Week 3 Game Reviews and Thoughts

Dumb Ways to Die Review

  • Was it fun? Yes, I had fun playing this game again. I loved playing it again. I am a little bit disappointed that they removed the pledge to stay safe around trains, because I feel like that was the game’s whole original purpose, but I feel like they also made some positive changes as well. I like that you can now customize characters and you have rewards that incentivize you to keep playing. 
  • What were the player interactions? You were able to interact with the game itself by manipulating whatever was going on in the scene during the mini games. You don’t interact with other players, but the whole point of the game is to prevent these little characters from dying in various different ways. 
  • How long did it take to learn? This game is super quick to learn, especially since it tells you how to play each mini game at the beginning of it. 
  • Would you play it again? Yes, I will probably keep this downloaded on my phone whenever I’m bored. 
  • Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. The first act would be the first round of mini games. It starts off fairly slow and it’s pretty easy to pass the mini games without dying. After the first round or two, it likely enters the second act (depending on how good you are at the game) and the timer for the mini games begins to get faster and more challenging. The third act would be when you start losing lifes and you are down to 1 life left. The second you lose that, the game is over (unless you watch an ad to save yourself). 
  • What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? While it isn’t a multiplayer game, it is definitely a more competitive type of game as it constantly reminds you of your high score so you want to be continually improving upon that. It also has you “compete” for rewards and the rewards will build up faster the better you are at the game. 
  • What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game’s metaphor originally was to be safe around trains, particularly not being on your phone distracting you as it is extremely dangerous. The game has kind of morphed into being safe in general in life, with some of the scenario mini games being probably not the most realistic ways to die, but it still carries the message. The most standout mechanic for me was being able to collect rewards from playing and gaining points. Those rewards could include character customizations, which I don’t ever remember there being before. A lot of the mechanics to complete the mini games are very similar, even more so than I remember and I am really just sick of having to tap really fast. 

Cards against Calamity Review

  • Was it fun? Yes, I enjoyed it. I found it quite challenging at times though. 
  • What were the player interactions? While you aren’t interacting with other players, the player makes decisions as the mayor about how the town was going to proceed in certain scenarios. Your decisions influenced the livelihood and resident sentiment of the town. 
  • How long did it take to learn? This game is super easy and fast to learn. However, it might take a bit longer to develop a decent strategy where you manage the stakeholders and the community sentiment, while making decisions that you agree with. 
  • Would you play it again? Yes, I would. I think I would play it and test out some different strategies to see what works best and what doesn’t. It seems like if I pick just based on the actions, what I believe is the right thing to do, it upsets some of the stakeholders, so the second time that I played, I solely looked at the stats of each of the different stakeholders. I would also be curious to see if I could pass on one of the harder difficulties. 
  • Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. The first act includes the introduction to the game, where it explains that you are a mayor and you have to balance community resilience and the needs of the community and stakeholders. I would say that the first few rounds would be included in the first act, and you are beginning to understand how certain actions may affect your gameplay experience. The second act would be when you are in the turns where you start to really make some drastic changes. You will gain or increase points in different areas drastically. The third act would be when you are nearing the end of the game and that could happen if you accidentally lose all of your community resilience points or you make it through all 8 rounds of the game. 
  • What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? This isn’t a multiplayer game but it is not necessarily a game where you are trying to get a great high score or anything you are just purely trying to survive and keep the town well. 
  • What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The metaphor of the game is that you are the mayor of a small town and you must keep your community resilient while maintaining good relationships with stakeholders. You want the town to thrive as much as possible, but you are also in the face of natural disasters and other events that can make it difficult to maintain an even balance. The mechanics that stood out to me were how each choice directly affected your points in stakeholder categories, but they could also be affected by the feedback from around the town. I found it interesting that you are allowed to go into the negatives of one of the stakeholder categories, but you cannot get to 0 community resilience. It was really interesting to try to balance everything and it was really difficult. 

Thoughts on ARGs: A World Without Oil 

I thought that this was a very interesting game idea, and I’m not sure if I would have thought of this as a game prior to this class. I think that games like this are likely much more effective at getting their point across because you are actually living and experiencing the game. Even other games that present important issues like this to me don’t seem as effective as this because there is still that level of separation between the player and the game. For most games, at the end of the day, you can put the game away, but this one, is much more of a real life experience. I think, depending on the specific game, I would play a game similar in concept to this. However, it seems like it really takes some commitment which would be quite difficult. 

