Beta Blocks: The Game

Welcome to Beta Blocks!

Why might you need a bench that heats geese? Can solar panels be used to generate music? What does it mean for a speed bump to radiate housing? Explore over 350,000 possibilities in this exciting game of creative problem solving with urban technologies!

Pick a technology, roll the dice, and try to come up with the best reasoning for your technology's randomly assigned function. Every round is a fast-paced brainstorm, and it gets even trickier once twist cards are added into the mix. Creative thinking and good presentations are the key to victory!

Beta Blocks: The Game is designed for 3—6 players, ages 12 and up. Two or three rounds of play in groups of six takes around 15-20 minutes. It is a product of the Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, the Engagement Lab @ Emerson College, and architecture, urban design, and research firm Supernormal. It was created during the summer of 2019 for the Beta Blocks project, and has been played by hundreds of Boston residents in exhibits, workshops, and at festivals.

This version of the game includes instructions for home use as a standard board game, and for using this game in workshop and educational settings. It also includes blank, dry-erase technology cards and Verb/Noun mats so you can easily customize the game to suit your needs.