on white paper, you can make a circle shape with it. Then, you can draw a line to trace the circle shape.

To make the circle shape, firstly, draw a line down the middle of the paper. This is where your circle will be situated! Then, draw two more lines down each side of the circle, creating a hat shape.

To make the lines stand out stronger, use different directions of the lines and materials. You could also add some borders to your sheet if you want!

Once you do this, your game will look like this:

How do I play? When players roll certain shapes into the hat, they get one point ! If they roll an egg or an ellipse, they lose one point .

Put your fingers through the holes

This is a classic game- making puzzle games . You put your finger through the hole and then you try to stick your finger through the hole in order to stop someone else from pulling the string out.

You can do this with your fingers or with a pen or pencil. The way to do this is by matching up 2 or more identical pieces of paper together .

Once you do that, you can either fold them into a circle or a square or some other shape. Or you can leave them unconnected and pretend they aren’t there.

Hold a pencil or pen with your other hand

This is probably the most important step of making paper games . After you pick your theme, start writingYourParagraph.t

Some tips: Start small. Try writing a letter to your mother for example. It does not need to be a large piece of paper, it can be a short memo or even a paragraph.

Do not worry about making it look perfect or doing any late changes. Your game will still be fun and play well even if you make some minor changes here and there.

Once you have your first few lines, take a break or change the topic until you can continue working on your game.

Draw lines on the paper to make a game board

Now, fold the paper in half, creating a circle. The folded-in-half look is due to the lines being aligned along the edge.

Using a pen or marker, draw five horizontal lines down the paper, leaving one line between them. These will be your game boards.

Using a crayon or marker, draw a circle around one of the lines, then draw a line inside of it as though you were going to write an inscription on it. This is your start point for your game.

Using one of your lines as a guide, fold in half again and draw five more lines down the paper, leaving one line between them. These will be your game boards.

Decide what you want your game to be about

Before you start designing your paper game, decide what kind of game you want your players to have fun in!

Many times, games are created for a specific reason . For instance, having a dodgeball tournament to see who can get the most points in one particular area or who can gain the most rewards. These games are great!

If you are looking to make a fun game with your children, then look into creating a dodgeball tournament. If you are looking to make a challenging game such as spelunking or playing some kind of dice-drop contest, then consider what kind of item or object you want your player to gain the most reward in.

Come up with rules for your game

It is not enough to just write down games you see in movies or read about game-like situations. You have to research them too!

A game can be defined as a contest or confrontation where two or more individuals face off and attempt to prevail by overcoming a challenge posed by another person.

Therefore, if your paper game of meta is trying to win the challenge of toppling the paper tower , then your challenge must include a floor and a ceiling. If you are trying to outwit your opponent in an attempt to get an early victory, then your opponent must have some kind of intelligence or brains that allows him/her to plan ahead .

Test your game and revise if necessary

When you have your basic game ready , it is time to make some revisions. You do not need to make any at this point, but I recommend doing so before the end of the article.

Assemble your players and give them their turns. If one of them makes a mistake, you can easily rework your game to give them another chance to try it out. If one person does not like the game, you can easy give them a second chance with a fun game next time .

Make sure everyone is having fun and that everyone is learning something from each game. If one person was forgotten during the process, give them a chance to say something if they were trying hard!

If there were some elements that were hard for someone to pass, make sure to let them take a break or fix those skills for next time.

Hi, my name is Benjamin, and I am the author of the Sandbox Playground. I believe that playgrounds and sandboxes are a great way to inspire kids’ imaginations. When I’m not writing or working on new projects, I enjoy spending time with my wife and two young children.

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How To Make Fun On Games

Gaming is enjoyable, especially when you’re playing with someone else . However, if you find yourself as the lone player in the room, it might feel somewhat isolating and possibly stressful.

Unfortunately, there are only two people on Earth exactly like you. So, when you’re playing with someone else, it can be a little awkward at times. That is why having fun on gameshene is so important.

Having fun on gameshene is about being playful and laughing together with your friends. It is about being able to light up a fire together and being able to do that when things get funny .

Play on A Difficult Level

When you are playing a game at a higher level, you can choose to play on a harder level. If you are already playing on a higher level, then you can choose to raise your difficulty or add new features that challenge you even more.

If you are playing at a lower level, then you can consider adding new features or raising the difficulty. There are many ways to raise the difficulty in games, from adding in more steps to levels, changing the size of the game or adding new objects and/of them.

Some people love playing at a lower level and enjoying the game more than someone who is better than they are. If you are looking to raise your level in game by using harder difficulties, here are some tips to help do it.

*For example: When going up in difficulty, make sure to use good planning and timing into your strategies.

Look for Cheats

While most game developers are open about having cheats, it is a good one to look for. Many times they are hidden behind purchase or edit settings options , which limits player accessibility .

Many times when playing a game at higher levels of intensity, you need a cheat to make the experience more intense. This is fine as long as you know what to put in the cheat and how to use it.

Many times when playing at a higher level of intensity, you need a cheat to make the experience more intense. This is fine as long as you know what to put in the cheat and how to use it. Many times players use forged documents or false credentials to get into games and increase their level of play.

Look for strange signatures or similar characteristics between accounts, programs, accounts that appear legit but are fake. You can detect new users by looking for similar accounts to create accounts with them and see if they send you messages or not.

Buy Multiple Versions of The Game

If you are playing a very similar version of the game, it is best to have multiple copies of the game. This helps you compare your performance against other users and gauge your skill.

It is also helpful to make a collection of games that you play together with your friends. Each one of your friends can create their own copy of the game, so you both get a reward for sharing the game!

In order to get rewards for playing alone, you must have different sets of rules and solutions. This creates more competition between you to gain recognition and win rewards .

Having multiple copies of the same game also helps create more diversity in games.

Replay Old Games

Most people begin playing video games after they have finished watching a movie or television show. This is great as you can rewatch parts that you like to learn about the game or just enjoy the experience of playing again.

At some point in most games you will need to return to an earlier stage. This can be through replaying an episode, completing a stage, or even returning to an earlier menu option .

Many times, this option is not offered in the original version so you must create a new account or account update to access it. Fortunately, this feature can be made fun on!

Using some of the tips listed in this article, you can make playing on games easier and more enjoyable.

Try modding

Changing the look of your character is a core part of fun on gameshene. Try playing as an insect or an animal to get a new look!

Making your own cosmetic effects is also helpful for story- telling purposes . For example, creating a colorful cloth you are wearing that indicates your role in the game is important.

Some effects are easier to make than others, and cost more money. For instance, buying a hair dye or skin cream may be less expensive, but making your own looks better and feels more authentic.

To make the most out of gameching, you must know how to create both low-cost and high-cost effects. Below, we will discuss some tips for both categories of effect.

Find Online Gamers to Play With

Not only does playing with other people get you more fun games to play, it also helps you level up faster.

Most of the time, when you start a game, it is because you want to learn how to play or improve your skills. Once you get good at the game, you can level up which gives you rewards like new games to play or items to enjoy.

There are many ways to network with others who enjoy your game genre. Start a group or guild, join an association or group that offers benefits and support, and create a website or channel where others can find you.

Listen to Audio Books While Playing

When you are playing a game, you can listen to an audio book. An audio book is a pre-made tape or CD that you can grab and listen to.

Making time for an audio book is great! You can get your work done and do some fishing while you wait for your game or fish to appear. It is also fun to listen in. You can go into the fish’s blind spot and catch something!

There are so many games out there that require you to use your eyes and hearing combined. You can spend hours just watching what the fish look like and listening for any sound they make while fishing.

Many fish games have features that require you to talk. If you spend too much time just watching the fish, then they will not take notice of you.

Hi, my name is Eve and I am the author of the Sandbox Playground. I love playtime – it’s a great way to inspire kids’ imaginations. When I’m not writing or playing with kids, I enjoy reading, biking and spending time with my family.

How To Make Fun Games

A game that’s enjoyable is referred to as a fun game or, in Irish, a fun enoiche. There are numerous methods to create a game that’s entertaining, with some approaches being more enjoyable than others. To infuse fun into games, consider the following strategies:

Have children of different ages play against each other or against the player player with no real enemy or threat. This is the basic way to make games Fun . Make your game-play simple enough for adults to play and still have some entertainment value for children. Using more complex rules and structures may keep younger players interested , but less experienced players may lose interest quickly .

Have children of different ages play against each other or against the player student with no actual competition except for who gets points and who makes the most sounds. This is the only way to teach cooperation and communication without using competition .

Learn how to make games

A game is an enjoyable experience that can be repeated. There are many ways to make games, so do not feel like you have to start with the most advanced technique!

Games are very popular, too! People make games in their computers, phones, and gaming devices. So, if you are a software developer , you can create some great games to share with your colleagues and clients.

Your creations may be shared on a website, app, or gaming device. The easiest way to start making games is by learning how to program. Many software developers offer free classes in computer science or game development.

Some of the most basic programs can be used for making games. The best way to learn how to make games is by doing it in stages. Start with simple activities and see how you can build up from there.

Find a Team

Once you have your game ideas, it is time to find a team to help you make your game! This can be done through social media, in person, or by looking on websites such as freelancer.com or online communities such as Facebook groups and/or off-site groups.

Many teams are made up of one person working on their own project and another helping them with editing, gameplay design, and/or production. If this is the case for you, look for a team with similar projects to help connect with each other creatively.

Once you get on the team, it is time to work together medically bandaged together ! You will need to trust your other members to help get things ready for you before you have to start working together .

Create a Concept

When you have your basic idea for the game, it is time to create the concept. This can be as simple as creating a list of features or developing a story line.

The concept should be broad enough to cover all ages and situations. For example, if the game were about dressing up in fancy clothes, there would be too many limits on what type of clothes someone could wear .

It is important to include cold weather clothing in your concept, because that is a major part of the game. Dressing up season and winter clothing are favorites of people’s.

Once you have your concept, sit down and figure out how much space it needs to make sense on a materials- based level deceive and bullet point. There are many ways to make games, so do not worry about making space for your product under any conditions.

Create a Story

A story is a great way to memorize and understand how games work . A story can be about anything, so long as it is about something.

A good story can make people want to play because of the message or experience behind it. For instance, a tale of bravery or an account of an exciting experience.

A game does the same thing by creating a narrative for a piece of content and asking players to follow along. In making games , you can create stories that are fun or stories that are challenging.

Many times, when people make games , they focus on the mechanics and not the narrative.

Build the characters

Now that the players have gathered their abilities and duct tapes, it is time to build your game! You can choose to create a short game, a short campaign, or a long campaign.

The important thing to know about making games is how long you want your game to be. A short game can be as few rounds as you want, a few quests and adventures with some twists and turns. A long game may have many rounds, some of which may be lengthy or lengthy quests.

Many designers use dice in their games. The most common dice are die-shaped, numbered dice . Some use only the sides of the die, others add the different numbers. Any length of die can be used in a game- just make sure your player understands what each means.

When building characters in your game, it is important to think about what abilities they need. Each one requires a set of tape and rolls to achieve success.

Build the Environment

After your players have engaged with the game environment, they will return to try again for a better experience. If you make your environment fun, players will keep coming back for more.

Fun games don’t just happen overnight, though. You have to work at it every day for it to progress. It takes a few days of creating and adding elements to your game environment for them to function.

When creating a game environment, you need to consider how participants will come into the space. If you want members of your audience to enjoy your product, try thinking about what they might want before you funnel them into your product.

There are several ways to create an environment in your game: put some objects in the room, place some features or features outside of the frame, or create an enclosed area that people need to go into. All of these strategies contribute to the creation of an environments that people use and engage in.

Add Sound Effects

Making your games fun is largely based on how you design your scenes and how you use the players. If you use silence as your dominant feature, then you are sacrificing depth for fun.

If you use loud noises or graphics to convey your messages, then you are also sacrificing depth for fun. How your audience responds to these elements depends on whether they are appealing to their senses or not.

If the audience does not find these features appealing, then they will likely NOT stick to the game and play it through boredom or frustration. This can go a long way towards losing customers who are looking for a game that is entertaining but not demanding.

Keeping the length of games reasonable is another way to keep people interested in your app.

Add music supremacists, it can make your games more fun . MIDI files are the mother of all audio formats. Most of them are in Dolby and DTS, but there are also non- Dolby and non-DTS formats.

When used in place of an audio format, a MIDI file can contain notes, chords, or entries for songs. Once created, you can use software to convert your music into a game file. Many free programs can do this easily.