Thoughts on Discovery Tour by Assassin’s Creed 

This game seems like a great idea. It allows for players to experience places and landmarks that otherwise they may never be able to see in real life. I think it would be a fascinating experience to actually play this game and I like its purpose; however, I can only imagine that this could quickly become boring. If you are able to experience this with other players, I think that would help that factor of this game. 

Thoughts on Detroit Become Human 

I am very interested in this game, especially after hearing everyone who has played this before’s thoughts. I like the idea of seeing and experiencing the backstory and lives of different characters, even if experiencing it is emotionally taxing. I don’t think I have ever played a game that has made me feel sad before and now I am very curious to experience this. The experience almost sounds like being able to interact with a really good movie. I do feel that I may have a hard time playing this game based on what I heard about it, but it sounds like it would be worth it for the emotional experience. 

Thoughts on Factorio

The artstyle of this game is super cool and I loved the intended messaging behind it. I do kind of agree with what we discussed in class that it may be difficult to fully grapple with the topic of environmental destruction as a result of industry building when you don’t really experience the negative effects of the environment being destroyed. I mean the game does seem to get harder and events happen as a result of destroying the environment, but I’m not sure if I would necessarily correlate the two if I was actually playing the game. I would probably just think that the game is getting harder because I have been playing it for a while, and not as a result of the environment being destroyed. I think if the game were to include text or dialogue about what is going on, this could make the message more effective (kind of like what is done in the McDonald’s game when you destroy the villages), but it may also turn some people off from the game. 

Thoughts on Outer Wilds 

Outer Wilds seems like such a cool game, that would be challenging. I like the idea that every so often the universe just ends and you have to restart. I think that playing it would be like a race against the clock to see how much you can explore and get done before it happens again. I can imagine it feeling a little bit existential in the process of playing it. I would definitely play this game. 

Thoughts on Gris 

I 100% want to play this game someday and plan on buying it in the future. Years ago, I was first attracted to this game because of its beautiful art style, but now that I know that this game represents mental health, I want to play it even more. It seems like it not only is visually beautiful, but that it tells a beautiful story, without being too overbearing. I also really enjoy how the mechanics of moving the girl reflect her mental state, and I really hope that that means that she gains more abilities and is able to move faster and better by the end of the game. I really really reallyyyyy want to play this game. 

Thoughts on Gone Home 

Gone home is a very intriguing game and I also love the art style of it. I like that the game is pretty much just roaming around a house trying to find clues to understand more about the game and know what is happening. From the trailer, I am very invested in the story and if I don’t get to play this game, I would be very interested in watching a playthrough of it. I wish I could say more about it but I don’t know what happens, which makes me that more enticed to play it. 

Thoughts on The Layoff Game

The layoff game seems rather simple in execution but very impactful when it comes to its messaging. I understand why a lot of people at the time of this game’s release thought that it was insensitive to what was going on, but the game’s purpose also isn’t for it to be a fun game that makes people happy. It is a commentary on real life, which is what makes it such a good game. I think that the best part of this game is the fact that it includes the biographies and a little bit about the people that you have to lay off, so it’s not just a matter of statistically laying off a lot of people, you realize that they are all people at the end of the day with different lives. It definitely humanizes the situation more from the perspective of someone who is doing all of the laying off. 

Thoughts on Fake it to Make it

I think that this game is a good example of how easy it is to make and spread fake news (as well as profit off it). I like that the game isn’t abstract in its messaging; you are doing exactly that and that is persuasive to make you realize the gravity of the situation. I also appreciate that they still did this in a way that is fun, as some of these games can start to feel too educational a lot of the time. 

Evelyn: Game Ideas

  1. Harvesting Hope – a game bringing awareness to food insecurity. Players would choose a limited amount of occupations at the beginning that would determine income level. Players are given limited hours in the day to work and focus on other tasks such as gardening. Players must choose where to spend their money – food, rent, or medicine.
  2. Climate Change – An input game where users would choose different options (like cards against calamity or bitlife). The whole world is at their fingertips, they just have to decide how to treat it. The world gradually becomes more inhabited, challenging players with real life challenges
  3. Cycles- Players would compete to make the post profit. They would need to juggle managing resources, warehouses, distribution, and sales to successfully run their production. How will you react when the supply chain breaks?
  4. GreenDay – (alternate reality game) The earth is filled with so much waste – live at least one week without any waste. Record how you reuse, recycle, and avoid adding to the landfills. Bonus points if you repurpose!
  5. Grammy’s – Be the grandma of the family. Your responsibility is to bring the family together and avoid family drama. Guide conversation, bring the humor, and make good food. Will you hold the family together?

