Mason Tosadori Week 4
Observance
- What made the experience fun or not?
- The game was decently fun but there are a few tweaks I would change. The game is very chance based. I believe the americans are really strong and its super easy to catch the people on team MEX. The mex need to reveal themselves to find the churches, which easily gets them caught, and then they have 2 chances to find the green card, if they dont find it they have to send their people to actually stand on the A row and search space by space. If they miss they reveal their location and will easily get caught, so you hav to find it really early on.
- What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing?
- The factor is to go and find the green card and save all your immigrants, or on the other hand stop all the immigrants from getting into america.
- Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game?
- The game is trying to get players to look at and understand whats going on at the border. Aliens want to sneak into America to get a better life while Americans are trying to keep the Aliens out. It shows what both parties have to go through, sneaking in and also trying to keep these people out.
- What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?
- The games metaphor is symbolic of trying to get a better life while others try to keep them away from it. It resembles battle ship in game mechanics but the fact that your pieces directly interact with your opponents pieces is a different mechanic.
- How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for?
- The game makes me feel empathy for the immigrants trying to get into the country, but I understand how people can also have empathy for the workers who are doing their job and trying to keep people from sneaking into the states instead of coming in legally.
- Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for?
- I think the game is an activist game advocating for immagrants trying to get into the US. It shows their struggles and how dangerous and difficult it is just to try and be more successful in life.
- Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku
- Team MEX tries to sneak, the americans catch them, away from better life
- LAST RESORt
- What made the experience fun or not?
- The game was fun, its a mix of chess but theres a whole new aspect with the civilians and having multiple ways to win. It gives room for alot of strategy while also having a message about 2 sides of war and how it effects innocent people.
- What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing?
- The motivation is to beat your opponent in battle while also keeping civilians safe in the crossfire. Its a 1v1 competitive game so that makes the competiton alot more direct compared to group played games.
- Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game?
- The game is persuasive in the sense of giving the players a deeper perspective of war. It shows how it can effect civilians and how people can get caught in the cross fire. It also gives the perspective of how civilians arent just on the sidelines, but a direct strategy that each side has to take into account.
- What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?
- The games metaphor is symbolic, almost directly, of the perspective of innocent civilians in wars. The game mechanics focus on this by letting you kill and capture the civilians, giving the game a whole other loop off strategy and ways to win the game involvining civilians insetad of just killing your enemies pieces.
- How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for?
- I like the gameplay alot, theres alot of strategy and different moves to make, and because there are multiple win conditions you never know what your opponents goal might be. It is empathetic towards people effected by war who arent directly involved. It shows troops moving around them and even taking thei lives, showing the effects war has on people other than troops.
- Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for?
- The game seems like an antiwar kind of game. It shows the taking of lives with troops, but also being able to set of smaller bombs and a nuke which can take out most of the board shows the losses and spoils of war.
- Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku
- 2 sides of a war, civilians in the way, decide how you win
What learning games have you played? Which learning theory do they fit? Which worked best?
I have played games like Kahoot and Duolingo. Kahoot and Duolingo mostly use rewards like points and streaks, which fits behaviorism because you get rewarded for correct answers. The games are competitive and have leader boards. Kahoot worked for me because it shows the whole class if you got the answer wrong, making me work harder to not embarss myself.
Is gamification “bullshit”? What is Bogost’s argument? Do you agree? Where have you seen it?
Ian Bogost says gamification is “bullshit” because it just adds points and badges to boring tasks. He thinks this does not make something truly fun or meaningful. It only tries to push people to work harder without changing the task itself. I have seen gamification in fitness apps and store rewards programs. It can be motivating at first, but it usually does not last, so I mostly agree with him.
What is a serious game, and why aren’t they “chocolate-covered broccoli”?
A serious game is a game made to teach or explore real-world topics. It is not just a boring lesson covered up to look fun. Learning happens through playing and making choices. This makes the experience feel more real and engaging.
5 Ideas for a serious game.
1. Student money manager
You play as a student who has to budget money for rent, food, and bills. You learn how to save and avoid debt.
2. Save the earth
You run a city and make choices about pollution and clean energy. Your decisions affect the environment and the people.
3. Fake New
You read news stories and decide if they are true or false. The game teaches how to spot fake news.
