The Drifting Logs – Original Strategic Board Game for Education, Spatial Thinking, and Environmental Discovery

Abstract

The Drifting Logs is an original strategic and educational board game created by Doumbia Amara in Côte d’Ivoire. The game transforms the natural phenomenon of tree logs drifting, rotating, and colliding on rivers into an interactive experience based on strategy, spatial reasoning, anticipation, movement control, decision-making, and adaptation. Designed for 2 to 6 players and recommended from approximately 10 years old, The Drifting Logs combines entertainment with educational value. Players control tree-log pieces moving across a board representing a river. Instead of relying primarily on conventional linear movement, the game introduces an original pivot-based rotational movement system. Players must choose a fixed end of their log, calculate the movement of the opposite end according to the values displayed on the board, anticipate trajectories, evaluate collision risks, and adapt their decisions to constantly changing situations. The educational dimension is a central component of the project. Through active gameplay and experimentation, players develop spatial thinking, logical reasoning, concentration, observation, anticipation, strategic planning, decision-making, problem-solving, and adaptive thinking. The rotational movement system encourages players to understand positions, orientations, trajectories, geometric relationships, and the consequences of movement around a fixed point. Rather than learning these concepts only theoretically, players discover them through direct interaction with the game environment and by observing the consequences of their own decisions. The game also promotes experiential and active learning. Every turn creates an opportunity to test a hypothesis, observe a result, identify an error, and adjust a strategy. This process encourages patience, analytical thinking, perseverance, autonomy, respect for rules and opponents, and the ability to learn from mistakes. Another important educational dimension is environmental and cultural awareness. The universe of The Drifting Logs is inspired by the rivers and forests of Côte d’Ivoire. The six tree-log pieces are associated with emblematic tree species such as the Fromager (Kapok Tree), Iroko, Mahogany, Fraké, Samba, and Bété. Through this thematic approach, the game provides an accessible introduction to African natural heritage and can support educational discussions about forests, rivers, ecosystems, biodiversity, natural resources, and the relationship between human activities and the environment. The game can potentially be used in schools, educational workshops, game clubs, cultural programs, environmental awareness activities, family learning environments, and institutions interested in innovative educational games. It can serve as a complementary educational tool for developing cognitive and spatial skills while encouraging interaction, reflection, communication, and collaborative or competitive learning. From a game-design perspective, The Drifting Logs combines rotation, trajectory management, differentiated collisions, resource management, strategic positioning, and adaptation. Its collision system creates different consequences depending on which ends of two logs come into contact, requiring players to consider not only the position of an opponent but also the orientation of their own log. The project currently exists as an advanced game concept with a structured and complete rulebook. The next stages of development include physical prototyping, playtesting with different audiences, refinement of the mechanics, graphic and material development, and preparation for professional publication and distribution. This Zenodo deposit presents the general concept, educational potential, game universe, mechanics, innovations, components, and development potential of The Drifting Logs. It is intended for researchers, educators, game designers, publishers, investors, manufacturers, cultural organizations, environmental education professionals, and anyone interested in innovative board games combining strategy, education, nature, cultural identity, and African creativity. The complete technical rulebook and additional project information may be made available to interested partners as part of a collaboration, publishing, research, educational, or development process. Contact: studiojeuxamara@gmail.com Inventor: Doumbia AmaraCountry of origin: Côte d’Ivoire – Africa