Week3 Questions

  • how does mary flanagan’s definition of game differ from chris crawford’s as well as the definition crafted by katie salen and eric zimmerman?  To me, Mary Flanagan’s is the broadest definition. Mary Flanagan defines a game as “situations with guidelines and procedures.” Chris Crawford says a game is a “system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome.” Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman say it is “a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome.” One difference between Mary Flanagan and the others is the fact that she doesn’t specify that it must be artificial.
  • what is an activist game? activist games are designed to change the players mind and promote a social message.
  • go and chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information”, what other games share that feature? checkers and tic tac toe
  • why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures? Perhaps it would be seen as symbolism of the will of the divine.
  • when was the earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games? what modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized? perhaps in ancient greece and early Christianity. They didn’t like gambling and so games using this mechanic were frowned upon.
  • what is a fox game, and what would be a modern example? a fox game is where the opponents have unbalanced powers or rules working in their favor. Maybe pokemon is a fox game?
  • what was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness? players compete to be the first to reach “happiness,” or heaven, a large square in the center of the board. Progress is attained through good moral conduct in the context of the home.
  • Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surealist movements play games? Why did Surealists believe games might help everyone? They were both interested in exploring art in new ways. The Fluxus movement embraced playfulness, interactivity, and spontaneity and so gaming would be the perfect outlet. Games can be interactive art that draws people together around a social issue. Surealists believed that games would help people break out of the everyday rigidity of life.
  • Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WW2? Cultural changes can lead to game changes. As the US government cracked down on gambling, the gambling-esque features of pinball games had to be altered. (some machines were banned). Players no longer were offered cash rewards but only tokens. This changed the perception of the game from a gambling game to a skill-based game.
  • What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like monopoly and ping pong? By reskinning Monopoly, they made a critique on capitalism and demonstrated their perspective on the economy. The artists also proved how rules of play can shape our understanding of economics and success.
  • How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco and Ruth Catlowusing war games? These artists have use their craft to interactive experiences that allowed players to engage in something that combatted an issue.
  • Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game? Players must feel that their decisions impact the gameplay and storyline. As defined by Janet Murray, agency is “the satisfying power to take meaningful action and see the results of our decisions and choices.”

Empathy Game Ideas – Week 3

  1. An empathy game disguised as a dress up game – In this game, you literally see what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes. You dress your character up for different occasions and events however your outfit options will be limited based on who you are playing as, as some characters may have more resources than others. This game could also explore dressing for different religions to not only provide a little bit of education about different religions but make people more familiar with religious garments and their purpose.
    1. Wrinkle: You play this game IRL and report your findings. You are assigned or choose the lifestyle of another person to emulate and your clothing choices must reflect that to see how you may be treated differently or not. For instance, there are certain items of clothing that you may not be able to wear as they would be out of the price range for your particular persona.
  2. Dog’s Life – This game explores empathy through the perspective of a dog. You are home alone almost all day until your human comes back home (where did they even go??) and your human accidentally steps on you, but to you it felt purposeful. Your human decided to go on a run without you (ultimate betrayal). This game would explore the little interactions that humans have with their animals that humans don’t often think about. To the dog, you are their whole world, they absolutely need you. For a human though, they obviously love them, but their lives also have so much more. 
  3. Blindness Platformer – A platformer game where you play and experience the game first normally, then will replay levels or the whole game with limited visibility with different types of blindness and color blindness. You see how this affects the game and you learn a little bit more about the different types of blindness. This is designed to get people to be more empathetic towards people with these disabilities. 
  4. Underdeveloped Country Simulator – This game would allow you to play as someone growing up in an underdeveloped country. You want to stay alive as long as possible, but you will be faced with many challenges. This could include food and water scarcity. This game will also explore different forms of cultural entertainment, because you still want to “enjoy” life. Players will learn more about the country and their culture, as well as some of the unique challenges of underdeveloped countries. This will make people consider the things that we often take for granted. 
  5. Realistic Food Service Game – This game will present the food service industry in a more realistic manner to make players more empathetic of the people who are serving them and greeting them at restaurants. It will explore what it is like to have to live off of tips, how poorly some customers treat servers, etc. 