4. Stop the Virus
You try to control a disease in a town. You choose rules to keep people safe while keeping businesses open.
5. Life Choices
You play as someone facing challenges like poverty or disability. Your choices show how hard daily life can be.
I choose the game Gamer Girl for the podcast.
Game Design 2 week 4 Reading homework
- what learning games have you played? can you categorize them by the theory of learning types: behaviorism, constructivism, constructivism or social nature? if you played more than one which was the most effective? I have played learning games like Duolingo, Kahoot, Quizlet, Animal Jam, and a few others. Most of them I would say is behaviorism like Duolingo, Kahoot , and Quizlet because you get rewarded when a question is right, but punished if an answer is wrong. I would say Animal Jam and Minecraft are more social nature because you kind of make your own decisions , but you aren’t punished you just kind of learn from them. I think the most effective is Kahoot or Duolingo because they incorporate a bunch of fun games in order to learn the topic, and they make it easy to memorize.
- is gamification bullshit, what is ian bogost’s argument and do you agree? where have you encountered it outside of class and what was your experience?Ian Bogost argues that gamification is a shallow imitation of games. It borrows surface features points, badges, leaderboards, but ignores what makes games meaningful: choice, systems, and consequences. To Bogost, gamification is often: Manipulative, Focused on compliance, not learning A way to make boring systems feel fun without changing them. I agree with him because at first, it feels motivating, but over time it becomes stressful or meaningless. The system hasn’t changed, only the wrapping has.
- What is a serious game and why aren’t they chocolate covered broccoli? Matthew Farber argues that serious games don’t hide learning inside fun, they make learning the game itself. Their rules and systems express ideas, teach through experience, and let players feel real consequences. They aren’t chocolate-covered broccoli because the mechanics are the message, as seen in games like Papers, Please, This War of Mine, and Darfur is Dying, which teach by placing players inside the system rather than rewarding them for correct answers.
Week 4 Questions
Observance
What made the experience fun or not?
The experience was fun because if you are the immigrants, you don’t know where your opponents players are and its the mystery of where the green card and the churches are. The game gets a lot easier once you find the green card so you can escape. If you are the boarder patrol, you get to choose where the green card is and the churches. You also have the opportunity to block the immigrants and do search formats that will help sweep them from the board.
What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing?
The motivating factor for the immigrants is to find the green card to escape. The motivating factor for the search patrol is to find where the immigrants are and wipe them off the board.
Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game?
Yes the game is persuasive because it is subtly trying to show you what the boarder is like in real life and is trying to influence your beliefs and social understandings.
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?
It compares immigration to the game battleship. The mechanic that stands out is the search and hide characteristic of the game that reinforces the cat and mouse dynamic at the boarder.
How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for?
The gameplay can feel uncomfortable and strategic rather than playful. It often creates empathy for immigrants because they are positioned as vulnerable and constantly under threat of being “found.” Depending on the role you play, it can also make you reflect on the system itself rather than just one side.
Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for?
Yes it can be considered an activist or persuasive game. It advocates for critical reflection on U.S. border politics and immigration enforcement by exposing how the system reduces complex human experiences into tactical operations.
Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku.
Observance is a board game modeled after Battleship that explores immigration and border patrol. One player hides as immigrants while the other searches as border enforcement, creating a tense strategy gameplay. Through simple mechanics, the game critiques how border systems treat human movement like a tactical game.
5 new ideas:
- Concept:
A workplace simulation game where players navigate a corporate environment over 10 in-game years.
Gameplay:
Players choose a character (with gender identity affecting how systems respond to them) and make decisions about speaking up in meetings, negotiating salary, reporting harassment, or balancing family expectations. The same choices produce different outcomes depending on the character’s gender.
Serious Purpose:
The game demonstrates wage gaps, bias in performance reviews, emotional labor expectations, and the “double bind” women often face (too assertive vs. not assertive enough).
Core Message:
Sexism is systemic, not just individual.
2. Concept:
A life-simulation game where players are randomly assigned a socioeconomic status at birth.
Gameplay:
Players make decisions about education, healthcare, housing, and employment, but available choices vary depending on starting income. Random events (medical emergencies, job loss, inheritance, networking opportunities) dramatically affect trajectories.
