18/08/2026
ðē How I Used Gemini to Design My Own Board Game (From Idea to Playable Prototype!)
Ever wanted to make your own board game but didn't know where to start? I recently experimented with Google's Gemini AI to help me design one from scratch â and honestly, it made the whole process so much easier and more fun.
Here's how I did it ð
ð§Đ Step 1: Pick a real-world theme I didn't want a generic fantasy game â I wanted something familiar. So I picked Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) as my theme! The idea: players race through the airport, navigating check-in, security, immigration, and finding their gate before the flight closes.
ðžïļ Step 2: Ask Gemini to generate the visuals I prompted Gemini to create images for:
The game board (a stylized map of the airport terminal)
Character/player tokens (a tourist, a business traveler, a backpacker, etc.)
Event cards (like "Long queue at immigration â lose a turn" or "Fast track available â skip ahead 3 spaces")
The images gave me a real starting point instead of staring at a blank page.
ð Step 3: Ask Gemini for the game mechanics This was the most useful part. I asked Gemini to:
Suggest win conditions (first to reach the gate wins)
Design a turn structure (roll dice, draw event cards, move)
Balance the difficulty (adding "chance" cards to keep it fair for all players)
Write simple rules I could print out for family and friends
ðŊ Step 4: Playtest and refine Once I had a first draft, I played it with my family, noted what felt too slow or too easy, and went back to Gemini to tweak the rules and rebalance the cards.
ðĄ Why this works so well: Gemini is great at combining creative idea generation (art + storytelling) with structured logical thinking (game rules + balance) â which are usually two very different skill sets. For someone like me who isn't a professional game designer or illustrator, it closed that gap completely.
If you've ever thought "I have a fun game idea but no idea how to build it," give this a try. Pick a place or theme you know well, and let AI help you turn it into something playable!
Would love to hear if anyone else has tried designing games with AI â drop your ideas below! ð