Five Game Ideas That Revolve Around the Theme of Empathy

  1. Walk in My Shoes: Players live as someone different (refugee, single parent, etc.). They make tough choices about daily life and see the consequences.
  2. Echoes of War: Players are civilians in a war. They make moral choices and see how war affects everyone.
  3. Through Their Eyes: Players see the world with disabilities (blindness, deafness, autism). They learn to understand different abilities.
  4. Chain of Kindness: Players do kind things that affect the game. It shows how small acts matter.
  5. The Stranger’s Story (ARG): Players get messages from someone who needs help. They solve puzzles and work together to help. It mixes real life and fiction to build empathy. It uses real-world clues and actions to make the story feel real and encourage players to care.

The Stranger’s Story

How It Works:
Players receive a cryptic message, email, or social media post from a person who seems to need help.
Using real-world interactions (e.g., visiting a certain location, researching online, or collaborating with other players), they uncover pieces of the person’s story.
The game changes dynamically based on how the player responds—offering support, ignoring the message, or taking different paths.

Core Themes & Impact:
Players become part of a living narrative where their choices determine how the “stranger” (a fictional but believable character) overcomes their struggles.
Designed to promote real-world awareness, such as homelessness, mental health, or immigration challenges.
Uses player collaboration and real-life locations to foster engagement, making empathy an active and immersive experience.

WEEK 3

How does Mary Flanagan’s definition of a game differ from Chris Crawford’s, as well as the definition crafted by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman?

Mary Flanagan sees games as more than just fun or competition. For her, games can be tools for activism or making a statement, not just about winning or losing. Chris Crawford focuses on how games are different from puzzles. He says games are dynamic—they change as players make decisions, while puzzles stay the same until you solve them. Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman define games more strictly. They see games as systems with rules, where players face artificial challenges and work toward a clear outcome, like winning or losing.

What is an activist games

Activist games teach about social issues. They try to make players think about problems like fairness and equality. They’re more than just fun.

What other games feature “perfect information” like Go and Chess?

Checkers, Shogi, Othello, and Mancala are games where everyone sees everything. No secrets or luck.

Why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures?

Long ago, people thought luck and chance came from the gods. Gambling was seen as fate or the gods’ power. It was both fun and spiritual.

When was the earliest battle between governments/religious groups and games? What modern games have been banned or demonized?

Some people have always thought games were bad. Like in Egypt and Mesopotamia, they thought gambling was a bad influence. Today, some video games are criticized for violence like GTA and Doom, and some board games for promoting capitalism.

What is a fox game, and what would be a modern example?

Fox games have one player (fox) against many (geese). The fox tries to win. Dead by Daylight is a modern example with a killer (fox) hunting survivors (geese).

What was the purpose or intent of the game Mansion of Happiness?

Mansion of Happiness was a game to teach good Christian behavior. Good actions helped you, bad actions set you back

Why did artists from the Fluxus and Surrealist movements play games? Why did Surrealists believe games might help everyone?

Artists like Fluxus and Surrealists used games to be creative and different. They wanted to challenge old ideas. Surrealists thought games helped people think creatively and avoid strict rules.

Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WWII?

Games can change with what people believe. Like during WWII, pinball machines were changed to support the war instead of gambling.

What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like Monopoly and Ping Pong?

Fluxus artists changed Monopoly and Ping Pong to show problems with capitalism. They made them silly, cooperative, or critical, not about winning or losing.

How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco, and Ruth Catlow using war games?

Artists change war games to show war is bad and to talk about peace. They sometimes make war games abstract or symbolic to challenge how we usually think about war.

Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game?

Agency means players can actively take part and think about a game’s ideas. Without agency, players just passively receive messages, without really thinking about them.