Serious Purpose:
Shows how structural inequality shapes life outcomes beyond “working hard.”
Core Mechanic:
Two players can play side by side and compare how different their opportunities are.
3. Concept:
A narrative-driven decision game about navigating everyday spaces (school, stores, job interviews, police encounters).
Gameplay:
Players experience branching storylines where microaggressions, profiling, or cultural assumptions affect outcomes. Dialogue choices influence trust, safety, and social standing.
Serious Purpose:
Encourages empathy by demonstrating how race shapes daily interactions in subtle and overt ways.
Core Message:
Bias operates both structurally and interpersonally.
4. Concept:
A strategy game where players run for local office in a politically divided town.
Gameplay:
Players must balance campaign promises, donor influence, public opinion, and personal values. Decisions affect approval ratings, media coverage, and policy outcomes.
Twist:
Accepting corporate donations may help you win but limits the policies you can realistically pass.
Serious Purpose:
Explores political compromise, corruption, and voter polarization.
Core Message:
Political systems shape what leaders can actually accomplish.
5. Concept:
A time-management and survival simulation about being a nontraditional adult college student.
Gameplay:
Players juggle coursework, a job, childcare, financial stress, and social isolation. Energy and time are limited resources. Unexpected events (sick child, overtime shifts, tuition hikes) force difficult trade-offs.
Serious Purpose:
Highlights barriers adult learners face that traditional students may not.
Core Message:
Higher education is not equally accessible for everyone.
Reading Questions:
what learning games have you played? can you categorize them by the theory of learning types: behaviorism, constructivism, constructivism or social nature? if you played more than one which was the most effective?
Behaviorism:
Duolingo – Uses streaks, points, levels, and instant feedback to reinforce correct answers.
Constructivism:
Minecraft – Players learn by building, experimenting, and solving spatial or logic problems.
Social Nature:
Among Us – Encourages communication, deduction, and social reasoning.
is gamification bullshit, what is ian bogost’s argument and do you agree? where have you encountered it outside of class and what was your experience?
Ian Bogost argues that gamification is “bullshit” because it often reduces games to superficial elements like points, badges, and leaderboards without capturing what actually makes games meaningful. He says companies use gamification as a marketing tool to manipulate behavior rather than create genuine engagement.
I partially agree because many gamified systems feel shallow and rely on extrinsic rewards, which can lose effectiveness over time. However, when thoughtfully designed, gamified systems can motivate participation, and they just shouldn’t replace meaningful design.
Ive encountered it in apps that aren’t game but have a point system like Starbucks or Sheetz.
What is a serious game and why aren’t they chocolate covered broccoli?
A serious game is a game designed primarily for education, training, activism, or social impact rather than pure entertainment. Examples include military simulations, health training games, and persuasive games like Observance. They are not “chocolate covered broccoli” when the gameplay itself meaningfully connects to the message. The phrase suggests disguising boring education with fun elements, but strong serious games integrate learning into the mechanics so that playing the game is the learning and not just sugar on top of a lecture.
Game Reviews
Ames’ Game Last Resort
- What made the experience fun or not?
- The experience was fun because the game was calm but still required a lot of thinking. It kind of put me in a trance while playing, since I had to focus but didn’t feel stressed.
- What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing?
- The main motivating factor is trying to get the civilians on your side. It makes you want to keep playing so you can improve your strategy and win them over.
- Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game?
- I’m not really sure if the game is persuasive. It doesn’t clearly try to get you to do anything outside of the game.
- What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?
- The game’s metaphor seems to be about strategy and opposing sides competing for influence. The mechanic that stood out the most was that each side had specific moves, which made gameplay more interesting and strategic.
- How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for?
- The gameplay makes me feel calm, but also competitive at the same time. I feel the most empathy for the civilians because they are affected by the choices made by both sides.
- Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for?
- I don’t think the game is an activist game. It might encourage players to think differently or more strategically.
- Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku.
- Critical Thinking
- Competition slowly builds
- Thought shapes how you play
Crossing the Bridge
- What made the experience fun or not?
- The experience was fun but challenging. It made you think a lot, which kept it engaging.
- What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing?
- The motivating factor is trying to cross the bridge while understanding the rules and limitations placed on you.
- Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game?
- Yes, because it makes you think about how people face obstacles in real life. Outside of the game, it encourages players to be more aware of challenges others may experience.
- What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics stand out?
- The bridge acts as a metaphor for obstacles people face. The mechanic that stands out most is how movement is restricted, which forces players to think carefully about their choices.
- How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for?
- The gameplay makes me feel frustrated. It makes me feel empathy for people who have limited options.
- Is the game an activist game? If so, what does the gameplay advocate for?
- I think it can be considered an activist game because it raises awareness about inequality and obstacles. It advocates for understanding and empathy toward others’ experiences.
- Describe the game in three sentences or in the form of a haiku.
- Steps feel slow and hard
Limits shape every movement
Understanding grows
- Steps feel slow and hard
Observance: The Board Game
- What made the experience fun or not?
- The experience was interesting but not very fun. It was more serious and made you think carefully about your choices.
- What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing?
- The motivating factor is wanting to understand the system better and see how your decisions affect the outcome. Players keep going to see if they can improve or change the results.
- Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game?
- Yes, the game is persuasive because it makes players think about how rules and authority affect people. Outside of the game, it encourages players to question systems and be more aware of power and control.
- What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics stand out?
- The game is a metaphor for being constantly watched. The mechanic that stands out most is the limited freedom and strict rules, which shape how the game is played.
- How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for?
- The gameplay made me feel tense and uncomfortable at times. It made me feel empathy for people who live under strict control or constant observation.
- Is the game an activist game? If so, what does the gameplay advocate for?
- Yes, because it raises awareness about surveillance. The game advocates for thinking critically about authority and personal freedom.
- Describe the game in three sentences or in the form of a haiku.
- Eyes are always there
Rules decide what you can do
Freedom feels distant
- Eyes are always there
Game design 2 week 4 Game ideas
Aleah Dudek
- Theme: Climate justice
Mechanic: Economic simulation
Every player benefits from pollution at first, but emissions secretly accumulate and trigger disasters that hit the poorest players hardest.
2. Theme: Housing insecurity
Mechanic: Tile laying survival
Pets move through temporary homes as buildings disappear. You don’t control the world, only how long your animal can remain safe.
3. Theme: Forgotten deaths and systemic erasure
Mechanic: Hidden information and area control
Players move through a city where invisible ghosts represent unrecorded victims. Only by standing still can you see them, but doing so makes you vulnerable.
4. Theme: Climate change
Mechanic: Cooperative survival
The dragon’s fire represents rising heat and disasters. Players can fight it, but every attack makes it burn hotter.
5. Theme: Climate refugees
Mechanic: Tile erosion and migration
Rising tides wake the Kraken. Each round, parts of the ocean map sink, forcing fleets to flee while the monster grows.
Game Responses Week 4
Last Resort
Was it fun? Yes, I actually really enjoyed it
What were the player interactions? There are two players and we alternate turns and can take out each others pieces
How long did it take to learn? Pretty quickly for me since I knew how to play chess already
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? Honestly, I never got frustrated it was pretty straightforward for me
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I liked the different dynamics of playing with different rules and having the civilians there, it just gave chess a cool flair
Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? Maybe have the Bleached team be a little less OP and see what that would do to the gameplay
If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Give the Oiled side something a little different (or try to play against someone who does know how to play first)
Is this a game you would play again? Yes, I really liked it and would like to see how it could play out again
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. 1) The setup and first moves 2) moving civilians and starting to get them back safe 3) total destruction begins when civilians start dying and the only way to win is total annihilation
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? All competitive, you’re trying to win and at the beginning not kill civilians but whoever kills one first then the vibe shifts and it’s bloody war
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The metaphor is a crisis of unmatched man power where civilians get caught in the crossfire, the mechanic of the civilian movement was intriguing to me
Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku.
