If you’re making a game, you need to playtest! Bring your work-in-progress game and get feedback from fellow game makers! No game is too early in development for Playtest Thursday, and all types of games are welcome. Bring your board game, digital game, VR project, new sport, anything!

This specific Playtest Thursday will highlight several games that focus on the issue of climate change.

In today’s climate emergency, it is more vital than ever to keep expanding the repertoire of genres that can be used to advocate for the environment and raise awareness about the consequences of our everyday choices. City 2070 and Dish It Up are student-created board games that aim to educate players about climate change in an interactive format. The games were created in the Fall 2022 semester in Prof. Natalia Andrievskikh’s first-year Expository Writing course and then professionally designed with support of a Green Grant from the NYU Office of Sustainability. NYU Game Center MFA students Tori Smith and TJ Spalty served as game design consultants.

City 2070 invites us to imagine possible futures of urban sustainability and Dish It Up explores affordability of sustainable food choices and challenges players to consider the environmental footprint of their diets.

Also featured at this Playtest Thursday will be a sneak peek at Daybreak, the new cooperative board game about stopping climate change co-designed by Matt Leacock and Matteo Menapace. Playtesting slots will be limited, so show up early if you’d like a chance to play! Otherwise, spectators are welcome to watch and observe the playtest. Afterward, join us in Room 202 at 7pm for a lecture with Matteo Menapace about Daybreak.

Here’s how to attend Playtest Thursday in person this Spring:

Current NYU students, faculty, and staff:

  • Head to 370 Jay Street, 2nd Floor, Room 233 (the large room at the end of the hall with all the windows).
  • No RSVPs necessary, you do not need to sign-up you or your game ahead of time.
  • Arrive anytime between 5:30-7:30pm, and check-in with the PTT staff. Then you can set-up your game on any table per usual or just walk up to an open game and start testing!
  • Masks are encouraged!
  • All current NYU students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend in person. Sponsored guests who have been approved by NYU Campus Safety are welcome to attend. See the NYU Visitor Access Request Form here.

External guests:

  • Fill out this Playtest Thursday Visitor Request Form
  • Once you fill out the form, you will be permanently added to the guest list for every Playtest Thursday occurring this semester.
  • When you arrive at 370 Jay Street, check in with a Game Center Librarian in the front lobby to gain access to the building.

Playtest Thursday will be happening weekly 5:30-7:30pm February 2nd – May 4th, with the exception of Spring Break (March 16). The April 27th Playtest Thursday will be taking place on the 6th floor of 370 Jay Street. Playtest Thursday will wrap-up at 7:00pm on evenings with an event directly following Playtest Thursday (February 9th).