HW

  • Discuss:
    • ARGs: A World Without Oil:
    • I feel like this is a good real world scenario that not only helped players become more conscientious about the environment, but it also pushed them to make an impact through gardening, biking to work, or participating in local farmers markets.
    • Discovery Tour by Assassin’s Creed:
    • I feel like this took all the fun out of Assassin’s Creed, as you couldn’t play the traditional game mechanics in these historical sites. However, from a strictly historical standpoint, I would say it was worth the knowledge of these places architecturally in their true forms.
    • Detroit Become Human:
    • Although I’ve never played this game, I hear that it draws emotions out of the players, and the fact that there are so many different ways that the game could play out, I think that is something as game designers we should strive for.
    • Factorio:
    • This game partially influenced one of my future prototypes that I am currently in the conceptual stage with. I tried incorporating the sense of colonizers Vs Natives in an attempt to steal resources to take over their land. If I had a critique on this game, maybe they shouldn’t have made it so fantasy, like prof. Ames said, and instead shed some light on the struggles of the natives due to these factories being built.
    • Outer wilds:
    • This game screams fantasy and future dystopian in an alien yet sorta familiar world. I think this game succeeds in the idea that sometimes nature can be scary, and that sometimes one must defend themselves from it.
    • Gris:
    • I loved the art and seamlessness of the animations and the actual playing of the game, as they all looked uniformed to each other and worked super well. Although it was hard to get the hang of it at first, understanding that sometimes a game is just there to make you think differently but not stress out too much about it was reassuring. Beautiful style and theme.
    • Gone Home:
    • Idk why but this game reminded me of that one game where you’re in that house and you try and escape from an evil granny.
    • The Layoff Game:
    • I think this is one of those satire games that people shouldn’t get too upset about, as the developers took a real world issue, and simply poked fun at the matter. Do I agree with the message, no. However, I wouldn’t go as far to feel offended by it.
  • Homework:
    • Generate a list of five game ideas that revolve around the theme of empathy. Wrinkle: Take one of the five ideas and make it an alternate reality game.
    • 1. Emotional Pictionary: players must draw a feeling that they have in under a minute. Then it is up to other players to guess what it was that made them feel that way.
    • 2. Poverty POV: Engage in a POV from all different walks of life, resulting in understandment for what other cultures must go through around the world in 3rd world countries
    • 3. Pet paradise. This game consists of players competing to rescue as many stray dogs as possible in order to bring them from their life on the streets, into a pampered home, by playing different challenges and rolling a percent die to determine the outcome.
    • 4. shroompathy: Players take on the role of someone experiencing a deep, emotional, and slightly ridiculous psychedelic journey. Other players must guide them through it in the most empathetic yet funny way possible.
    • One player draws a Trip Card (weird, surreal experience).
    • The other players respond with Guide Cards (comforting or unhelpful things a “trip
    • sitter” might say).
    • The tripping player awards the point to the most comforting but absurdly funny response.
    • 5. Ink Memories: this game is set in a dystopian world where people forget their past, but tattoos preserve their memories. As a tattooist, players restore lost moments through symbolic ink-work. Clients’ reactions change depending on how well the tattoo captures their forgotten experiences.
    • Read: Chapter 1 and 3 from Flanagan, Mary. Critical Play Radical Game Design, MIT Press, 2009
      • From chapter 1:
        • How does Mary Flanagan’s definition of a game differ from Chris Crawford’s, Katie Salen’s, and Eric Zimmerman’s?
        • Chris Crawford defines games as interactive and competitive. In which players make decisions to reach a goal. Overall, he focuses heavily on conflict and competition.
        • Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman define games as much more structuralized set of rules. Which in turn determine the outcome of the game. Their definitions highlight systems, player interaction, and experience
        • Mary Flanagan, Defines games as tools for expression, social commentary, and activism. She pushes that games have the ability to challenge cultural norms and create new forms of engagement beyond simply being played for enjoyment or entertainment. This is a lot like the definition of an activist game.
        • what is an activist game?
        • An activist game is a game designed to promote social change, critique issues with how our world is run, or raise awareness about real problems in the world.
        • From chapter 3 –
  • go and chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information”, what other games share that feature?
  • Checkers, Shogi, Tic-Tac-Toe
  • why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures?
  • Bc Ancient societies believed that randomness/luck was connected to the divine.Dice games, lot-drawing, and other gambling mechanics were often used for:
  • Decision-making by deities
  • Predicting the future
  • Determining leadership or settling disputes.
  • when was the earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games? what modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized?
  • In Ancient China (3000 BCE), these rulers attempted to restrict gambling due to its association with disorder. Currently, games that I can think of that have been banned are games like happy wheels in schools, as it was too gorey for children to play according to the teachers and staff.
  • what is a fox game, and what would be a modern example?
  • strategy board games in which a predator tries to catch prey. A similar modern game to this could be Agar.io as you spawn for the soul purpose to eat smaller circles than you.
  • what was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness?
  • Mansion of Happiness was a christian morality-based board game that rewarded players for good behavior. All the while punishing sins such as pride, idleness, and gambling.
  • Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surealist movements play games? Why did Surealists believe games might help everyone?
  • Fluxus artists used games to challenge traditional art forms as well as a critique on capitalism.
  • Surrealists saw games as a way to unlock the unconscious mind, in a way to free creativity
  • Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WW2?
  • During World War II, pinball machines were redesigned to feature military themes, in a hope to make the players more patriotic.
  • What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like monopoly and ping pong?
  • It allowed them to give a critique on capitalism, as well as turn a competative game, into something more collaborative
  • How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco and Ruth Catlow using war games?
  • to critique political powers
  • Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game?
  • it helps players engage deeper with the message that a game tries to push.

