Are they all the same or are there certain concepts that apply strongly to video games?

Shouldn't you already know this if you're going to teach people about it? : /

Sounds like you want simple rules with emergent complexity and a perfect or near-perfect information game will be most easy to analyze.
I would recommend:

Kingdom Builder (2-4players)
Carcassonne (2-5players)

These games both won the Spiel Des Jahres award so are pretty well-designed games to say the least. You might find some 2nd hand copies for your $20 budget on ebay or boardgamegeek (or elsewhere).

Are they all the same or are there certain concepts that apply strongly to video games?

Shouldn't you already know this if you're going to teach people about it? : /

Content is easy, meaning I can teach anything. I just study it first. Teaching method is complex. And I have a lot of experience.

Sounds like you want simple rules with emergent complexity and a perfect or near-perfect information game will be most easy to analyze.
I would recommend:

Kingdom Builder (2-4players)
Carcassonne (2-5players)

These games both won the Spiel Des Jahres award so are pretty well-designed games to say the least. You might find some 2nd hand copies for your $20 budget on ebay or boardgamegeek (or elsewhere).

Okay, what is the ideal list of games if money were not an issue?

Is that game complicated?

Yes and no. Magic The Gathering has over 20 years of variations that have been added to it. With each new set or block they introduce a few mechanics and do away with a few mechanics.

If you stick with "Standard" play it consists of only cards that were printed (or reprinted) within about the past year. During that time frame there are a small set of rules, but the interplay between the rules provides incredibly deep gameplay. The individual rules are not difficult to understand, and a player can become reasonably competent within a few play sessions. That is a hallmark of good design.

If you are looking for game design, it is a wonderful place to explore. Same for Yu Gi Oh and Pokemon. Students familiar with the games have probably already thought about cards they would create, typically creating overpowered cards that would destabilize the game. After they've made the first batch of overpowered cards, game balance and keeping the world in a state of perpetual imbalance is a wonderful concept.

I guess I should also add that I need simple games. That's why I'm avoiding Dungeons and Dragons. Not having had the chance yet to study up on the concepts of game design, and having to spend the money I have now is why I need some quick answers.

Like in the last thread, I recommend watching the Extra Credits videos on YouTube, although some are more applicable than others. It is about 30 hours of video, I recommend playing it back at higher speed (maybe 1.5x) to shorten it a bit. It covers a broad range of game design topics.

As for games to play, you can pick up just about any game the kids are familiar with and expand from it.

* Battleship is a classic one, look up variants from before it was commoditized after WW2. Change the number of shots, the types of shots, the ships in use, add effects per ship, allow ship movement, etc. Simple game mechanics that lead to different gameplay feel.

* Monopoly is so heavily modified from the actual rules that most people are shocked at the feel of the game when the standard rules are in effect and enforced; everyone has their own house rules and those are customized designs.

* Fluxx I mentioned in the last set of threads, a great game to study and have students modify. The game mechanics are very simple by themselves, with new rules being added and removed all the time as part of gameplay. Students can read the rules that come with the game, then add their own.

* Decks of cards and book covering solitaire games and competitive games can be good. Games like poker and its variants, assorted rummy-style games, pinochle, hearts, bridge, etc.

As Tom Sloper suggested, hit up your local discount stores and secondhand thrift stores. Buy whatever you find. Also pick up variations for pieces, Lego figures are expensive but fun. Tiny wood blocks of various shapes are common. Even if the games themselves aren't fun, they can be used as parts in others. Get extras. "Candy Land" could be modified into "Candy Landmine" by creative students. Get lots of sticky labels so they can cover the face of cards and write their new rules on them.

For design all you need is an initial condition, a goal to accomplish, and some rules to get between the two.

How about going the "crowdsource" way by having students bring their favorite table top games? Have them explain why it's their favorite.

If you are going to bring your own, it'd better have some elements you want to show to students -- like a supplement to your course materials.