Civilians can die
Try to save them or you die
Kill them at your risk
Observance
Was it fun? Sort of, I don’t like long rules so that was not fun
What were the player interactions? Pretty in depth, asking questions and talking back and forth about stuff
How long did it take to learn? A while
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? Trying to remember all the little rules and stuff
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? It’s a neat concept and I like battleship so it had that element of gameplay
Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? Switch sides faster perhaps, I played as border patrol and didn’t get to play as the Mexicans
If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Have a little more energy to fully get into the game, nothing with the game necessarily just when we played it
Is this a game you would play again? Maybe? If i didn’t have to go through all the set up again, but it’s intriguing so I might give it a second chance
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. 1) Set up and hiding the different elements on respective “maps” 2) Asking questions back and forth and rolling the dice and doing our different moves 3) either finding the stuff or not and making it to the U.S. which is winning
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? It’s mostly competitive, trying to be the one to get more immigrants to the U.S.
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? Getting immigrants into the US and defending against them coming in, interesting mechanic (which is also sort of a metaphor) would be that winning is depending on how many get in not how many you keep out, which is probably supposed to be part of the thought provoking idea
Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku.
People coming in
Rolling dice finding location
Switching sides to win
5 Serious game ideas
Flight or death-
A card game where everybody has a role to keep the plane operational while some have to sabotage the plane
Balance of Rha-
5 different roles with different ways for each player to win. Nobody knows your role but the player secrelty has to push their ideal to the public without grabbing too much attention.
Build That City-
You collect cards to build infrastructures based off what the game gave you. You can trade with other players to achieve your goal faster, but trade at your own risk.
To Ciph or Deciph
You get a random set up numbers and colors based off the card you drew and the player gets to ask questions to try to decipher your code.
KaBlooey
A random player has a bomb and they have to reach the goal before anyone else does. After every set of turns, and event card comes out which could either help you or screw you over.
Game Design 2 week 4 Reflection
Observant
- What made the experience fun or not? I think it was fun I wish it was harder to catch the immigrants though. Mason and I almost caught everyone on each side. I caught all of his and he caught 5 of mine. I wish there was a way to be more sneaky.
- What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing? I think learning the strategy and being able to sneak around. I think the players will want to try and get around the guards.
- Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game? I think it is persuasive because it motivates people politically. I won’t get to in depth to offend anyone, but especially with what is going on now I can see how this can motivate someone in one way or another.
- What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The only metaphor I can think of is maybe don’t get caught. I can’t think of any without getting too political. The mechanics worked almost like battleship you have to guess where the immigrants are as the border guards and try to catch them before they reach the green card into the US.
- How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for? It makes me feel bad in a way but also the drive to catch the player. I think there could’ve been a different them than guards and immigrants. Maybe it could’ve been like cats and mice. Sort of makes us feel empathy for the immigrants getting caught.
- Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for? Yes this is and activist game. You can take it politically or you can’t. It advocates for immigrants in different countries and makes you think about that situation in our world today.
- Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku.Silent grid of hope
Names erased between the lines—
Ships flee through the fog.
Last Resort
- What made the experience fun or not? I think it could be fun, but I don’t really understand chess so it made it super hard for me to play with someone who knew how to play chess.
- What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing? I think to kill one another. The tactics allow you to kill each others pieces so the more you kill the other players the less they can do to kill and take over your side.
- Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game? I think maybe it can be persuasive. It can maybe persuade people that war is bad and can get very violent. This game can relate to a lot of real world scenarios.
- What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? Civilians are the board. In this game, cities claim they are fighting for the people but the people themselves become the terrain over which power moves. Like squares in chess, civilians are treated as strategic positions rather than lives. The mechanics are almost exactly like chess moving pieces to dominate others.
- How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for? It makes me feel angry but also competitive because I know it’s not real when I am playing it but things like this do happen in real life so sad. It make the player feel empathy for the civilians as they are innocently being killed while the two players battle.
- Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for? It is an activist game for war and innocent lives and civilians victim to war.
- Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku. They guard the squares.
People become the board’s lines.
Peace is checkmate’s lie.
Game ideas(Prototype)
I want to do another drinking style game that not only adults can play. Im thinking maybe a twist on a classic game like war. Not sure of the details yet but it very much intrigues me.
Another idea similar to the idea would be a college themed drinking game I would like to call Syllabus Week. For now i while use a normal deck but the end game would be that its a twist of the game Kings cup and war.
Reflection on Observance
- What made the experience fun or not? The instructions at first. Just a little confusing but overall it was fun
- What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing? To try to get to the border
- Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game? Its to make you feel guilty about immigrants crossing the border.
