Grid Guesser Rules

What You Need:

  • A device with a larger screen that everyone can see (A computer or tablet)
  • A device with a smaller screen (preferably 2 devices) (cell phones)
  • Each device should have browser viewing the relevant game board link – Links can be selected from the Grid Guesser Directory
  • At least 4 people

IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not click the “Reveal All Colors” button until specified to do so.

Setup:

  • Assemble into two evenly divided teams. Decide which team will be Red Bold or Blue Italic.
  • Open the relevant link on all devices (see game directory)
  • Select a random word for “Board Name” and input that into all devices, and click “Apply Board Name
  • Each team must select one “Hinter” (The rest of the team is referred to as “Guessers”)
  • Decide how many words a hint can be (Anywhere from unlimited (easiest) to one (hardest)). This is referred to as the Phrase Size Limit
  • Decide which team should go first, Red Bold or Blue Italic
  • The Hinter must now look at the smaller screened device privately, and check “Reveal All Colors”. The objective of the Hinter is to get their team’s Guessers to select all of their team color’s words, and not select any of the other words.
  • If the guessers guess a word that is not assigned to their team, their turn is over.

Playing a Round:

  • The current Hinter must find a phrase or concept that links as many of their teams words as possible together. Make sure to keep the statement shorter than the Phrase Size Limit.
  • The Hinter must speak the hint and the number of words relevant to that hint.
    • For example – if the Hinter is linking the words “Diamond” & “Jawbreaker” – and the hint word limit is one word, they might say “Hard – two”
    • As another example – if the word limit is unlimited, and the hinter is trying to connect “Addition,” “Multiplication,” and “Exponents” Their hint might be “All of these concepts result in larger numbers if the inputs are all positive non-zero or non-one values – three”
    • The Hinter is not allowed to say any of the words on the game board.
    • Once the hint is spoken – the Hinter cannot provide any clarifications.
  • Next the guessers must consider the given hint, and the current game board, and select (one at a time) which word(s) they think the Hinter was trying to connect to. Click the words on the large screen to reveal their assignment
  • The teams turn finishes if they guess all of the words hinted at (namely – the number that the Hinter gives in their hint), or if they guess a word that was not assigned to their team.
  • It is now the other teams turn (unless the current team has found all of their words)

Winning:

  • A team has won if all of their assigned words have been uncovered on the large board.
  • All players say “GG”.

Starting a New Board:

  • Once you have completed a board – each team should select a new Hinter (the previous Hinter moves to the Guesser side)
  • Decide upon a new Board Name, and apply that name to each device.
  • Now begin!

Rule Discrepancies:

  • If there are any uncertainties (e.g. “Can I say this as a hint”) – this conversation should be carried out between the two Hinters privately. The determination should stand through the rest of the play session.

Creating a Custom Game Setup:

  • Click the “Toggle Options” button to view the options.
  • You can specify the size of the grid – a smaller grid will make the game easier
  • The number of words per team can be specified – more words generally make it easier for the Hinter to give clues.
  • The Custom Word Bank is a comma separated list of words that will be drawn from to populate the game board. Make sure and have enough words to at least cover your grid specification (If your grid is 5×5, you’d need at least 25 words)
  • Once you’ve configured your board, click “Apply Changes” to view how your board will look
    • It is recommended that you also apply a few different Board Names to better preview the setup.
  • To share the custom game setup, click “Copy Custom Board Link” to copy a link to your clipboard – you can then paste that link in messages to all players

Notes on Pedagogical Value

Grid Guesser provides significant pedagogical value by gamifying the process of conceptual mapping and collaborative learning. According to research, gamification enhances engagement and active participation, leading to improved comprehension and retention of concepts (Koc, 2012; Charsky et al., 2011). By tailoring the word bank to include key terms from a class or subject, students are encouraged to identify relationships between these terms, fostering deeper conceptual understanding. As they play, students must collaboratively infer connections and prioritize reasoning to link the given hints with relevant terms. This not only aids in the internalization of knowledge but also facilitates the development of critical thinking and communication skills.

Furthermore, the game’s design aligns with constructivist learning principles, emphasizing the role of social interaction and active involvement in knowledge construction (Charsky et al., 2011). The team-based format necessitates dialogue, negotiation, and shared reasoning, mirroring the collaborative and iterative processes of real-world problem-solving. Additionally, the requirement to avoid unrelated terms on the board challenges players to refine their conceptual maps dynamically, reinforcing accurate associations between ideas. By integrating these principles into an engaging and flexible platform, Grid Guesser offers a scalable and interactive method for enhancing classroom instruction and reinforcing learning objectives.

  • Koc, Mustafa. “Pedagogical knowledge representation through concept mapping as a study and collaboration tool in teacher education.” Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 28.4 (2012).
  • Charsky, Dennis, and William Ressler. ““Games are made for fun”: Lessons on the effects of concept maps in the classroom use of computer games.” Computers & Education 56.3 (2011): 604-615.
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