Sounds like you want simple rules with emergent complexity and a perfect or near-perfect information game will be most easy to analyze.
I would recommend:

Kingdom Builder (2-4players)
Carcassonne (2-5players)

These games both won the Spiel Des Jahres award so are pretty well-designed games to say the least. You might find some 2nd hand copies for your $20 budget on ebay or boardgamegeek (or elsewhere).

Okay, what is the ideal list of games if money were not an issue?

Well it does depend on what you consider the key factors. e.g.

The Resistance: Avalon provides a game much of the class can play at once (IIRC it's up to 8 players), but has fairly little complexity to analyze.
Codenames allows a two teams of players to play against each other. Again, you can go up to many players, but again, the design is very simplistic.

Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar only goes up to 4 players, but you can see nearly all the information out on the board. It's also a great example of using a novelty to expand an existing idea (in this case extending worker placement games by using the cogs).
Hanabi is an example of a co-op game. It's another game in which the class could see all the information (whereas the players cannot!). And another case of using a unique novelty to create a successful game (5 players max).

But I mean, you can also just go to a thrift store and pick up some games there, or analyze long-established games like chess, backgammon, go, shogi etc... And explain why they are still played to do/what makes them a good game.

Also, Magic the Gathering IS a complex game. The rule-set is complex. Many people in the class won't get it very quickly. I don't recommend it.

Sounds like you want simple rules with emergent complexity and a perfect or near-perfect information game will be most easy to analyze.
I would recommend:

Kingdom Builder (2-4players)
Carcassonne (2-5players)

These games both won the Spiel Des Jahres award so are pretty well-designed games to say the least. You might find some 2nd hand copies for your $20 budget on ebay or boardgamegeek (or elsewhere).

Okay, what is the ideal list of games if money were not an issue?

Well it does depend on what you consider the key factors. e.g.

The Resistance: Avalon provides a game much of the class can play at once (IIRC it's up to 8 players), but has fairly little complexity to analyze.
Codenames allows a two teams of players to play against each other. Again, you can go up to many players, but again, the design is very simplistic.

Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar only goes up to 4 players, but you can see nearly all the information out on the board. It's also a great example of using a novelty to expand an existing idea (in this case extending worker placement games by using the cogs).
Hanabi is an example of a co-op game. It's another game in which the class could see all the information (whereas the players cannot!). And another case of using a unique novelty to create a successful game (5 players max).

But I mean, you can also just go to a thrift store and pick up some games there, or analyze long-established games like chess, backgammon, go, shogi etc... And explain why they are still played to do/what makes them a good game.

Also, Magic the Gathering IS a complex game. The rule-set is complex. Many people in the class won't get it very quickly. I don't recommend it.

Thanks. It sounds like any game I get is going to work, because the principles being studied are the same, correct?

What about games that just plain look good (in addition to being strong)? I assume when you all talk about good design you are referring to the game play and not necessarily to the artwork/design?

Just go for a broad variety of games, to maximize the amount of things there are to analyze. Good games to learn from them, not so good games to criticize the design. It is important to do both, IMO.

Having abstract/simplistic graphics is going to help students focus on the mechanics and gameplay. If theres lots of art and other such content, it might be more difficult to see the mechanics for what they are (as I mentioned in the other thread, the art is going to affect interpretation of how the game works). Of course, that isnt a bad thing. Learning to find the abstract mechanics of the game from under all the art is important. And you can analyze how the art effects gameplay. How does player behavior (and thus the game itself) change if you leave the rules/mechanics unchanged and just change the art (even the most experienced player cannot 100% prevent the art from influencing their decisions, and may intentionally let it happen if doing so leads to more interesting play)?

It also occurs to me that I would need a plan to move things along smoothly when the students are learning the games. In other words, it takes time to learn the rules and I don't want confusion. I will obviously need to learn the games myself real well so I can tell them how to play without them having to read instructions from the box. Anything else anyone can think of to avoid snags?