- What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? Run like the wind, and being able to move forward and back
- How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for? It makes me feel bad for immigrants
- Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for? It advocates for the border control to keep immigrants out.
- Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku. Stupid ah border
Week 3 Game Review
Games played:
Detroit Become Human:I have played this game previously, but I always sympathize with the game and the characters. By having the game be fpv, and your choices directly affect the character. For example, when we killed Todd (Alice’s dad) I didn’t feel sympathy because of his actions towards us (Kara) and Alice, hence us killing him felt justified. But with the interrogation between Connor and the android, I felt bad as there seemed to be motives and unfair treatment which lead to the murder. The game does a great job at making players sympathize with characters because of visuals, voice actors, and the choices.
Outer Wilds: While briefly playing the game, it seemed fun, due to the controls of the game, but it was difficult to play, at least for me. The brief part of the story I saw was that we were trapped in a time loop, trying to prevent something from happening. I figure if I could get into the story more, I would empathize with the story more, but personally, the controls are what ruined it for me.
Week 3 Reading Questions
Reading 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?
- She focuses on the idea that games can be a work of art and a piece of constructive content. Games can be used tyo learn something instead of just playing a game.
- what is an activist game?
- Games that are used to express social or other ethical issues, not just to play a game. There is more benefit to learning the purpose and reasoning of the game rather then just playing.
- go and chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information”, what other games share that feature?
- Uno, Candyland, and Monopoly would count, as all of their info is always available and on the game board.
- why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures?
- Life is also a gamble,so having games be a part of that is still a fact of life, or it could be used as a way to express risk and danger without the same issues.
- when was the earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games? What modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized?
- I know Cards Against Humanity has had some issues, but really any game thats considered too vulgar or graphic can get banned
- what is a fox game, and what would be a modern example?
- Games that have unequal opponents, D&D can count as this, as one player always has the answers and the other doesnt
- what was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness?
- To encourage people to have these good ideas and dewsries in their hearts, which would encourage them to move on both in life and in the game
- Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surealist movements play games? Why did Surealists believe games might help everyone?
- They feel that games can help people open their eyes to new ideas and opportunities
- Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WW2?
- Changes in life, war, and anything that affects the world can change how games work. Pinball games were made to look like you were shooting and attacking the enemy, with racist images and slurs on it that reflected the US’s opinion during the war
- What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like monopoly and ping pong?
- They commented that world issues can be “played” and made aware of by the people using these games.
- How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco and Ruth Catlowusing war games?
- They make art that challenges and critiques current events, making their art feel war-like
- Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game?
- Then they can undsertand the game and its purpose, to see how these things are affecting others and how to fix it
Week 3 Homework
Homework ideas/rules
“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.”
- Alone
- A game where you slime life as someone with depression. It would be a choose-your-own adventure, and you could recover or fall further. The goal of the game would be to show people how serious the experience can be
- Adoption
- Play as a pet in an adoption center. Learn to appeal to humans and try to get adopted. Allows people to feel sympathy for animals and focus on adopting and not “shopping” for pets
- Gaia
- Play as Mother Earth, who is dealing with the effects of humanity and how we are polluting the planet
- K-12
- You simulate a kid growing up in school from K-12, learning who they are as a person, and every choice you make affects how they graduate, or if they do
- Exploration
- You travel the land and choose what to destroy and preserve based on ancient civilizations.
Rules for a game from week 1:
Star Sailor!
The purpose of the game is to gather materials to keep exploring space. But will you destroy these newfound planets to keep exploring? Or will you fall into the void of space to keep the planets you stumble upon safe?
The goal of the game is to explore planets to gather resources, which can be used to explore further and collect pets and upgrades. Players can end the game whenever they choose, but the only limit is how many cards there are. (Basically infinite)
Basic Mechanics:
- You fly in a ship, and each turn you pull a card to select what planet you land on
- It costs resources to fly; either you can claim resources that are left on the planet, leave the planet alone, or destroy the planet for extra resources.
- Players will have a mat in front of them that has resource sliders, a character icon/token, and spots to put planets they destroyed (so they can’t be visited again)
- Players can use extra resources to get upgrades to travel to the most planets, or adopt pets!
4D animation (part 2)