If you want more complexity or have more skills you can add additional files to expand your game content. For instance, if you had a song as your content, you could create a second file that included the lyrics for the song and inserted into the second file.

Your game players will be more excited if they hear the sound effects or see any pictures that represent what the content says.

Hi, my name is Charlotte and I am the author of the Sandbox Playground. I believe that play is an essential part of a child’s development and that playgrounds and sandboxes are a great way to inspire kids’ imaginations.

I have been working with children for many years, and through my work I have seen the amazing things that they can achieve when they’re given the opportunity to play. I hope to continue inspiring kids all around the world with my writing.

What Are Fun Games

Introducing enjoyable games is an effective strategy for maintaining order within a sizable group. It’s beneficial to have access to insights and advice on entertaining games suitable for everyone, particularly for individuals in your group who might be novices at playing games.

A game has two main objectives : winning and losing. When playing a fun game , the winner takes home the glory! That’s how games work.

Most games are played in groups, so it is important to have enough space for everyone. A good rule of thumb is that there should be a space for one item in each of the four rows and four columns of seven items each.

Having enough space also means having enough items, as some players may get hungry or thirsty during the game.

Soccer is one of the most common games played in the world. There are many variations of soccer, making it a very wide-range of play.

It is usually played in teams, and each team tries to score goals by getting their team member or member to get the most touches on the floor and/or chair before another person does.

There are many rules for soccer, making it very easy to learn. Most people watch a few games before trying out a game league, but once you do it, you will be hooked.

There are leagues for all ages, with or without footballs. Some people even play if there is no football being used! There are groups for both men and women, as well as individual.

CatchMeanwhile, another staple of childhood is playing catch. There’s a reason it’s called “the game that never gets old.” It has kept players engaged for years!

Catchlength is a classic game that can be played with any type of catch. Whether it is using a digital version such as baseball or soccer, an electronic one such as softball, or even a traditional one such as baseball.

While all three sports have their specific catching techniques , the ones that are most similar are the same ones that are trained in baseball: planning and executing an out, getting rid of some mistakes quickly, and maintaining focus. All of these apply while playing catch!

In CatchDuring, players compete by laying out a series of targets in under a minute. Each target is worth 10 points , and each point earned counts as one round. Once they finish the set set of targets, they can try individual timed events .

Baseball is one of the most common sports played in the United States. Even though it is not a popular U.S. sport, there are many baseballs everyday !

To play baseball, you must get into a position as a player called batting . This is when you try to hit something hard with a stick.apters and circles are called balls and strikes.

There are several rules of play for baseball. One of them is never be allowed to strike out your opponent. Another rule states that no batter can be allowed to stay on the field for more than three minutes at a time.

While playing baseball, there are some things that you must know about. For example, if someone hits a home run, then players can go out and try to catch it! There are two types of home runs- flys and outs. Flys require more effort to catch, while outs do not require any kind of catching.

Ping pong is a great game to play with friends

It is very fun and easy to play. All you need is a table or a surface to play on.

Ping pong is very similar to table tennis except the players have to move their bodies instead of the ball. The game is played by moving a paddle up and down an elongated tube to hit the ball.

While playing ping pong , you will probably talk about your efforts and what you want to say next- this is a classic conversation starter ! It is also nice enough that both men and women can enjoy playing ping pong .

If you are not too good at table tennis, then there are some great fun games that are done on the floor or on an exercise mat.

Soccer is a great game to play with friends

There are many ways to play soccer. You can go as fast as you can, or you can sit back and plan your moves. Either way, you will have a fun time!

One of the most popular ways to play soccer is as a group game. Team members must work together to score a goal and/or pass the ball. It is also very important to pass the ball well!

Another way to play soccer is as a single game. You can practice this by yourself! Just be careful not to overdo it or you will feel sorry for your team – they will not win if you do not handle the ball well.

There are several types of soccer games that you can use. The easiest type of game is one where one team tries to kick the other off their feet with feet or kicks with hands and no foot contact.

Catch is a great game to play with friends

Catch is a game that you can play with just yourself

Sixty-five percent of adults in the United molecule age bracket played catch circa 1980s and 1990s. In fact, more than half of young adults and teens play catch today .

Catch was created by Dr. Daniel Amen, who is a pediatrician and the Director of Child Psychiatry at NYU Hospital/NYU Medical Center. He created Catch to help children develop their sense of timing and rhythm.

By playing a simple catch game like Catch, you are also practicing good sportsmanship and fair play. You are also developing your self-control, as you must keep your hands off the ball for the time it takes to play Catch. You are also developing habits that keep you in shape, like playing catch after school or on a weekend day.

Baseball is a great game to watch

A baseball game can be a treat to look at and enjoy. There are many ways to play baseball, so there is always something new to learn.

It is a fun game to watch as the players run and switch up pitches and routes. There are many tricks used by players to get in and out of their bases.

There are many ways to score a basketball shot and score in football. These games bring people together as they enjoy the physical aspect of playing both sports!

Players will enjoy watching a good game of baseball or football! Both have scoring systems that differ between the two sports, making it an enjoyable change of pace.

Ping pong is easy to learn but hard to master

Many people start playing ping pong because of the competitive scene it creates. With so many players and their varying game strategies, there is a chance that you can learn to play new game by just practicing!

While most players play between 6 and 8, this is not a rule. Some players play 9 due to the variations in the game.

Ping pong is a classic game that has been played for years. In recent years, thanks to the creation of social media, people have created more advanced games like table tennis or racquet tennis.

Some people even play ping pong while they are on their period! It is believed that playing during your period allows you to focus more and increases your metabolism rate which helps with recovery from exercise.

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Fun Games to Play with a Piece of Paper

• Beth Kimberly
• January 30, 2014
• Games & Activities

Six ways to make a fun game for yourself with just a piece of paper.

Stuck inside or waiting on hold and looking for entertainment? This is a great time to recall some of your favorite childhood games that can be easily played with just a piece of paper. Here are four game descriptions to jog your memory.

Paper Football .

Fold paper into three equal parts the long way. Fold the bottom edge of the paper up to a side edge forming a triangle. Continue folding triangles until a small flap is left. Fold the flap into the triangle. Done.

Paper football is played with two people on a long table. Each player gets four tries to slide the football across the table. A touchdown is score by getting the football to sit partially on and partially off the end of the table. If a player scores, they get one attempt to flick the football through their opponent’s finger made up-rights.

Fortune Teller .

Often also called a cootie catcher, this is a folded paper game with handwritten fortunes inside. The fortunes are only limited by the creator’s imagination! Find out how to make a fortune teller online from a how-to guide like this one .

Trash Basketball .

This is simple and fun. Wad a piece of paper into a tight ball and aim for your trashcan or other nearby target. Toss the paper. If it goes in, great! Pull it out and try again. If it doesn’t go in, grab the paper and try again. Of course the real fun is in running around cheering after you score.

Jumping Frog .

With a little origami, you can create a very fun jumping frog for your and your child’s imaginative play. You may want to begin with a simple version, such as this one . Still instructions  for more complex (and higher jumping) origami frogs can also be found online.

Paper Ball .

Also called an origami balloon, you can fold this ball use it for a variety games, such as Bubbles , Ball Toss Race or a simple target toss game. You can find several how-to guides for folding a paper ball, such as this one , online.

Paper Airplane .

There are several ways to fold a paper airplane. You can start with one then experiment alternatives to see how they affect their flight.

Fold a piece of paper in half the long way then open it back up. Fold down both top corner of paper into the center fold line. Fold paper back in half and turn to the side with folded edge down. Fold down one flap of the paper from the top to form a wing. Flip the paper over and do the same with the other flap of paper. Open of the wings and gently throw the paper with point forward to see how far and how accurately your airplane flies.

What other games do you like to play with a piece of paper?

Have a pencil and paper? Try any of these fun paper and pencil games .

Find 156 fun games in our newest Game Guide.

Includes everything from games you can play in a small space with no materials, to games you can play in a big group during recess. Search for games by age level, time/space/materials available, and by the life skills used (like problem solving or teamwork).

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Easy Paper Puzzle Game for kids

If you are wondering how to make a homemade picture puzzle game for kids, you are in the right place.

Here, we show you how to make a puzzle game using paper that can keep your kids busy for a few hours.

It’s a simple game that can be made using paper and a few basic supplies at home. So let’s see how you can make it at home.

Before getting into the tutorial I would appreciate it very much if you will check out our Youtube channel and subscribe to it. We add easy craft tutorials every week.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which simply means that if you happen to purchase something, I get a small commission at NO extra cost to you.  

Materials Required:

To make this paper puzzle, you need

– Origami sheet OR any square paper of size 15 cm

– White paper

– Pencil, Ruler, Scissors and Glue

– Black Marker Pen

– Oil pastels or Color markers

How to make a Picture Puzzle Game step-by-step

Step 1: folding the puzzle.

1a. Take a square sheet of size 15 cm. Here we are using an Origami sheet. You can use color papers used for crafts or even white paper.

1b. Fold the paper diagonally (from right to left) to join the opposite corners and make a crease. If you are using an Origami sheet, make sure the coloured part of the paper is inside while folding.

1c. Unfold.

1d. Now, fold the paper diagonally again (from left to right), this time to join the other two corners. Make a crease.

1e. After making the crease, unfold the paper. Now what we need to do is to fold each corner into the centre of the paper, make a crease and unfold .

1f-1h. Here we have not shown the folding of all 4 corners as it is rinse and repeat. But I hope you get the idea. Again, what you need to do is:

Fold each corner into the center and, make a crease and then unfold. Do it with all 4 corners and then proceed to the next step.

1i. In this step, we fold the paper to the center horizontally. Keep in mind that the paper is to be folded to the exact center. You can use the creases you made earlier as the reference.

1j. Fold the other edge to the center too.

1k. Unfold the paper.

1l. Now, repeat the same steps (1i and 1j) on the other side.

1m. Fold the parallel edges towards the centre and make a crease. Now, hold the paper puzzle vertically as shown in the picture and move onto step 1n.

1n. After folding the edges horizontally, what we need to do next to make the paper puzzle is to fold the paper by making the creases we made earlier as reference.

1o. Start by keeping the paper in place with one hand and fold using the other hand.

Slowly fold the top portion of the paper towards the centre.

Use one finger to poke from the middle of the backside directing it towards the center . When you do this, you can see the paper moving along the creases we made earlier.

1p. The middle of the top edge is now folded towards the center. You can see it touching the centre.

1q. You can see two flaps pointing up in the picture 1q. In the next step we are going to flatten them down.

1r. Bring both the flaps down as shown in the above picture.

1s. Rotate the paper puzzle by 180 degrees and repeat the same steps (1n- 1r) on the other side.

Step 2: Draw the pictures

In the second step of making the paper puzzle game, we are going to draw 3 pictures that are to be stuck on the paper puzzle.

Pictures can be anything – cartoon figures, animals, nature, etc. Here we drew three kawaii figures.

2a. Take a sheet of white paper. And keep the paper puzzle square figure we made just now, on top of the paper.

Trace the outline of the puzzle onto the white sheet. This is to draw the pictures inside the square shape and make sure they fit inside the puzzle.

2b. Draw the figures inside the square measurement we took just now. Draw two more figures of the same size and color them. Cut the figures out.

Step 3: Making the paper puzzle game

3a. In this step, we proceed to putting the puzzle together.

Take the cutout pictures. Take the first picture and paste it on the paper puzzle.

When you paste the picture, make sure the opening of the paper passes vertically beneath it.

Now we are going to cut along the opening. Make sure you don’t cut too much. Cut only upto the point where you can open the flaps fully.

3b. Open the flaps and and you can see the section with four openings.

Now take the second picture and stick it on this section. Like we did with the last picture, cut along the openings.

3c. Remember, there are four openings, so cut along on all four of them. After cutting, open all the flaps, and you get to the third section.

3d. Stick the third and final picture onto the next section and make two cuts along the openings.

This is it and the paper puzzle is ready.

Open the flaps different ways and make a game out of it.

I hope you enjoy making this homemade paper puzzle. Do let me know about your experience in the comments below.

Video tutorial to make paper puzzle game

If you have any doubt regarding any step, watch the video tutorial to make the paper puzzle game on our Youtube channel . We add new and easy craft tutorials every week.

We would appreciate it very much if you will subscribe and help us grow. Thanks in advance!