Week 3 Game Ideas – Empathy

1. “Walk in Their Shoes”

  • Concept: This narrative-driven role-playing game invites players to experience a day in the life of a character facing unique challenges, such as someone from a different cultural background, a person with a disability, or a refugee.
  • Gameplay: Players make choices that affect their character’s day-to-day experiences, navigating obstacles like social misunderstandings, discrimination, or physical challenges. The game would highlight the emotional and practical struggles these characters face, aiming to foster empathy by showing the world from their perspective.
  • Objective: By engaging with these experiences, players gain insights into the complexities of different lives and the emotional weight carried by those in marginalized situations.

2. “Perspective Shift”

  • Concept: In this cooperative game, players control two characters—each from opposing sides of a conflict or disagreement (e.g., two people in a tense relationship or people from different cultural or political backgrounds).
  • Gameplay: Players must solve puzzles, overcome obstacles, and collaborate while switching between the two characters, forcing them to see the world from the other’s point of view. Each character has unique strengths, weaknesses, and biases. Players must communicate and work together to solve problems, realizing that empathy is key to overcoming conflict.
  • Objective: The goal is to reach mutual understanding and collaboration, encouraging players to embrace the challenges of seeing and appreciating the perspectives of others in order to resolve conflicts peacefully.

3. “Emotion Cards”

  • Concept: A card-based game where players take turns drawing cards that represent emotional scenarios (e.g., a person who has just received bad news, a child who is trying to make friends, someone experiencing a great success). The other players must guess the emotional state of the character based on limited clues.
  • Gameplay: Players engage in conversations about the scenarios, interpreting body language, tone of voice, and written clues. The game encourages reflection and discussion about how emotions shape behavior and interactions.
  • Objective: The goal is to identify emotions correctly, but also to understand the complexity of those emotions and why people act the way they do, promoting empathy in understanding human feelings.

4. “The Giving Game”

  • Concept: This cooperative, story-driven game focuses on players working together to help people in their community or environment. The game revolves around different scenarios where characters face emotional or material hardship (e.g., a friend in need of support, a neighbor facing loneliness, a colleague dealing with stress).
  • Gameplay: Players are tasked with finding ways to give help—whether through time, understanding, or resources—and must navigate the consequences of their decisions. The game includes challenges like time management, emotional intelligence, and resource allocation, all while keeping the needs of others in mind.
  • Objective: The game encourages players to think about how empathy and selfless actions affect relationships and communities. The aim is not just to help but to truly understand the other person’s needs and offer thoughtful support.

5. “Empathy Quest”

  • Concept: A quest-style adventure game where players must embark on a journey to help others, each representing different walks of life. Along the way, players encounter individuals who need help with personal, emotional, or social issues, requiring players to listen, understand, and act thoughtfully to provide solutions.
  • Gameplay: The game offers dialogue options, where players choose their responses, each revealing a different level of empathy. For example, players might need to choose whether to comfort someone, offer advice, or simply listen. These decisions will influence how the other characters view the player and whether they trust or feel supported.
  • Objective: The goal is to build trust and relationships, with success tied to the player’s ability to understand others’ emotions, provide appropriate help, and make the world around them a better place through empathy.

Review On Games Played Week 3

Dumb Ways To Die: I think this is the first game that was shown in class that I have actual played. I remember playing this game on my ipad as a child. Though I used to play it as just a form entertainment rather than thinking about what the game’s actual purpose.

Cards Against Humanity: To be honest I am not really sure if I have an opinion on this game. I wasn’t really totally sure what was going on while I was watching this game be played. It doesn’t really seem like a game I would enjoy either.

Cast Your Vote: This is another game that I wouldn’t really choose to play. I don’t know why but I have never really enjoyed games that were like this.

