A couple of weeks ago I was answering emails, updating grades and checking boxes off my to do list during my plan period. It was time to start thinking about classes and curriculum planning. I began to think about my ELA class, our current unit and the routine (rut-ish) it felt like we were in. Next up in the lesson was vocabulary review. My brain began to swirl with ways I could flip the lesson to make it more interactive, more engaging and not me simply asking a question and students answering. Instantly I went to the games part of my brain and began to swipe through options that would go with my lesson: Werewords, Code Names, Just One, Starlink…
Just One. That’s an option. Warewords…oohhhh I’d been wanting to bring that into my classroom. Wait…Code Names…Code Names. Oooooo! What about Code Names and Among Us? Could I? Would it work?
I started to think about what I knew about both games:
Code Names
Code Names is set up in two teams and a 25 codenames cards placed in a 5-by-5 grid. These teams compete by each having one player “spymaster” give one-word clues to their team “field operatives” to get them to guess their word team’s word on the grid all while also avoiding the words of the other team.
Among Us
In Among Us players are are given the roles of crewmates aboard a spaceship. They must complete various tasks, acting as maintenance workers for MIRA around spaceship (Skeld). Completing the tasks ensures their safety and success. Crewmates find their cosmic research prevented and their lives at risk by beings called Impostors. Imposters want to sabotage crewmates’ work, kill crewmates and claim the operation for themselves. Imposters have infiltrated the MIRA and they are out to take over it all. “Crewmates there is an Imposter among us!”
BUILDING THE GAME– Code Names: Among Us Edition
With the two games in mind I knew I wanted to mash-up the Crewmates, Imposters, tasks mechanics of Among Us with the 5 x 5 grid, one word clue giving, word guessing of Code Names and the vocabulary from my ELA lesson into the game I was going to create….oh and I wanted it to be a game that was in person and remote learning friendly.
The Skeld
I started to build the game with google slides. I created the skeleton of the game by building a 5 x 5 grid structure of rounded rectangle cards to a slide. Next I added words to the cards.
I decided that the first few times we played through I would use words from the actual Code Names game vs. vocabulary words. I wanted my students to get used to the game mechanics, game strategy and feel success. I would change the words to vocabulary words after my students mastered the mechanics and built strategy.
The Tasks
Next it was time to create the tasks. In Code Names players use a map card. The map card is a card that tells the teams which word they want to get their teammate to guess. I used a second google slides to create the map of tasks card(s).
I created several different versions of the tasks board in slides so no one could memorize them. I made the slides view only and uses black to cover all the other slides except the one I wanted to players to see.
The Crewmates and Imposters
Unlike CodeNames, in this version there would be no teams. There would be one Crewmate “Guesser”, Crewmates and Imposters.
Crewmate “Guesser”: objective is to listen to the one word clues and try to guess the word on the Skeld (gameboard) that will complete the task (match the word that goes with the colored square on the map of tasks)
Crewmates: objective is to get the Crewmate “Guesser” to guess all the words on Skeld (gameboard) using the map of task or identify all the Imposters. Crewmates win if they get the Crewmate “guesser” to complete all the tasks (guess all the words identified by the map of tasks) or identify all the Imposters.
Imposters: objective is to keep the Crewmate “Guesser” from completing the tasks (guessing the correct words on the map of tasks) and not get caught. Imposter wins if all the words are guessed and they are not identified.
(2 Imposters to 8 Crewmates ratio…is the sweet spot but any ratio can be use. Less than 8 Crewmates use only 1 Imposter. 12 Crewmates would give you 3 Imposters and 16 Crewmates would give you 4 Imposters)
Emergency Meeting and Voting
Emergency meetings could be called by Crewmate holding up their Red Card. During emergency meeting all players would discuss who they thought was the Imposter. After discussion players cast their vote for who they think is an imposter. At the end of the voting phase any identified Imposter is out and the Crewmate with the most votes is also out.
GAME ON– Code Names: Among Us Edition
I started by projecting my CodeNames: Among Us Edition slides, creating the theme and building the story. I told students that they were crewmates aboard a spaceship. Acting as maintenance workers for MIRA around Skeld (spaceship) they must complete tasks. Completing the tasks ensures their safety and success. Crewmates find their cosmic research prevented and their lives at risk by beings called Impostors. Imposters want to sabotage crewmates’ work and claim the operation for themselves. “Crewmates there is an Imposter among us!”
Next, I showed the students slides of the word board (Skeld) and the map of tasks. I explained the players roles and how emergency meetings would work.
With the Skeld (gameboard) projected and Map of Tasks open on each of my students chromebooks, I asked for a volunteer to be the Crewmate “Guesser”. I had Crewmate “Guesser” sit in the front of the room facing the screen (unable to see a Map of Tasks). I explained that a Crewmate / Imposters would give a one word clue to the Crewmate “guesser”. When the guesser got the right word I would delete that word from the Skeld (gameboard). If they guessed wrong, nothing on the Skeld (game board) changed (the task was not completed). Then with a stack of cards with Crewmates and Imposters in one hand and red Emergency Meeting cards in the other, I passed out the red cards and role cards to my students.
Then it was time…the crew was put in cryo sleep saying, “heads down (no peaking). Imposters raise your hands, Imposters raise your heads, look at each other and Imposters put your heads down, Crewmates awake. There is an Imposter among us. GAME ON.”
CLICK on links below to grab your own copy of Code Names: Among Us Edition:
Code Names: Among Us Edition | Skeld
Code Names: Among Us Edition | Tasks
REFLECTION
My goodness I LOVEEEE games!!!
We had a blast playing Code Names: Among Us Edition. There was laughter and joking and fun and all the awesome that comes from playing games with others! My students in person as well as remote, were engaged and all had an equal part of the game play. My students blew me away with their game playing skills and the strategies they brought to the game and developed as we played. Watching them interact with each other and the game mechanics I couldn’t help but think, “What else we could do with this game mash up?”. . .
What would happen if the guesser could be an imposter?
Is it better to have some words on the Skeld (game board) that are more similar, more different or completely random?
Would more tasks be better for the game?
What if we used pictures and not words on the Skeld (gameboard)?
What would happen if we played teams and vs. and how would that work? Could it?
Oh and once you’ve got the set up and the flow of the game mastered…let one of the students run the board, grab a red emergency meeting card, pick your own card from the Crewmate/Imposter pile and play with your students!! OMG fun!!!!