More paper craft tutorials for kids:

– How to make a paper sunflower step-by-step

– Easy summer popsicle crafts for preschoolers and above (with free template)

– Easy paper jumping frog step-by-step

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How to Make a Multiplayer Origami Game

Introduction: How to Make a Multiplayer Origami Game

These instructions demonstrate how to fold a fun, two-person origami game. Time required: approx. 5 minutes. What you will need: - One standard sheet of white/colored paper (8.5" x 11") HINT: As you do each of the following steps, make each fold as precise and neat as you can. This will help your game be as fun as possible!

Step 1: Getting the Right Paper Size

(a) Take your piece of paper and fold the top left corner down so that it touches the right side of the page. (b) Fold the bottom of the page upward along the horizontal edge of the triangle. (c) Tear off the bottom rectangle to obtain a square sheet of paper.

Step 2: Getting Your Beginning Folds

(a) Fold inward diagonally both ways to get an "X". (b) Flip the page. (c) Fold inward vertically and horizontally to form a "cross".

Step 3: Getting "The Diamond"

(a) Fold in each corner towards the center so that your paper looks like a diamond. (b) Flip the page.

Step 4: Getting "The Square"

(a) Fold in each corner towards the center so that your paper looks like a square. (b) Fold the page upward horizontally to get a rectangle.

Step 5: Getting 3-D

(a) With one hand, put a finger underneath each flap (4 total) located on both the front and back sides of the rectangle. (b) Pull your fingers together until they all touch each other.

Step 6: Setting Up the Game

(a) Turn your hand towards your face. Practice moving your fingers (in pairs of two) sideways and up/down. NOTE: This is how the game is to function. See step 7. (b) On the outer flaps of your origami game, write four random colors, places, etc. (c) On the inner flaps, write a number on each triangle (8 total) in a clockwise pattern, alternating with odds and evens. (d) Underneath each flap, write some form of a yes or no response such as "Maybe,"  "It Could Happen," or "Never."

Step 7: Playing the Game

Fold the game back together and find someone to play it with. Game Play: - Ask the individual to think of a wish. - Ask them to pick one of the items on the outer flaps. - Alternate opening the four corners horizontally and vertically based on the number of letters in the word that was selected. - Ask them to pick one of the four numbers that are left visible, then alternate positions that same number of times. - Ask them to pick another number that is visible. - Open the flap, and what is underneath is the answer to their wish. - Play as many times as you want!

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Paper Games for Kids

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If you're looking to entertain your family, paper games for kids are a great way to add new fun to your play time. These games are easy to prepare and inexpensive, providing hours of fun for kids and grown-ups alike.

On the following pages, you'll learn a number of innovative paper games that will hold anyone's attention.

Basketball Bead Toss

This game of skill is easy to construct and provides hours of fun. Find out how to make the Basketball Bead Toss.

Brokenhearted Puzzle

Send a valentine message that's both sweet and fun. Learn how to make this touching paper game.

Button Flip Game

Once you make this paper game, you'll have hours of fun perfecting your button flip. Get directions to make the Button Flip Game.

Craft Stick Puzzles

Get hours of fun and enjoyment out of old books when you turn them into Craft Stick Puzzles. Find out how to make them on this page.

Crazy Checkerboard

Spice up your checkers game when you make a colorful Crazy Checkerboard. Impress your friends with your funky design of this paper game.

Make a Tangram

This paper game is an ancient puzzle that's occupied great minds for thousands of years. Learn how to Make a Tangram.

Penny Spinner

This paper game is both fun to make and to watch. Get directions on how to make a colorful Penny Spinner on this page.

Pom-Pom Basketball

This paper game is so sophisticated that your friends will think you bought it in a store! Find out how to make Pom-Pom Basketball.

The Basketball Bead Toss is a great test of hand-eye coordination. Learn how to play this paper game on the next page.

Looking for more fun activities? See:

• Paper Crafts
• Kids Crafts

The Basketball Bead Toss tests your hand-eye coordination. How many tries will it take to make a basket? When you've mastered the technique of swinging and catching the bead in the basket, challenge a friend to try their luck.

How to Make the Basketball Bead Toss

What you'll need:.

• Paper Egg Carton
• Acrylic Paint: white, red, burnt orange
• Clear Acrylic Gloss Spray
• 14-inch Wooden Dowel, 3/8-inch diameter
• Wooden Bead, 1 inch
• 1 large thumbtack
• 1 small eye screw
• 20 inches String or Yarn
• Black fine-point permanent marker
• Tape Measure
• Small finishing nail

1. Cut an egg cup from one of the corners of the carton, making sure to include the tall edge that separates the cups. This becomes the back of the basket. Neatly trim the remaining edges, and paint the basket white. Let dry; seal with clear gloss spray. 2. Once the spray is dry, use permanent marker to draw cross-hatched diagonal lines to look like netting.

3. Paint the dowel red and the bead burnt orange; let dry. Seal with clear gloss spray; let dry completely. Draw black basketball lines on the bead using permanent marker. Set aside.

4. Push a thumbtack through the tall edge of the basket from the inside out. Run a 1-inch-long line of glue at the top of the dowel. With the tall edge of the egg cup aligned with the top of the dowel, press the cup onto the glue, pushing the tack into the dowel.

Ask a grown-up to help you use a hammer to pound the tack in if necessary. Hold the cup in place until the glue takes hold; let dry completely.

5. Measure 2 inches down from the top of the dowel, and use the finishing nail and hammer to make a starter hole on the back of the dowel, opposite the basket. Remove the nail, and twist the small eye screw into the hole.

6. Tie one end of the string to the eye screw. Slip the other end through the bead; tie to secure. Add a drop of glue to both knots.

The Brokenhearted Puzzle is a great way to send a message to your valentine. Find out how to create this paper game on the next page.

Give your valentine the Brokenhearted Puzzle and tell him or her to put this broken heart together to get a sweet message. Put your valentine to work trying to figure out this heart-shaped puzzle.

How to Make the Brokenhearted Puzzle

• Red Construction Paper
• Thin Cardboard

1. Draw and cut out a large construction-paper heart. Glue it onto a piece of thin cardboard, and cut around the heart when the glue is dry.

2. Write a message in large letters on the heart. You may want to write a sample in light pencil first so you can make sure your message fits. Some ideas for messages are: "I Went to Pieces Over You," "Together Forever," or "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?"

3. You may decorate your message and the rest of the heart with pretty designs and colors, maybe with tiny hearts, bluebirds, flowers, or small cupids.

4. When you are finished, cut the heart into several pieces, and put the pieces into a pretty, decorated envelope. Give your broken-heart message puzzle to someone you love for a really special Valentine's Day card.

How many points can you score in the Button Flip Game? Read about how to make and play this paper game on the next page.

When you play the Button Flip Game, you'll find out how many points can you rack up by using a button shooter to flip smaller buttons into an egg carton. This game is guaranteed to provide hours of fun.

How to Play the Button Flip Game

• Black Acrylic Paint
• Dimensional Paint
• Scraps of Card Stock: 3 colors
• Black fine-tip felt marker

1. Cut the lid and front flap off the egg carton; discard.

2. Cut behind the cone-shaped dividers, leaving these and one row of cups intact. Trim the rough edges behind the cones.

3. Paint the carton black, getting into all the little nooks and crannies. Let dry. Decorate with dimensional paint. Let set for an hour, then spray with clear gloss spray. Set aside to dry while making the point markers.

4. Trace the point marker pattern onto each color card stock twice. Outline with black marker, and cut out. Print a number, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60, on each marker. 5. Bend the top of the marker back, and glue the long end of each behind an egg cup.

6. To play this game, you'll need a few flat 3/4-inch buttons and a 1-inch flat button to use as a shooter. Place the game on a table or the floor. Place a piece of tape several inches in front of the game.

7. With the small buttons anywhere behind the tape, use the shooter button to flip them into the egg cups. Tally your points as you go.

Pattern is actual size.

Craft Stick Puzzles are made out of old books, so you just might learn something while you play with them. See how to make this paper game on the next page.

You can make Craft Stick Puzzles by recycling old picture books. Learn how to to make puzzles from your favorite stories.

How to Play Craft Stick Puzzles

• 7 Jumbo Craft Sticks
• Pictures from a Storybook or Magazine
• Masking Tape
• Crafty Glue
• Craft Knife
• Adult help needed

1. Line up 7 jumbo craft sticks side by side on your work surface, and tape them together to hold them in place while you work. Turn the sticks over.

2. Trim a picture to fit on the craft sticks, and glue it to the center of the sticks. Let the glue dry, and then remove the tape from the back of the sticks.

3. Ask a grown-up to cut the sticks apart by running a craft knife through the seams where the sticks meet.

If you don't want to damage a favorite storybook, try shopping at a resale shop or garage sale to find an inexpensive book you won't mind cutting up.

Make your own Crazy Checkerboard with any colors you like. Read about how to make this paper game on the next page.

Make a Crazy Checkerboard with any colors you like. Measure two colors of construction paper, and weave them together.

How to Make a Crazy Checkerboard

• Two pieces of differently colored paper (1 piece 8 x 8 inches, 1 piece 8 x 10 inches)
• Transparent tape
• 8 x 10-inch cardboard
• Cardboard scraps

1. Fold the 8 x 10-inch sheet of paper in half, bringing the 8-inch sides together. Cut 7 slits, 1 inch apart, from the folded edge to within 1 inch of the other edge. Cut out eight 1-inch-wide strips from the 8 x 8-inch piece of paper. Unfold the first sheet of paper.

2. Weave the paper strips through the slits from left to right. Weave over and under the slits. If you started by weaving the first strip over the first slit, weave the second strip under the first slit, the third strip over the first slit, and so on. This will create a checkerboard.

3. When you have woven all 8 strips through the paper, make the ends of the strips even and straight. Carefully turn the checkerboard over. Place transparent tape along the left and right sides of the checkerboard to hold the strips in place. Turn the checkerboard right side up, and glue it to the cardboard.

4. Cut small circles out of cardboard, stack them 3 or 4 pieces high, and glue them together. Create enough for 2 sets of checkers. Make each set a different color. Now play checkers!

Ready for a brain twister? Learn how to make a tangram, a complicated puzzle that takes many shapes, on the next page.

Learn how to Make a Tangram, a seven piece puzzle. A tangram is like a recyclable puzzle, because you can make so many shapes and patterns with it.

How to Make a Tangram

• 8 x 8-inch Sheet of Light Cardboard

The Chinese call this puzzle ch'i ch'iao t'u, which means "ingenious puzzle with seven pieces." Seven geometric shapes make up the puzzle. Rearranged in different ways, these 7 pieces can make as many as 1,600 different designs.

1. Look closely at the pattern in the picture below. Use your ruler and pencil to draw an 8 x 8-inch square on the cardboard.

2. The heavy black lines are the cutting lines. Cut along the cutting lines.

3. If you'd like, you can decorate your tangram -- color each piece a different color, create different patterns on each one, or whatever you like. (NOTE: It is easier to color or decorate your tangram puzzle before you cut it apart.)

3. Try to re-create the design shown here. Then invent new shapes of your own. Trace the outside shape of your new designs, and challenge friends and family members to arrange the tangram pieces to match your designs.

Think a penny isn't worth much? It can buy you hours of fun when you turn it into a Penny Spinner. Find out how to make this great paper game on the next page.

Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, was a great fan of tangrams. He is said to have had a Chinese book made of tissue paper that had 323 tangram designs in it!

The Penny Spinner will make you realize that even though one cent doesn't buy a lot, a penny can give you hours of fun. Combine it with a paper plate to transform it into a great toy.

How to Make a Penny Spinner

• Paper plate, 6-3/4 inches
• Scrap Paper
• Star Stickers
• Permanent Marker

1. Use scissors to cut the rim off the plate. Keep the edges smooth. 2. To find the center of the plate, trace around the plate on a piece of paper. Cut this circle out, and fold it in half. Place the half-circle on the back of the plate, and draw a pencil line on the plate, using the folded edge as a guide.

Fold the paper in half again, making a quarter-circle. Align this with the line on the plate and the edge of the plate, and make a mark at the place where the tip of the quarter-circle meets the line. Ask a grown-up to make a 3/4-inch slit centered on this mark, using the craft knife.

3. On the front of the plate, use the marker to draw a thick spiral line that begins in the center. Scatter star stickers around the spiral.