Sara Estus – Reading Questions Response

Chapter 1 Reading – Critical Play Radical Game

  • How does Mary Flanagan’s definition of “Game” differ from Chris Crawford’s as well as the definition crafted by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman? 
  • While Mary Flanagan feels that games function more as cultural products, shaped by the designer and players to create a specific experience, stating that games are about how players interact with a system, being deeply influenced by cultural context and personal interpretation. Chris Crawford’s definition of games is vastly different, distinguishing between games and puzzles, emphasizing that games evolve and are shaped by the player’s actions, while puzzles are static and have fixed solutions, leading to the idea that games are dynamic, and rules can change based on the player’s decisions. However, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman stated that a game is a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome. outlining six key components; system, artificial, players, conflict, rules, and outcome, presenting a more formal and structured approach to understanding games.

  • What is an Activist Game?
  • Mary Flanagan states that Activist games are characterized by their emphasis on social issues, education, and, occasionally, intervention. More so that the concept is a challenge on real issues, through the themes, narratives, roles, settings, goals, and characters; and less commonly, through game mechanics, play paradigms, interactions, or even the concept of winning to benefit an intended outcome beyond a game’s entertainment or experiential value alone.

    Chapter 3 Reading – Critical Play Radical Game

    • Go and Chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information”, what other games share that feature?
    • More examples of games that feature “Perfect information” are Tic-Tac-Toe, checkers, and Mancala.
    • Why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures?
    • Chance or Gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance in ancient cultures, due to the factor of the game sharing the principles of “fate and divine will.” Anthropologists and play scholars Csikszentmihalyi and Bennett noted that games of chance “seem to have emerged from the divinatory aspect of religious ceremonials.
    • When was the earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games? What modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized?
    • The earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games can be traced back to Ancient Rome with gambling, though gambling was initially allowed in Rome, concerns about its social and moral effects grew, with leaders like Emperor Augustus who tried to stop excessive gambling by imposing restrictions and laws.
    • What is a fox game, and what would be a modern example?
    • A fox game is “a group of board games featuring unequal opponents, one player is the fox, or aggressor. Other players control or play the numerous geese, sheep, or prey the fox tries to eat while the fox attempts to avoid the traps his opponents set all around him.” A modern-day example of this (Sorry this is so funny) is Among Us, where one player is an imposter, and the others are normal crewmates. The idea of the game is to find the imposter before too many crewmates are murdered.
    • What was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness?
    • In the game: “Mansion of Happiness” “players compete to be the first to reach “happiness,” or heaven, a large square in the center of the board. Progress is attained through good moral conduct in the context of the home. Here, good deeds lead children and their play pieces down the path to “eternal happiness” and players must beware of landing on spaces that interject, albeit through chance, the setbacks of “vices” such as cruelty and ingratitude.”
    • Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surrealist movements play games? Why did Surrealists believe games might help everyone?
    • Surrealists emphasized the playfulness of Dada using chance and juxtaposition, but they were also concerned with the internal workings of the mind and encouraged a deep focus on the subconscious. Relying on the work of Sigmund Freud, and the importance of perceptions. This understanding pushed Surrealists to believe that games might help everyone by challenging the mind and how players perceive the world. However, Fluxus artists saw that games lay between the rational and the absurd, between mobility and fixed trajectories, and between logic and chance. And sought a new art practice, one that was open to humor, intimacy, player agency, and various aspects of performance.
    • Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WW2?
    • Changes in game mechanics, themes, technology, or social contexts can often signal profound shifts in games, whether they are physical, digital, or social. These changes may arise from new technological advancements, shifts in cultural attitudes, or responses to external circumstances, such as war.  With this, during WW2 pinball games were reskinned due to a shortage of metals, often, the machines would become completely non-electric, depending on plastics and wooden components. Artistically, during the war pinball machines contained patriotic art, rather than pop culture.
    • What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like Monopoly and Ping Pong?
    • By distorting the structure of Monopoly or removing its focus on profit, Fluxus artists sought to expose the artificiality and destructiveness of capitalist structures, pushing for a more playful and egalitarian approach to human interaction and creativity. Furthermore, Fluxus artists were not necessarily interested in the outcome of games but rather in the process of playing itself. This approach to Ping Pong de-emphasized competition and embraced the idea that art and play should be about exploration, interaction, and openness rather than winning or following traditional rules.
    • How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco, and Ruth Catlow using war games?
    • Lilian Ball often uses participatory art to engage audiences in reflecting on power and conflict through game-like interactions.
    • Marcel Duchamp uses chess as a metaphor for strategy, power dynamics, and competition, exploring the intellectual and aesthetic aspects of games.
    • Takako Saito creates interactive, unpredictable game-like situations that question traditional roles and the arbitrary nature of conflict.
    • Yoko Ono uses games to envision peace and cooperation over violence, with works like Play It by Trust promoting pacifist ideals.
    • Gabriel Orozco reimagines chess with expanded possibilities, symbolizing freedom and creativity in resolving conflict rather than being bound by fixed rules.
    • Ruth Catlow creates a reworked chess game called Rethinking Wargames that introduces pawns as resistors to violence, emphasizing the importance of negotiation and nonviolent resolution.
    • Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game?
    • Player agency is crucial because it allows players to feel that their choices and actions have a meaningful impact within the game world. By creating a space (the magic circle) players can feel that what they say and do matters in terms of the outcome of the game. Agency also allows players to better reflect on serious matters that can promote learning.