4. Insert the penny halfway through the slit. The penny should fit snugly.

5. To play: Place the spinner on a hard, flat surface, and use the top half of the penny to give it a spin.

Pom-Pom Basketball is a game of skill that's so well crafted your friends will think you bought it in a store. Find out how to make this paper game on the next page.

Pom-Pom Basketball will turn you into a sports fanatic if you aren't one already. Improve your aim and skill with this super fun basketball game.

How to Make Pom-Pom Basketball

• Two empty cereal boxes of the same size
• Solid-color gift wrap
• 5 paper cups, 2 ounces each
• White construction paper or card stock
• White twist tie
• 30 inches heavy thread
• Plastic spoon
• Craft knife
• Colored markers
• Embroidery needle
• Two-inch-wide masking tape

1. Open the tops of 2 cereal boxes, lifting the flaps up. Wrap the bottom and sides of both boxes with gift wrap, leaving the flaps open and unwrapped.

2. Trace the top of a 2-ounce cup 4 times on the front side of one of the boxes. Turn the cup over, and trace the bottom inside each of the larger circles.

3. Ask a grown-up to cut out each of the inner circles using a craft knife. Use scissors to cut tabs from the inside to the outer circle all the way around. Bend these tabs down into the box, and insert a cup into each hole. Assign each cup a point value by writing a number on a scrap of paper and gluing it beside each cup.

4. Cut a piece of white paper to fit around the fifth cup, wrap it around, and glue in place. Use red marker to draw diagonal lines that look like netting. With a pencil, make 2 small marks about 1/2 inch apart near the top of the cup. Ask a grown-up to help you poke a hole at each mark.

5. Trace and cut out the backboard pattern from white paper. Outline it in blue, and draw a red square in the center. Glue the backboard onto the front of the second box, near the top (with the arch toward the top). With a pencil, make 2 small marks about 1/2 inch apart near the bottom of the backboard, and ask a grown-up to poke a hole at each mark.

6. Insert a twist tie through the holes in the cup and through the holes in the backboard. Reach into the open end of the box, and twist the tie to secure the cup. Mark a point value just below the cup.

7. Thread the pom onto a 30-inch length of heavy thread, and knot it in place at the end. Tie the other end of the thread to the head of a plastic spoon.

8. Ask a grown-up to cut a 1-inch slit in the box with the cups (see photo for placement), cutting through both flaps in the same place. Insert the plastic spoon handle into this slit, and use duct tape to secure the handle of the spoon to the inside of the box.

9. Tape the open flaps of both boxes closed, and with 2-inch-tape, tape the boxes together into an L-shape with the cups at the base and the backboard standing up.

10. Play Ball! Place the pom in the spoon. Push down on the tip of spoon with your fingertip to flip the pom into a basket.

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23 Easy Pen and Paper Games Your Family Will Love

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Looking for some easy pen and paper games that are fun for the family?

Chatting, laughing, and playing free games with just pen and paper is a classic way to spend time as a family.

Whether you are on a holiday together, waiting for the doctor or stuck at home because of illness, the whole family will enjoy their drawing games for kids whether they are toddlers or teenagers .

When you want to disconnect from your devices, or you’re all stuck at home, these are worth your time.

If you’re looking for games to play on paper with friends, notebook games or fun games to play on paper alone, keep reading.

Easy Pen and Paper Games for All Ages

Grab a notebook and some pens and get ready for some old-fashioned fun games to play on paper.

A few of these games can be changed to be a one-player game.

There are numerous games to play on paper for two in English, such as Tic-Tac-Toe, Hangman, and Battleship.

A few of these drawing games on paper are fun to play with small groups or even parties of people.

Which of these games to play with pen and paper will you try first?

1. Spaceman

Do you remember playing the game called “hangman” as a kid?

A less deadly and more kid-friendly version of this game is spaceman.

The rules are the same, but you aren’t drawing a stick figure hanging from a noose.

How to play:

One player thinks of a word and writes one dash for each letter in the word on a piece of paper.

The other players guess letters.

If they get a letter correctly, the first player writes it where it goes.

If that person guesses a letter that isn’t in the word, that letter is written above and the head of the spaceman is drawn on the paper.

Players keep trying to guess letters.

They win if they can guess the entire word before the other player finishes a complete spaceman.

It’s one of our favourite two person pencil and paper games.

Looking for games for two people?

This is one of the most popular games to play with paper and pen.

You can make it take longer to finish by drawing more dots on the paper.

You may know it as a different name when looking for paper games for kids – ie the dot game.

This game requires at least two players but can be played with more.

You basically draw dots and then each player takes turns connecting two dots with a straight line.

The first person to make a complete square puts their initials in the box.

Play continues until the last two dots are connected.

Players get 1 point per box.

The player with the most points at the end wins. Try this when you’re looking for fun games on paper.

3. Battleship

The popular board game can be changed and become one of the most fun paper and pencil games for two.

Each player sets up a grid with letters and numbers.

Then, they place their “ships” on the grid.

Just like the board game, each player takes turns calling out positions to strike the player’s ships.

You can draw your own grid, or use a free printable version .

4. Categories

Have you ever heard of the board game or game show “categories”?

This is the paper and pencil game version.

This is one of the most fun pen and paper games for groups, but you can also play this with as few as two people.

Decide on four categories.

Then, pick a letter.

Set a timer for 2 minutes. In those 2 minutes, try to think of as many words in your set categories that start with your chosen letter.

When the timer beeps, players take turns reading the words they chose.

Cross off any words that other players used too.

The player with the most words that no one else had will get one point for each word.

5. Mastermind or “Bulls and Cows”

This is a really fun guessing game that is best for older children.

This paper game takes a little more thinking and strategy than a few of the others.

One player, “it” writes down a secret 4-digit number.

Then, the other players try to guess the number.

After each guess, the person that’s “it” tells them how many digits are correct and in the right position and how many digits are correct but in the wrong place.

Players keep making guesses until they are able to guess the 4 digit number correctly.

Want to make it tougher?

Limit the number of guesses the players have.

6. Paper Soccer

Paper soccer is a game that involves a bit of strategy.

The goal is to be the first player to get the soccer ball into their goal.

You only get one move, unless you are able to bounce the ball off another line or the side of the board.

To draw the borders for this game, it will save you lots of time if you just use graph paper.

This is another way to connect lines and dots, with the goal to reach your goal.

It’s a two-player game.

First, set up the game with dots, one goal at each end, and lines around the edge to mark the boundaries of the field.

The ball starts out in the middle of the paper.

Each player can only connect two dots with one line.

However, if the “ball” (or dot) hits the side boundaries or a current line, that player gets to go again.

The first player to reach their goal wins.

7. Nested Tic Tac Toe

This activity takes the noughts and crosses game and kicks it up a notch.

Ultimate tic-tac-toe takes a lot longer to play and has a few more rules.

First, you have to have one large tic-tac-toe board where each grid or square contains a smaller board.

X goes first and can place their x anywhere on the board.

The O player then must play in the grid corresponding with where the x played.

Look at where the “x” player moved, then compare that to the larger board and that’s the area where the O has to move.

Then, X has to play based on where O was played.

Play continues in this manner.

When someone gets 3-in-a-row in one of the smaller boards, they get to place a large X or O on that board.

Players continue playing until there are three large Xs or Os in a row.

8. Blind Drawing

There are lots of different blind drawing games.

All of them are laughter-inducing games perfect for parties and small groups of people.

In one variation, player 1 takes a piece of paper and draws a simple picture on the back of player 2.

Then, player 2 attempts to guess what player 1 drew by drawing in themselves.

Another way to play this is player 1 calls out directions to the rest of the players.

With their eyes closed (or blindfolded) these players attempt to follow these directions.

Then, at the end, everyone laughs when they see what they drew.

9. Finish the Doodle

This could easily be a one player game.

It’s also really quiet, and doesn’t require any talking or conversation.

If you are looking for quiet pen and paper games for one, this is perfect.

One person draws a random doodle on a piece of paper.

The other person has to use this doodle to create a complete picture.

There are other variations you can do.

You can take turns drawing different parts of the picture.

This could result in some really fun portraits!

To play it by yourself, start out with a silly, nonsensical doodle and attempt to create something recognizable out of it.

10. Finish the Story

The only thing you need for this story is a pencil and a piece of paper.

By the time the game is over, the story will be so funny and strange that you will want to play it again and see what else you all can come up with.

One person writes a sentence of a story.

Then, they hand the paper to the next person, who continues this sentence.

Then, they fold the paper over so only the last sentence is visible and pass it along to the next person in line.

Play continues like this until the paper is filled, time is up, or they decide to end it and read the story.

This can last as long as you let it.

The sim pen and paper game is for two players.

It involves lines and triangles and it’s a lot of fun to play this game with your kids .

The goal is to avoid being the first person to draw a complete triangle in their color.

First, set up the game board.

Draw a hexagon, with a dot at each corner.

Then, draw lines connecting each dot to each other.

After you draw the lines, you are ready to play the game.

Players should use different colored highlighters or markers to make this game easier to play.

Players take turns coloring one line at a time.

The first player to create an entire triangle out of their color loses.

This is one of our favourite drawing games for adults.

Looking for games like tic tac toe?

This game is similar but it has a larger board and more chances to gain points.

The goal is to be the player that connects the most SOS patterns.

You can make the grid as large or as small as you want.

Players take turns writing either an S or an O in a spot on the grid.

If a player makes an SOS sequence, they use a marker to highlight it in their color and take another turn.

Game ends when the paper is completely filled. The player that has the most SOS sequences wins the game.

Now you know how to play SOS!

13. Sprouts

Sprouts is a game of curved lines and dots.

The goal is to be the last player to be able to draw a line without intersecting other lines.

Start out by drawing anywhere from 2-6 dots randomly on the paper.

The first player draws a line – straight or curved, doesn’t matter – from one dot to another.

It can even curve around from one dot and end on that same dot.

They finish their turn by placing another dot somewhere on the line they just drew.

Then, the next player draws a line between two dots and puts another dot on their new line.

Play continues in this pattern – but remember, lines cannot cross or intersect.

And one dot can only have a maximum of 3 lines connecting to it.

When one player is stuck and unable to move, the other player wins!

14. Balderdash

This is one of the most fun pen and paper games for groups.

How funny or creative are you?

It’s all about trying to get people to believe made-up definitions of words.

It will have everyone laughing!

Create fake definitions of strange real words.

Players get a point for every person they get to vote on their definition.

You can find strange words by searching for “free balderdash game word list.”

Here’s a list to get you started.

Balderdash is one of our favourite paper games for adults.

This pen and paper game requires one more thing to play – a die.

This is such a simple game that children as young as 5 will be able to play along.

You need a die to play this game.

Each number on the die represents a part of the beetle.

Start out by drawing the different parts of the beetle and assigning a number to it.

Players take turns rolling the die and drawing the part of the beetle they roll.

The person that finishes the beetle first wins.

This is one of our favourite paper games to play with friends.

16. How To Play Join 5

Start with a square of 4×4 dots, with a rectangle of 4×3 added to each side.

Each player takes a turn drawing a straight line that is exactly five dots long while bearing in mind that:

• No part of the new line can retrace any portion of a previously drawn line
• Exactly one of the five dots covered by the new line is missing from the grid before the line is drawn. This missing dot (which can be at either end of the new line, or somewhere in the middle) is also drawn during the turn.

The game ends when no more segments can be drawn on the grid.

You can play join five alone or against an opponent.

17. Tic-Tac-Toe

Tic-tac-toe is a simple game that has been enjoyed by kids of many generations. This is also one of the best ways to improve the cognitive skills of children while keeping them entertained.

It involves drawing a 3×3 grid and taking turns placing Xs and Os to create a line of three in a row.

This is a basic game of quick thinking and strategy. It can simply be played with pen and paper anywhere and at any time.

Tic-tac-toe games also serve as a way to improve a child’s critical thinking and reasoning ability.

18. Hangman

Looking for a drawing game on paper?

Challenge your kids’ vocabulary and spelling skills with the classic game of Hangman. To play, one player thinks of a word and draws a series of dashes to represent the letters.

The other players take turns guessing letters, and for each incorrect guess, a body part is drawn on the gallows.

The game continues until the word is guessed correctly or the stick figure is completed. Hangman not only encourages word recognition and spelling but also promotes strategic guessing and deductive reasoning.

It’s an engaging pen-and-paper activity that can be customized with different word categories to suit various age groups and skill levels.

This also helps the kids to learn and add new words to their vocabulary

19. Pictionary

Unleash your kids’ creativity and artistic skills with the lively game of Pictionary.