    Week 3 Questions

    From Chapter 1:

    • How does mary flanagan’s definition of game differ from chris crawford’s as well as the definition crafted by katie salen and eric zimmerman? Chris Crawford contrasts what he calls “games” with puzzels. Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman among other game scholars, note a wide variety of definitions of the term “game”. Salen and Zimmerman (2003) also discuss the designer’s ability to create situations for “meaningful play.” 

    • What is an activist game? Activist games can be characterized by their emphasis on social issues, education, and, occasionally, inter-vention. In other words, they are not purely conceptual exercises, but rather, games that engage in a social issue through, most commonly, themes, narratives, roles, set-tings, goals, and characters; and less commonly, through game mechanics, play para-digms, interactions, or win states to benefit an intended outcome beyond a game’s entertainment or experiential value alone. 

    From chapter 3 :

    • Go and chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information”, what other games share that feature? Checkers, and tic-tac-toe

    • Why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures? There is evidence that ancient games involving chance often held spiritual and
    • ritualistic importance. Senet offered board designs for two players and rules incorporating chance. Hounds and Jackals, or Fifty- Eight Holes, appeared in Egypt in the Middle Kingdom around 2000 BC and consisted of two parallel tracks of twenty- nine holes assembled in groups of five. 

    • When was the earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games? what modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized? In 1254, St. Louis IX of France forbade Tafl at court, calling the game “inhonesti ludi.”33 Thus the battle between government or religious groups and games is at least as old as this event, if not much older. I am not really a gamer so I can’t really think of any games that have been banned.

    • What is a fox game, and what would be a modern example? a group of board games featuring unequal opponents, one player is the fox, or aggressor. Other players control or play the numerous geese, sheep, or prey the fox tries to eat while the fox attempts to avoid the traps his opponents set all around him. Fox games are characterized by an unbalanced set of game goals and a rather abstract board. These “unbalanced games” paralleled the popularity of chess, Go, and backgammon, and their rules of play were relatively stable.

    • What was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness? Players compete to be the first to reach “happiness,” or heaven, a large square in the center of the board.

    • Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surealist movements play games? Why did Surealists believe games might help everyone?  Artists, especially those who followed the Surrealist and Fluxus movements, also tend to play games as a form of recreation and research. Surrealists believed that games might help everyone—artists, scientists, politician, even farmers, tap into the spiritual realm and the human unconscious. 

    • Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WW2? As seen in fi gure 3.20, the typical wildlife featured in the original game is replaced with a changeover unit to make the game politically relevant during the Second World War. 

    • What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like monopoly and ping pong? Fluxus artists were deeply interested in breaking down the boundaries between art and everyday life, and by reskinning games like Monopoly and Ping Pong, they made statements that challenged traditional notions of art, culture, and social structures. Fluxus, which emerged in the 1960s, was a movement that sought to blur the lines between art and life, using games and interactive actions as platforms for artistic expression and political critique.

    • How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco and Ruth Catlowusing war games? Artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco, and Ruth Catlow engage with the concept of war games in different ways, often using the format of the “game” as a tool for exploring themes such as power, control, violence, and the absurdity of war. These artists might either directly reference military conflicts or use the structure of games to critique traditional notions of war. 

    • Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game?

    Games, such as Catlow’s chess game, expose the possibilities of player agency in other ways: fi rst, by empowering the pawns, thus imbuing traditionally conceived pieces/ roles with new power; second, by opening up the possible outcomes of the game in terms of widening the possible win states, thus rewriting the original in visionary ways. Metaphorical or actual, the game design must embody action, and depending on how active a game feels, its critique may be more or less apparent.