In Pictionary, players take turns drawing a word or phrase while their teammates try to guess what it is within a specified time limit.

The drawings can be simple or elaborate, and the challenge lies in conveying the word without using any letters or numbers.

Pictionary enhances artistic abilities and promotes communication, teamwork, and quick thinking.

Kids can explore their imagination, experiment with different drawing techniques, and have a blast trying to guess and draw various words and phrases.

Whether played at parties, family gatherings, or during a casual evening at home, Pictionary guarantees loads of laughter and entertainment for everyone involved.

This game also allows kids to use their utmost imagination while building up their creativity skills.

20. Word Chains

Challenge your kids’ word association and quick thinking skills with the engaging game of Word Chains. Start with a word, and each player takes turns saying a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word.

The game continues in a chain-like fashion until a player can’t think of a word within the allocated time.

Word Chains not only expand the vocabulary but also encourages creativity, as players have to come up with words on the spot.

This game can be adapted to different themes or categories, such as animals, countries, or food, adding an extra element of challenge and learning.

Word Chains is a simple yet addictive pen-and-paper game that guarantees a lot of excitement and friendly competition.

21. Foldover Drawing

Fuel your kids’ imagination and encourage collaborative creativity with Foldover Drawings. This game starts with each player drawing a small portion of a picture at the top of their paper.

They then fold the paper over, hiding their drawing, and pass it to the next player.

The next player continues the drawing based on the small portion they see, folds the paper, and passes it along. This process continues until the paper is completely filled.

Finally, unfold the paper to reveal a unique and often hilarious collaborative masterpiece.

Foldover Drawings not only stimulate creativity and artistic expression but also promote teamwork, adaptability, and surprise.

It’s a game that encourages laughter, imagination, and the joy of creating something together. This game allows both parents and words to have a fun time while making good artistic designs.

22. Hangman’s Art Gallery

If you like games like Hangman, put a creative twist on the traditional game with Hangman’s Art Gallery. Instead of drawing a gallows and stick figure, players draw a stick figure holding an empty picture frame.

For each incorrect guess, a body part is added to the stick figure, bringing it closer to completing the frame.

The goal is to guess the word before the frame is filled. Hangman’s Art Gallery combines artistic elements with word guessing, offering a unique and visually engaging experience.

It challenges kids’ vocabulary, spelling, and drawing skills while providing a fun and interactive way to play Hangman.

With this creative variation, kids can showcase their drawing abilities and have fun in the process.

23. Telephone Pictionary

Combine the classic games of Telephone and Pictionary into one hilarious and entertaining pen and paper activity.

Telephone Pictionary starts with each player having a piece of paper and writing down a sentence or phrase.

The papers are then passed to the next player, who reads the phrase, folds it, and draws a visual representation of the sentence.

The papers are again passed, and the next player tries to guess the phrase based on the drawing. This process alternates between writing and drawing until the original phrase is revealed at the end.

Telephone Pictionary not only sparks laughter and amusement but also promotes creativity, interpretation, and communication skills.

It’s a game that guarantees surprises, misunderstandings, and joyous moments of shared laughter and is one of our favourite pen and paper games for adults.

When To Play Easy Pen and Paper Games

There are lots of times when games with pen and paper can be useful.

They’re perfect for when you don’t have a cellphone signal or the batteries are dying.

Some of the best places to play these games include:

• On car road trips
• Stuck at home due to illness
• On an aeroplane
• In the library
• In a waiting room

It’s also fun to declare a night of low-tech fun.

There aren’t any screens and your entertainment can only come from humble paper and pen games.

Finding paper games to play breaks up repetitive habits and can feel like a whole new experience.

For even more paper-based fun, make your own heads up game .

More Fun Family Activities

Spending time together doesn’t have to cost a lot of money and a selection of fun paper games to play when bored is free!

Here are some more entertaining and fun things you can do as a family, right here in London.

• 70+ Things To Do With Teens In London
• London’s Best Family-Friendly Afternoon Tea
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What are your favourite games to play at home using a pen and paper?

Rick Nordal

Tuesday 21st of November 2023

Great list of games! Check out the Trxilt game. It has some elements of Dots and Boxes and can be played using pen and paper.

Rachelle from How to Embrace Life as a Parent

Sunday 15th of August 2021

Some great ideas here and really well explained - thank-you. We also love the game - Monsters/Aliens - where everyone has a piece of paper. Each person draws eyes, passes it to the next person, everyone draws a nose.. etc until your monster/alien is completed. We also like to talk about their name and favourite food & hobbies.

Mads Panchoo

Monday 16th of August 2021

Monsters/Aliens sounds like fun! Thank you.

Wednesday 30th of June 2021

There is one more game, I used to play in my primary school (90's). Cross / Join Five - great game for two players or ... only for one player.

Please take a look at wiki info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Join_Five

Thursday 1st of July 2021

Thanks Ijon

Donald David

Tuesday 22nd of June 2021

This is really interesting I love it.

Wednesday 23rd of June 2021

Thanks for your kind words. So glad you found it useful.

30 Screen-Free Indoor Activities For Kids | Building Our Story

Friday 9th of October 2020

[…] Pen and Paper Games For The Family by The London Mother – Disconnect from your devices with these easy pen and paper games which are fun for the […]

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Last Updated: February 16, 2022

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 46,612 times. Learn more...

A fun paper and pencil game useful for rainy days, traveling or just for spare moments when you want to play a good puzzle game. The diagram shown below illustrates the various steps in succession.

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Fun & Cheap Paper Game Ideas to Play with Your Kids

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Since our kids are born into the age of technology, they have become glued to their gadgets. While they entertain, technology can be a distraction or suppressor of thoughts. As parents, we can set up simple entertainment that can keep them away from the glowing screens of technology. It is time to explore fun paper game ideas for kids that will make them forget that these gadgets existed…even for a little while. Paper games allow for more creativity contrary to the stream of information and data they get from glowing screen gadgets. Paper games are also inexpensive – almost free – and so very versatile.

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• 15 Epic Learning Science Experiments at Home for Kids
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Why not check out our collection of  free coloring pages for kids ! We update our resources library regularly so feel free to check back as we add more and more content. We’re currently at over 1000+ coloring pages and creating more how-to-draw stuff art tutorials!

Table of Contents

Pencil and Paper Game Ideas for Kids to Play

Who said that fun games are only for running and jumping activities? Your kids can still have all the fun in the world with paper games! Check these three cool paper games that you can play at home or on the go:

1. Sim Pencil Game

Ready for something mathematical with your kiddos? The Sim Pencil Game is what you need! Just a quick Did You Know: Gustavus Simmons invented this brainteasing game in 1969. The Sim pencil game is not only a fun pen and paper game; it is a funtastic, thinking game with the twist of mathematics and geometry. This game requires two players. Start by placing six points on your paper. Make sure to arrange the dots in a hexagonal arrangement. Each player will take a turn in drawing a line from Point 1 to Point 2. The goal of this game is simple: do NOT form a triangle. The player who creates a triangle loses. Quite simple, right?

Of course, Hangman will be on my list. This is a classic letter guessing game that your 5-year old and above kids will enjoy. Hangman will also test your kids’ vocabulary as they work with words. So grab your blank paper and pencil, pick a word, assign the blank letters, and let your children guess each blank letter. Just do not forget to draw one line of the stickman for every wrong letter. Your kids will have fun and learn at the same time.

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3. Squiggle Game

Unleash the creativity of your kid with a Squiggle game . On a blank sheet of paper, draw a random line—straight, curvy, looping, short, or long—the choice is yours. Show it to your kids and let them transform it into a picture. With this creative and fun drawing game, you are helping them imagine and think out-of-the-box.

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DIY: How to Make Cool Paper Crafts For Kids

You and your kids will love these DIY paper crafts! They are fun and easy to make using random items around your house, and these activities will keep your kids busy.

4. Origami Fortune Teller

Are your children bored from the long hour drive? Can’t decide which TV show or movie to watch with your kids? What if I tell you that a paper game can save you and your kids from boredom and indecisiveness? This paper fortune teller game or Cootie Catch can keep our children busy and provide answers to parents like us. We can also teach our kids about shapes, colors, numbers, foreign language vocabulary, and sight words or entertain them when they are bored. The possibilities are endless with this fortune teller paper game, and it is also easy to make! You will only need paper, a pencil or marker, and scissors. If you forgot how to create a cootie catch, check these step-by-step instructions and make on with your kids. They will love this!

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• How To Draw Beautiful Coral Reefs
• How To Draw a Piano
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• How to Draw Lace
• How to Draw a Guitar
• How to Draw a Husky Dog
• How to Draw Sushi & Nigiri
• How to Draw a Dragon
• How to Draw Dr. Seuss Grinch

5. Paper Dice

Why should you make dice when you can buy them in stores? You know how fulfilling it is to create an item. So imagine what your children will feel after making paper dice that they can use on one of their board games. Do-It-Yourself (DIY) paper dice is easy to make! Look for dice patterns online, pick the most sturdy paper you have inside your craft box, draw six squares, then cut. After, test the dice by rolling it out several times. Watch out for bias—it might mean that you need to recreate the dice.   

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6. Paper Cup Pom Pom Shooter

Make this easy and kid-friendly pom pom shooter in only ten minutes! Just pull off your paper cups, extra balloons, pom poms, tapes, and scissors, and you are ready to roll. Your kids will also harness their motor skills through this activity since they need to coordinate one of their hands to hold the cup and use the other for pulling the “trigger.” And if you want to make it more fun yet educational, you can ask your kids to do a number challenge. Ask them to shoot N numbers of pom-pom every time and watch them laugh their hearts out while doing it. This paper cup pom-pom shooter is perfect for 2 to 80 years old!

7. Paper Bag Frog Puppet

If your kids’ favorite book right now is Five Green and Speckled Frogs, this paper bag frog puppet will make them happy. But if they find frogs gross or disgusting, maybe your kids will learn to appreciate these creatures through this adorable craft. It will be so much fun to create this frog puppet with our kids! Plus, puppet play is also one way to fire our child’s imagination and make them “ribbit” all day.

8. DIY Paper Tetris

It is time to teach our kids the game that we enjoyed doing when we were their age. Say hello to the stacking game with seven shapes that came from a square— Tetris . This iconic game is a blast from the past that we can recreate with our kids. But let us make DIY Paper Tetris that does not require batteries or chargers. Also, making it can boost the creativity of our kids and encourage them to think critically.

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9. Paper Tunnels

For your little car lovers, paper tunnels for their beloved rides will make them giggle for sure. It might look simple, but hey! Sometimes, the simplest things are the biggest hits. You need some leftover cardstocks, scotch tape, and a hard surface where you can place the paper tunnels. You do not need to splurge some cash, and it is so easy to make! But the return? The smiling face of your children will make your entire day.

Transform Paper Games into Sweat  

Get ready to sweat with your kids because these paper games will turn the play into a sweat:

10. Paper Plate Hoopla

How about some circus games for our kids with paper plate hooplas ? This craft activity is perfect for summer and is cheap and easy to make. Just grab your paper plates, cardboard tubes, paintbrushes, glue, and all your crafty stuff. Decorate the plates with your kids, cut them to make rings, and viola—get ready to shoot some hoops! My kids will enjoy painting paper plates and have a good time throwing hoops over the target. And to add more challenge, increase the distance of the target after each throw. For every shoot hoops, your kids will get the point. Prepare the prize, mommies!

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11. Roll and Cross Dice Game

Now get your DIY dice, and spice it up a little with your toddlers through this roll and cross dice game . It is a math game that you can play with your three-year-old kids.  Take a sheet of half paper, then write numbers 1-6. Let your kids roll the dice, then cross out the numeral that matched with the rolled dice. Tossing the dice and picking it up every time harnesses your toddler’s motor activity and keeps them moving. This is a fun activity that might become your kids’ favorite game.

One of these eleven paper activities might be your kids’ next favorite game. So start checking them out one by one and try them all! If you have more fun paper games for kids, don’t forget to share them below.

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15 Fun Pen and Paper Games for Kids That Aren’t Tic-Tac-Toe

Introduce your kids to the iconic games of your childhood.

Everyone knows Tic-Tac-Toe, but there are other pen and paper games full of nostalgia and wholesome fun.

In a fast-paced world, it can be beneficial to slow down, spend time away from screens, and focus on connection. You can make a family game night, road trip, or picnic better with the simple addition of a fun game.

So, go on, and try some pen and paper games that get the whole family involved.

1. Hanging Spider (aka Hangman)

Number of Players: 2-4

Game Objective: Guess the entire word before completing the spider

Tips: Choose words within categories/themes

How to Play

This is a kid-friendly alternative to the classic pen and paper game, Hangman.

The first player chooses a word and draws lines to show how many letters it has. The other players then take turns selecting letters that could be in the word. Correct letters get put in the right place, and incorrect guesses result in a new body part on the spider. The goal is to guess the word before the spider is complete.

2. Build-a-Story

Number of Players: 2+

Game Objective: Create a fun story as each player adds a new element/scene

Tips: Fold the paper so each scene is a surprise but choose a common theme

This is a great paper game that involves even the young members of the family.

The first person draws a scene and then folds the paper over. The next person adds a picture to the story and then passes it on. Then, the last person adds a picture and then opens the paper. Finally, you can have fun seeing the silly story your family has created.

3. Maze Monster

Age: 10+yrs

Number of Players: 2

Game Objective: Help the monster find its way out of the maze

Tips: Parents and older siblings can draw the maze for younger children

This two-player game starts with each player drawing a maze and a monster. Then the players swap mazes and try and get the monster to the other side of the maze. Older family members can race their monsters to see who completes the maze first.

4. Unscramble

Game Objective: See who can unscramble the letters the fastest to reveal the word

Tips: To make it more challenging, use whole sentences

Pencil and paper games like Unscramble are great for a large family. One person writes a long, jumbled word on a piece of paper. The other players then race to unscramble the letters and discover the hidden word. The first person to unjumble the letters gets the point.

5. Paper Wordle

Game Objective: Guess the 5-letter word within 6 tries

Tips: Have colored markers handy

Paper and pencil games can be as much fun as the digital versions. 

One player chooses a 5-letter word that the other player has to guess. The other player writes the word into the boxes. The first player colors the block with the correct letter in the right place, green. If the letter is correct but is in the wrong place, then the block is colored yellow. Incorrect letters are left blank.

Each player has 6 tries to guess the correct word.

6. Battleship

Game Objective: To sink your opponent’s battleships first

Tips: Have a second grid that you can use to mark off your missed shots

Each player folds a piece of paper in half and draws a 10×10 grid on each side. Label the squares along the top A-J and the squares down the side 1-10. One grid will be yours, and the other will be for your opponent’s ships.

Each player has 5 ships of different lengths:

• Carrier (5 blocks)
• Battleship (4 blocks)
• Cruiser (3 blocks)
• Submarine (3 blocks)
• Destroyer (2 blocks)

Each player then places their battleships horizontally or vertically on their grid by shading all the squares. Be sure to keep your grid hidden. Then one player begins by calling out a block (e.g., G5). If that block is one of your shaded ships, then you will say hit. If it is not, then you will say, miss. The other player will then mark that block with either an ‘x’ or ‘o’ to indicate a hit or miss.

Once your opponent has hit your ship’s squares, you call out, ‘you sunk my battleship.’ The first player to sink the other player’s ships wins, and the game ends.

7. Blind Drawing

Game Objective: Draw a picture blindfolded

Tips: Give each player a specific item/scene to draw

Drawing games are enjoyable for the whole family. Each player has a turn being blindfolded as they attempt to draw a picture. Seeing the end results is always amusing. Pen and paper games like this are great for including the youngest family members.

8. Dots and Boxes

Game Objective: Have the most boxes at the end of the game

Tips: The person with the longest chain of boxes usually wins

This classic pencil and paper game uses two different colored pens, lines, and dots. First, create a block of 4×4 dots (or as many as 10×10 dots). Then simply draw a straight line (horizontal or vertical) to join two dots.

Players who draw a line that closes a box get one point and an extra turn. The person with the most points at the end wins.

9. Pangrams

Game Objective: Create a sentence using every letter of the alphabet

Tips: Make it more challenging by using a theme or saying the shortest sentence wins

This simple paper game gets your brain working. Each player writes a pangram (a sentence using every letter of the alphabet) within a set time limit. In the end, everyone reads out their sentences.

10. The Name Game

Number of Players: 3+

Game Objective: Guess the name of the person/character first

Tips: Choose Disney characters for younger kids

Each player writes the name of a famous person on a piece of paper and puts it in a hat/jar. Then each player picks a slip of paper.

You get to give the other players a maximum of 3 clues about your person without saying their name. The first person to correctly guess the name wins a point. A player wins if they have the most points at the end of the round.

Game Objective: Stop the snake from reaching the end of the grid without touching itself

Tips: Use a large grid for a challenging game

Do you remember that snake game on cell phones back in the day? This is the analog version.

Create a dot grid. Players take turns adding a segment to the snake’s body, moving from dot to dot. The player who touches the edge of the grid or another line loses.

12. Monster Foldables

Game Objective: Draw a silly monster

Tips: Include a list of items that need to be on your character

With just a pen, this simple paper game will keep the kids entertained. Fold a piece of paper into three sections. Then let each person take turns drawing the monster parts without looking at the previous section.

13. Crosscram

Game Objective: Avoid being the player with no moves left

Tips: Make a bigger grid for a longer game

Start with a 6×6 dot grid and use two different color markers. For example, red can only join dots horizontally, and blue can only join dots vertically. At each turn, a player joins two dots. No dot can be joined more than once. The person who is left with no moves loses.

14. Wordsearch

Game Objective: Find the words hidden in the word search

Tips: Choose a category or theme for the words

Each player creates their word search from a blank grid of blocks. Then they fill in their chosen words and the rest of the grid with random letters. Players then swap word searches and look for the list of words.

15. Words Within a Word

Game Objective: Find as many words as you can within the given word

Tips: Start with simple words for young kids

This is a simple and fun paper game. To start, one player chooses a long word, and the other players need to make as many new words from that word as possible. The player with the most words wins the round.

Paper and Pen Games for the Win

Games that require just a pen, paper, and enthusiasm are ideal for busy families. They are a way to slow down, spend time, and connect with each other. The fact that you can play them anywhere is a bonus and makes them ideal for camping trips, car journeys, and power outages.

Paper Minecraft

Welcome to paper-mc.io!  Play hundreds of survival games with blocky graphics that are updated daily and are completely free. Games with "blocky" graphics are always addictive, and you will be immediately impressed with the unique graphics and construction style of creating your own world with pixel squares.

The world in the game is created for the player mainly as 3D cubes located on the map and representing different materials such as earth, stone, ores, lava, water, wood, etc. Players can move freely around the world, but blocks can only be placed in a certain fixed position. Players can collect material blocks and place them in other places to build different structures. Express your creativity to build your own unique world.

Top 5 games with addictive "blocky" graphics

Paper Minecraft is a 2D survival game genre with famous block graphics. You will go to collect materials, make tools, and build yourself a place to hide. With three game modes: survival, peace, and creativity to help you experience the gameplay in an endless cube world, it is extremely satisfying.

Block World

Block World is an attractive block-graphics survival-building game. With two game modes: life and freedom, very similar to real life. Mine materials and build unique structures. You are completely free to be creative because there are no limits or rules in this blocky world.

A multiplayer iOS game with attractive cube graphics. With many different game modes, the player's task is to use the available blocks to build themselves solid walls and arrange guns in positions so that they can withstand the enemies. Massive attacks by enemies throughout the game.

Mine Blocks

Mine Blocks is a 2D game with attractive block graphics. Cool pixel visual style. With two game modes: survival and creativity. You need to build shelter and stockpile food. You can use your imagination to build structures, cities, epic worlds, and everything else.

Minecraft Tower Defense

A survival game with typical pixelated Minecraft graphics. There are two main game modes: survival and creative. You must protect your base from evil characters who can attack your tower at any time. Build an intricate path to distract your enemies. Survive as long as you can.

Boeing Flight Simulator

Airplane Flight Pilot

GeoFS Flight Simulator

Flight Simulator Online

Airplane Simulator

Flight is a cool online paper airplane flight simulation game. There's nothing like flying through the air. Not everybody has the luxury of owning their private airplane. In this free flight game you get to pick and up and throw a simple paper plane across the screen and watch it collect stars as it slowly descends towards the ground. With each throw you travel a little closer to your destination, buying upgrades and improvements along the way with the stars you've collected.

Visit far away places and let your paper airplane fly high as you unlock new and exciting features. Use your engine wisely as you don't have endless fuel to speed up your little paper fellow. Change its color to make the flight even more fun and colorful. But be careful: being in the air is highly addictive. Have fun with Flight, a free online flying game on Silvergames.com!

Controls: Touch / Mouse

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Paper Prototyping 101

An in-depth guide to understanding, building, testing, and iterating a game in paper prototype form.

So you have an idea for a game you might want to build - exciting! But where do you begin? Starting with a simple paper prototype can help you explore an idea, uncover and preempt production headaches, and even start finding the fun early.

Before firing up your game engine of choice or even doing concept art, paper prototyping can help you quickly hone in on what your game is, why it's special, and can help you refine ideas with much less work than adjusting coded in-production game systems. In short, it's the absolute best place to start, and it will save you tons of time.

Paper prototyping is exactly what it sounds like; you use simple materials to create an approximate, pared-down, playable version of your game idea. This way, you're able to quickly test how rules and mechanics interact, without worrying too much about visuals or code.

Simply put, for every hour spent paper prototyping, you save yourself dozens of hours of future work in production. It's one of the most useful skills I've encountered and honed over my career, so it felt like a fitting first resource to post!

This post will deep-dive into why paper prototyping shouldn't be skipped, how to plan a paper prototype, ways to prototype various game mechanics, making and testing a prototype, and will conclude with thoughts on moving from a paper prototype to production.

Importance & Function

Why paper prototyping matters.

Think back to a time when you were really sure of something, that ended up not working as planned. Maybe it was the addition of a dubious ingredient to a recipe, or a spontaneous trip that was planned without first checking the weather. Had the details of the whole been considered a little more fully, simple mishaps can be avoided. However, unlike a ruined recipe or a rainy beach trip, changing early decisions in game development can often lead to headaches, delays, and bugs.

For many game developers, myself certainly included, ideas about mechanics, characters, plot points, and even elements of worldbuilding might need some refining to really fit. But how do you figure out mechanics, hooks, and things of that nature without first building them?

Behold: the magic of paper prototyping ✨

In short, paper prototyping is the practice of making a playable rough draft of your game, either in part or in whole, using simple materials such as paper, post-its, miniature figures, etc.

While typically thought of as a part of pre-production, paper prototyping can be brought in at any stage of a project's lifecycle to test things out quickly, without needing to write code or create art.

By taking things a bit slower in the beginning and not jumping right into code or art production, and instead making a playable rough draft, you also save yourself tons of future headaches. For example, paper prototyping gives you an opportunity to spot conflicting game mechanics, major balance issues, and even "dead ends" where players have no viable ways to progress.

A Creative Forcing Function

Imagine you've got a game idea in your head. You intuitively feel that all the parts and pieces will come together, and you just know it's going to be a slam dunk. It can be really tempting to jump right into coding or 3D modeling with just an exciting idea in your head.

The willingness to take an idea and document how it works is the quickest and easiest test to see if your exciting idea is, in fact, ready to be a game.

However, it can be really convenient to avoid putting your ideas to the test. After all, until your concept is tested in some way, it can exist as an exciting utopia where nothing can go wrong. By testing an idea, you're in some ways accepting that making a game will be filled with challenges, surprises, and probably miscalculated assumptions... right? Well, not entirely.

Games are important because fun is important. The act of testing your game idea with a paper prototype is actually an incredibly kind thing to do for yourself. It's you acknowledging that games are tough to make, and that you want to spot the most challenging stuff early. In many ways, deciding to test your idea early signals that you really care about your idea actually reaching launch, so that the all the fun that's contained in your concept actually gets out to bring some joy to the world.

In the same way that journaling can help us process the day's events, or how talking to a therapist can help you process complex life events, the act of simply getting your thoughts out is a profound and somewhat magical way to examine every angle of an idea to spot things you might not have noticed at first.

It's why rubber ducking code challenges is so effective, and why the weight of the world might feel a little less imposing after talking to a friend about what's going on in life. As humans, getting stuff out of our heads into the world is, for whatever mortal reason, really useful.

So, with an early game idea in hand, let's jump right into planning and making a paper prototype.

Prototype Planning

Getting started.

Taking an idea and creating something tangible from it can be a daunting task to undertake! Thankfully, the entire point of making paper prototypes is to reduce expectations, lower scope, and in some ways, even celebrate the janky early stages of a game's concept. After all, when everything's made from paper, you can literally cut out the parts that aren't working, and tape new things in.

However, before you go on a crusade to the nearest craft store, you should think about how you're going to prototype your various mechanics, and which things might be best left for a post-prototype phase, when you've learned what you can from the paper stage.

Playable vs Static Prototypes

While most of the details I'll be getting into are focused on making playable prototypes, it's completely valid to just sketch out rough ideas on paper, as simple drawings, to prototype a concept.

Not all prototypes need to be playable. It's still super valuable to look at a sequential collection of images that represent a journey through a gameplay moment to help refine and adjust your idea in the paper stage.

Static prototypes might resemble storyboards, comic books, or even mood boards in the most abstract sense. The core value remains similarly grounded: you're getting gameplay ideas out, in some organized fashion, into the world, with the smallest scope possible.

For those who want to actually play a concept in the paper stage, the rest of this post should be helpful.

Planning for Various Playable Tests

If your game involves moving characters, AI, or procedural generation, it might seem impossible to create any prototype out of merely paper . However, there's thankfully a number of ways to get started testing your game's mechanics and core hooks, whether you're making a first-person puzzle game, an RPG, or even a 4X strategy game.

Overall Structure

Depending on your concept's genre, certain board game parallels might be immediately clear. For other genres, there might not be anything that offers a structural approximation to adapt.

Tabletop games offer a particularly great medium to draw inspiration from. Sometimes involving tokens, cards, game boards, and dice, tabletop games are an imaginative genre of games that are wildly innovative with how you can assemble a few physical objects, give them rules, and create a game.

If you're struggling to think how to design the overall structure of your game, it might be useful to take a look at some of the more imaginative tabletop games out there, to try and spot mechanical parallels that you could adapt.

Rules & Documentation

Maybe one of the most important things to document at this stage is the hard rules you're testing in your prototype. This will help ensure you don't impart flexibility to the rules while testing, and to ensure that you can articulate the mechanics of the game as a hard-copy.

Even if it makes total sense in your head, being able to document your emotional understanding of your game's rules might help you practically refine them into a state that can be understood, used, and played by another person.

It's also helpful to make a small rule sheet to have handy while testing a prototype. That way, if you or someone who's helping you test your game forget what to do, there's something to refer to with certainty.

There's a variety of ways to test movement mechanics. Whether your game involves a character walking around, a robot that moves like a slingshot, or turn-based tactical formations, prototyping movement is totally reasonable.

Whether your game is real-time or turn-based, it can be helpful to paper prototype in turn-based format. If your mechanics are well-rounded and easy to understand, you can progress through turns quite quickly; while still allowing yourself to pause between turns to consider how to move forward. Reflecting on what parts of your prototype caused you to pause is an effective way of spotting where there's potentially unclear mechanical interactions.

• For testing real-time movement, using a metronome set to 40-60 BPM can help you consciously measure if you're moving any given gameplay object fairly; and not sneaking in extra distance-per-second.
• Moving a coin, token, or miniature figure around a sheet of paper, with optional beverage cans or desk supplies representing buildings, obstacles, and terrain. This can be done in real time, or turn-based.
• Using a rubber band to fling small wads of paper can help you prototype player-initiated aiming/firing mechanics, or in the case of my game Harlow, the core movement mechanic. This method is applicable to real-time concepts, as well as actions that happen during the turns of a turn-based games.
• Turn-based movement is the easiest to test, since you only need to commit to a ruleset to prototype. If your movement is freeform and based on distance, a simple length of string can let you text maximum movement distances. If your movement is based on a grid, even better; just define the rules for how many squares can be traversed in a single turn.
• If you're able to, using your whole body can help test some things in a first-person perspective. For puzzle games that take place in first-person especially, making paper version of the puzzles you're asking players to solve can really help ensure you've considered context, sight lines to clues, and spatial complexity.

Artificial Intelligence

The easiest and most fun way to test artificial intelligence, in my opinion, is to clearly define the rules of the AI and then get a friend to act as the AI during a prototype playtest.

However, there's plenty of ways to test concepts that involve AI without involving anyone else.

• First, decide how and when an AI can act. Do they take actions after you? At the same time as you? What kinds of actions can they take? Etc.
• Dice rolls have been sustaining DnD campaigns for decades – and for good reason! Rolling some dice is a great way to quickly generate random outcomes. For example, you can write down that if a "4" is rolled during a given situation, the AI would decide to do something in particular, such as hiding behind a wall; whereas rolling a "5" might determine that the AI wants to walk towards the player.
• Flipping a coin can add a little entropy, at a smaller scale than rolling dice, for simple AI decisions. For example, if you're creating a strategy game about capturing tiles on a board, a coin flip might determine whether or not the AI captures a tile to the right or left of their current position.
• If you're pulling in the help of friends to test a prototype, ensure they have some sort of clearly written copy of the rules, and their available decisions as an "AI". Don't just throw them into the deep-end and expect them to swim. Onboard them to the mechanics, frequently ask if they have questions, and ensure they're comfortable with what you're testing.

Procedural Generation

Algorithmically generating entire planets, dungeons, and caves is awesome, but how the heck can you do that with just paper? Tons of ways, that's how!

• If you're testing procedural generation of landscapes, use same/similar sized pieces of paper and create chunks of your world that can be shuffled and reassembled.
• If you're testing procedural generation of quests, dialogue, or simple narrative arcs, first decide on a format, such as " Person X will request Task Y with Condition Z" . For each variable in your format, write up a bunch of potential outcomes on slips of paper, and organize them into respective piles. Then, to test your random generation, mix up each pile face-down, and assemble a full-format quest statement with one slip from each. This was how I prototyped building Sharpen , the world's largest design prompt generator, early on.
• If you're testing procedural generation of vehicles, buildings, or creatures, you can use a method similar to the above outline for generating quests. A great example of procedural creature generation is Bears vs Babies by Elan Lee and Matthew Inman.

In the early prototype phase, I've found combat best-prototyped in one of two ways: either focusing on movement, or focusing on formulas.

If you're making a Soulslike, a shooter, or even a fighting game, combat ultimately comes down to movement and decision timing. Whether you're fluidly coasting around the landscape, or scuttling from cover-to-cover, your core focus on staying alive and finding an advantage against your enemy comes down to how you move, where you can move, and when you decide to strike. Prototyping your movement mechanics can offer insight, even if large-scale firefights aren't well-scoped for prototyping in paper.

If you're making an RPG, an RTS, a 4X game, or a turn-based tactical game, you can effectively prototype combat by tracking how much health individual things have, and how much damage is done during an attack. Coins, paper wads, beads, and other small objects are a quick and visual way to keep track of health of various characters or buildings.

Building & Testing

Creating a task list.

Once you have a general direction for how your prototype will be tested, it can be useful to create a checklist of all the work required. Considering what needs assembling or how certain things will be calculated can ensure that when you get to your first playtest of a prototype you're not left caught off-guard by missing pieces.

By virtue of creating a task list, you also create a high-level inventory of what materials are needed to construct your prototype. Lots of materials don't need to be bought anew; the back of used paper, the inside cardboard from cereal boxes, and mismatched figurines from different board games can all be thrown together into an effective prototype. The point is testing mechanics, not visual cohesion.

Once you've gathered the materials needed for your prototype, get to building! The most important thing to remember during this stage is that nothing needs to look polished. Everything can be rough sketches, uneven cuts, misaligned tape, etc. As long as you can clearly identify one game element from another, you're good to go!

As you assemble the pieces for your paper prototype, you might notice opportunities to refine, change how certain things work, or simplify concepts even more in the prototype stage. That's completely fine – this early stage of a project is the best time to adjust, redefine, or reimagine how mechanics, scale, and hooks work.

Initial Prototype Testing

When getting ready to test your initial prototype, there's a few things that can help ensure your first steps are as well-placed as possible:

• A timer, so you can measure how long a session lasts. This can help you measure whether or not you're simplifying the game with future iterations.
• A note pad, so you can jot down thoughts in real-time. This is super useful to capture moments where mechanics might feel weird, new ideas for fun enhancements, or general self-reflections. You should also capture information about whether or not a given prototype test was successful.
• Spare game pieces, in case something gets damaged during testing. Drinks tip over, stray salsa might ruin a game token, you never know.
• A clear idea of the win / stop condition, so future iterations can be adequately measured against each other.

With all those parts and pieces set, you can jump into playing and testing your paper prototype with confidence.

Iterative Testing

Once you complete your first test of a playable prototype, take a moment to reflect on how things went. Write down any notes that are fresh in your mind, and think about any hiccups that happened during testing.

If things went awry and your concept ended up being difficult, not fun, or confusing, don't worry! That's why prototyping is important! Think about all the time you saved yourself finding out things were confusing using only paper, instead of building everything in code and art assets!

It can be tempting to change a whole handful of things between tests, and by all means, if you strongly think large chunks of a prototype need an overhaul, go for it. But small changes can make big impacts too. Consider tweaking a rule, or revising how a mechanic works, and then doing a small test to see how things feel. By limiting the number of things that change between tests of a prototype, you gain clarity in deciphering what changes resulted in what outcomes.

Keep testing and adjusting your prototype a few times. When jumping into a session is a fun, clear, engaging experience, you can rest assured you're on to something.

Finding the Fun

Ultimately, the goal of any game is to be a fun experience. As you test and iterate, you might observe that certain things are where the "fun" or "frustration" of your prototype is centralized. Noticing when those moments happen can be an incredibly impactful part of your journey in making a completed game.

As you move between paper prototype versions, and eventually into full production, knowing where the fun and frustration are concentrated can help you provide motivation, incentive, and encouragement to players to get through the difficult bits; while also providing them celebration, acknowledgement, and satisfaction during the fun segments. Later in production, a lot of attention on "juice" (satisfyingly heightened emphasis of gameplay moments) during these moments can further amplify their emotional impact on players.

So, as you test, keep a running list of notes about what's the most fun, why it's fun, and what parts are a little frustrating. This can also help create points of comparison for future work on your project, to see how the end gameplay matches up with – or diverts from – the fun of the prototype.

To Production And Beyond

Final section, moving on from paper.

So you built and tested an awesome paper prototype, and you're happy with how it plays. How do you move on to actual production from here?

If you're making a video game, this probably means translating some of your game ideas into code. If you're making a tabletop game, it might mean taking a step towards using the more finalized materials you're hoping to use. For the purposes of this post, I'll be focusing on video game production – though many of the same considerations remain similar.

The first way to move from prototype to production, and perhaps the most practical way, is to create a prototype milestone. (A future post will go in-depth into planning, using, and sticking to a development milestone schedule.)

If you haven't worked with milestones before, they're basically large to-do lists that span weeks or a few months. From that perspective, your first milestone might revolve solely around translating and iterating the prototype from paper to code. Instead of just tracking it as a single large to-do list item called "Make the prototype", you should identify and write out each of the parts of the prototype as its own dedicated task.

For example, if your game consists of a map, a movement system, and puddles of lava to jump over, you'd probably want to track how each of those things comes together, so you can be thoughtful in your choices.

Another benefit of making itemized milestone lists is that it helps you iterate. You might've paper prototyped a turn-based movement system, but later decided a real-time movement system is more fun. Tracking somewhere when and why you made a decision can help you debug things in the future, and is especially useful if other people are ever brought into the project.

Another way to move from prototype to production is to do a deep-dive into your own prototype's mechanics as documentation, examining the ways you'll want it to stay the same or change, once rebuilt in code. By looking at your prototype in a retrospective fashion, you're acknowledging that everything in the paper phase that needed to have changed has in fact changed and been tested , and can offer you confidence that you've done all you can before moving on. If that's a difficult call to make, it might be useful to go back and test a bit more.

Lastly, as you move from your initial paper prototypes into production, you might notice that new ideas pop up for things to test. That's totally ok! Keep track of new ideas, inspirations you want to explore, and new mechanics that seem interesting. You can always try new things out in future paper prototypes, even mid-production, to quickly determine whether something is worth building in code.

Paper prototyping is awesome. It's the most flexible and easiest to adapt stage of game development, and it can save you a ton of headaches in the future. It's one of the easiest, most accessible, and cheapest ways to test an idea out as well!

With this guide in hand, you're ready to jump into prototyping your game:

• Document your game's core concept in 1-2 sentences.
• Write out what parts of your game's mechanics you're planning to prototype.
• Explore ways to translate those mechanics into simple physical versions.
• Build those simple mechanics from craft materials and don't stress the fidelity or polish.
• Test those simple mechanics by yourself or with a friend.
• Capture how the test went in notes, and what you might want to change.
• Iterate based on your notes, and tweak any parts of the gameplay rules needed.
• Test, capture, iterate, and repeat until your prototype is clear, fun, easy to play, and flows well.
• Identify which parts of your prototype will need to change when building a coded version, and which parts will remain the same.
• Plan a detailed milestone to-do list for building a second version of your prototype in code.

Enjoy this guide?

Heya! 👋🏼 You made it to the end of the paper prototyping guide – awesome! I hope it was useful.

If you enjoyed this guide, consider subscribing (it's free) by clicking here . I'll be doing more guides like this one around accessibility, pitching to publishers, and more. I'll also be releasing some useful gamedev tools I've built just for subscribers.

As always, if you need to reach me, you can say hi on Twitter .

Cheers and good luck with your prototyping! Arman

• Artificial Intelligence /

A game about AI making paperclips is the most addictive you’ll play today

By James Vincent , a senior reporter who has covered AI, robotics, and more for eight years at The Verge.

Share this story

There’s a well-known thought experiment in the world of artificial intelligence that poses a simple, but potentially very scary, question: what if we asked a super-intelligent AI to make paperclips?

This may not sound terrifying at first, but as Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom (who first described the parable ) explains, it all depends on how well we’ve trained the AI. If we’ve given it common sense, it might ask us: “How many paperclips do you want ?” If it doesn’t know to ask, it might just make paperclips forever. And, if it’s a super-intelligent AI that we’ve accidentally forgotten to program with any human ethics or values, it might decide that the most efficient way to make paperclips is to wipe out humanity and terraform the planet into one giant paperclip-making factory.

Sound fun? Well good, because now there’s a game about it .

Designed by Frank Lantz, director of the New York University Game Center, Paperclips might not be the sort of title you’d expect about a rampaging AI. It’s free to play, it lives in your browser, and all you have to look at is numbers. (Though trust me, you’ll learn to love them.) It’s an idle clicker game — one that draws on humanity’s apparently bottomless desire to click buttons and watch numbers go up. Think Cookie Clicker or Egg Inc , but dedicated to paperclips.

You’ll start off making them the old fashioned way: one clip for one click. But pretty soon you’ll be purchasing autoclippers to do the work for you while you turn your attentions to running an algorithmic hedge fund, then building a quantum computer, and then (much later) exploring the known Universe in search of new matter to turn into more and more paperclips. How to play is pretty self-explanatory, but here are some tips if you’re getting stuck:

• Paperclips is essentially a game about balance and efficiency. You have to leave the game alone for long stretches of time, yes, but you also need to be sure you’re not wasting resources while you do so. Keep an eye on your supply chain to make sure there are no bottlenecks, and be on the lookout for any unused capacity that can be turned to your ultimate goal: making those sweet, sweet clips.
• Play at least until you get hypnodrones. When you unlock these, the game really opens up onto a new level. You thought you were making paperclips before? Hoo buddy, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
• At some point you will run into a wall that you can’t optimize your way past. You may think you’ve got to the end of the game (for example, when you’ve turned all available matter in the Universe into paperclips — a logical endpoint, sure) but there’s more to do. Unfortunately, getting past these barriers often requires patience, and sometimes you’ll have to leave the game for hours to get onto the next level.
• Don’t start playing if you’ve got anything important to do today. Or tomorrow.

All in all, the game made me think that if the paperclip maximizer doomsday scenario does ever come to pass, it will, at least, be pleasingly ironic. We go to the trouble of creating super-intelligence and it responds by cauterizing the Universe in the name of office supplies. There have been worse metaphors for the human condition. Plus, if we teach the AI to enjoy making paperclips (and some say these sorts of human-analogous incentives will be necessary to create true thinking machines) then at least it’ll be having a fun time.

Like you, it’ll have fun watching those numbers getting bigger.

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Project Manager, Developer, Web Designer and Graphic & Objects Designer.

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5 solar eclipse activities to do with children

From building an eclipse viewer to using the sun to pop balloons, here's a child-friendly activity guide for April's eclipse

By Abigail Beall

6 April 2024

There are plenty of fun eclipse activities to do with kids

Edwin Remsberg/Alamy

If you are planning to enjoy the total solar eclipse on 8 April with your children, here are a few activities you can do with them before and during the eclipse, to help them understand what causes a solar eclipse and get the most out of the experience.

1. Build an eclipse viewer

On the days leading up to the eclipse, you and your children can get excited about the big event by building an eclipse viewer . There are a few ways to do this – the first of which is a simple pinhole camera using two pieces of paper. Cut a hole in one piece of paper and cover it with aluminium foil, then poke a small hole in the foil. On the day of the eclipse, hold the paper up to let the sun beam through the hole and it will project a version of the eclipse onto a second piece of paper you place on the ground.

A slightly more complicated version involves a cereal or shoe box, placing paper at one end and cutting two holes in the other end. Over one of the two holes, you place some tin foil and, again, pierce it so that the sunlight can get through. More details on how to make both versions here .

Solar Eclipse 2024

On 8 April a total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the US and Canada. Our special series is covering everything you need to know, from how and when to see it to some of the weirdest eclipse experiences in history.

2. Build a solar eclipse model

Another activity that can be done ahead of the eclipse is building, or acting out, a model of the sun, moon and Earth to understand what a solar eclipse is . To build it, all you need is three sticks and three balls to place on top of the sticks. You can paint them or colour them in so that they resemble the sun, moon and Earth. Make sure the sun is bigger than the moon. Then, you can show your kids what an eclipse is by placing the sun in the centre, and moving Earth around the sun and the moon around Earth. When the three line up, with the moon in between the sun and Earth, we get a solar eclipse. When the moon is on the other side of Earth from the sun, we get lunar eclipses.

Your kids can also act out a solar eclipse. Give one of them a torch or flashlight, making them act as the sun, and ask them to shine the torch on a wall. The other, who is the moon, can move around until they block the torch light. They can both play around with moving forwards and backwards, to show why the distances between the moon, Earth and sun matter when it comes to eclipses.

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3. Pop a balloon using sunlight

This is something that can be done on any sunny day. But on the day you are waiting for the total eclipse, you can show your kids how to use the power of sunlight to pop a balloon. You need a balloon and a magnifying glass for this activity. Blow up the balloon and then hold the magnifying glass up so that it magnifies the sunlight onto the balloon. Wait for a few minutes and, eventually, the balloon will pop. You can also make this more exciting by blowing up a white balloon inside a black one, and doing the same trick. The black balloon should pop, leaving the white balloon intact inside. You can use this to explain how black surfaces absorb sunlight, while light surfaces reflect them.

4. Play with shadows

On the day of the eclipse, while you are waiting for totality, the partial eclipse phase will last a few hours. You and your kids can get excited about the eclipse by noticing how shadows change, and playing around with this. If you have a tree nearby, look at the shadows it casts on the ground throughout the eclipse and you will see that they start to look like a sun with a bite taken out of it. This also works by crossing your fingers over each other and casting shadows on the ground. Another way to show the eclipse through shadows is using a colander, or anything with small holes in it. As the eclipse progresses, the shadows cast will start to take on the shape of the eclipse. You can punch a series of holes in a piece of paper to spell out a word or your kids’ names in these crescent shapes.

5. Draw shadows

This is another activity that can be done in the hours leading up to and after totality, again making the most of the interesting shadows created by a partially eclipsed sun. You can lay a big white piece of paper or sheet on the ground, and ask your kids to draw the shadows cast by different objects. If you do this at the start of the partial phase, and again closer to totality, they will be able to see how these shadows change as the eclipse progresses. You should notice that, in the lead-up to totality, shadows become much clearer as the amount of ambient light is reduced.

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No solar eclipse glasses? No problem. How to make a DIY solar viewer out of a cereal box

I f you don't have solar glasses yet to watch the total eclipse happening April 8 , not to worry. The good folks at NASA have an easy way you can view the eclipse by making a box pinhole projector with common items found around your home — no degree in rocket science required.

A  rare total solar eclipse  Monday is set to chart a 115-mile-wide path over portions of Mexico, the United States and Canada. Millions of people are expected to flock toward the path of totality where they can catch a glimpse of this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

Get ready: The total solar eclipse is just days away. Here's everything you need to know

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Experts caution those watching the eclipse to be careful: it's never safe to look directly at the Sun. Doing so can permanently damage your vision. Except for a brief moment during the totality when the moon completely blocks out the Sun's rays, you should wear specialized eye protection when viewing an eclipse.

To safeguard your vision, here's how to make a box pinhole projector with common household items.

Step 1 to create a box pinhole projector, gather these items

To make a box pinhole project, gather up the following items:

• A cardboard box (you can use a cereal box, shoe box, or a box from Amazon)
• Aluminum foil
• A white sheet of paper (make sure it's large enough to cover one end of the box)

Step 2, making the pinhole projector

Follow these instructions for creating your box pinhole projector.

• Using a pencil, trace one end of the box onto the white sheet of paper. Next, cut out the shape. The paper shape you cut out should be able to fit snugly inside the box.
• Next, cut two square holes on the opposite end of the box — one on the right side and the other on the left. If you're using a cereal box, tape up the middle so your box doesn't fall apart.
• Cover one of the square holes completely with aluminum foil. Use tape to keep the foil in place.
• Take a push pin and punch a small hole carefully in the center of the aluminum foil. This is the hole sunlight will enter. The larger square hole you made is where you'll look into the box.
• Congrats, you're done!

Step 3, using your pinhole projector to look at a solar eclipse

To use your box pinhole projector, stand with your back to the sun, then hold the large square hole up to your eye and move the box around until sunlight enters the tiny hole in the aluminum foil. In a moment, you should see the sun projected onto the white paper inside the box.

You can find more ways to view the solar eclipse courtesy of NASA or by visiting exploratorium.edu/eclipse/how-to-view-eclipse .

Others are reading: A procrastinator's guide to the solar eclipse: Everything you need to know before April 8

Others are reading: Did the eclipse path change? New map reveals Hoosiers could see less of the solar eclipse

John Tufts covers trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at  [email protected] . Follow him on X at  @JTuftsReports .

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: No solar eclipse glasses? No problem. How to make a DIY solar viewer out of a cereal box

Here's a demo for POOLS, a Backrooms game with lots of lovely waterslides

No monsters, promise

I have a rule: no more than one post about a horror game per day. The mind can only withstand so much, after all. But POOLS isn't really a horror game. It's just a walking simulator in which you explore a bunch of underground swimming pools. True, their size and layout defy explanation - what is this, a swimming pool for Slender Men? - but look, there are cute covered slides you can ride down in first-person. You know, like the ones you used to enjoy as a kid. Always that element of anxiety though about getting stuck halfway down, am I right?

And then there's the unease you get when you're swimming alone, perhaps because it's almost closing time and they're turning down the lights, and the water produces unsettling sound effects - splashes amplified by certain arrangements of white tiles, that could be something exiting the pool, or entering it. There are moments like that in Amnesia: The Dark Descent , and there are moments like that in POOLS, which has a demo.

"One could say POOLS is like an art gallery where you look around and listen to the sounds," reads the Steam page . "There are very few things to solve, practically a few mazes. Sometimes the game can challenge your navigation skills. But mostly you're just... there." 'There' being one of those liminal labyrinths beloved of the Backrooms genre/meme - according to POOLS developers Tensori, there's a "Poolrooms" subgenre, too. I did not know this. I wonder how many other flavours of backroom there are. Perhaps a bookshop-themed one next?

POOLS is broken into six chapters, each lasting 10 to 30 minutes. "There's no typical story, no characters to meet, and you won't find any notes in game," the Steam blurb adds. "But as you explore and advance further, you start to notice that the game's world changes around you. Rooms look and feel different. Each chapter has something unique. Constantly you're exploring new places, each with its own kind of mystery."

On the lighter side, there's at least one pool full of inflatable doughnut floats. I used to love those as a boy, though I did once get caught under one and sincerely thought I was going to drown. Anyway! If you're interested in the Backrooms concept, there's a lot more to it - this Wired piece is a good place to start. The full version of POOLS releases on 26th April.