Thoughts on Games Played in Class

The McDonald’s Game: This game cleverly exposes the dark side of the fast-food industry It’s effective because it makes players complicit in unethical choices, reinforcing its critique.

Monopoly: A classic example of capitalism in action  It was originally created to critique monopolies but became a celebration of wealth and with the version we played in class it made the experience much more realistic.

Cool Spot: A blatant advergame for 7UP that, despite its smooth animation and fun platforming mechanics, lacked meaningful engagement beyond its branding.

 5 new game ideas that explore changing players minds about … (climate change, energy, politics, etc.)

Climate Change

A city-building strategy game where players must balance economic growth with environmental responsibility.
Players make decisions about energy use, transportation, and industry, with real-time consequences on pollution and climate stability.
The goal is to create a prosperous city while minimizing carbon emissions, showing how policy choices impact the environment.

Energy Transition

Players transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy while managing economic stability and political pushback. Unexpected events like oil shortages, climate disasters, and technological breakthroughs shift the landscape.

Political Engagement & Misinformation Awareness

Players must fact-check news, debate with NPCs, and rally citizens to vote based on policies rather than rhetoric. The game highlights the impact of voter participation and how misinformation spreads.

Global Resource Management

Players make ethical choices about water distribution, trade, and conservation. Real-world statistics shape the game mechanics, making the experience educational and impactful.

Waste Management

Players take on roles (Recyclers, Landfill Lords, Compost Rebels) and strategize to reduce waste while sabotaging competitors. It subtly educates about recycling, waste production, and circular economies.

Week 1

Ian Bogost points out that social games, like Cow Clicker, are often boring and repetitive. In Cow Clicker, all you do is click a cow every few hours, which highlights how these games rely on simple, addictive mechanics instead of meaningful gameplay.

Games like FarmVille treat friends as resources. , which can turn friendships into something more like a transaction than a real connection.

Social games often force players to check in frequently or wait for timers to run out. This can make people feel tied to the game.

Anansi’s Web of Tricks Gameplay

Gameplay Mechanics

Setup

  1. Shuffle the deck and deal 5 cards to each player.
  2. Place the remaining cards in the center as the draw pile and flip the top card to start the discard pile.
  3. Each player selects a Character Card to play as, gaining access to their unique ability.
    PS; take note of your characters ability and USE THEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

TURN STRUCTURE.

Players take turns performing one major action per turn, keeping gameplay quick and fluid:

  1. Play a Card: Match the suit or number of the top card on the discard pile.
  2. Play a Mischief Card: Use special cards to disrupt opponents.
  3. Use a Character Ability: Activate a unique skill to gain an advantage.
  4. Draw a Card: If no other action is possible, draw from the deck.

Card and Effects

  • Numbered Cards: Match by suit or number to discard.
  • Mischief Cards:
    • Steal: Take a card from another player. The victim draws 2 new cards (4 if it was their last card).
    • Forced Draw: Make a player draw 3 cards. If they play one immediately, you draw 2 cards as a penalty.
    • Vortex Shuffle: Shuffle and redistribute hands among up to 3 players.
    • Wild Distractions: Target one player to pass you a card of a specific suit. They draw 2 cards if they can’t.
    • Nullify: Cancel the last Mischief Card or ability used.
  • Mischief cards once played goes in the discard pile 
  • Character Abilities: Once-per-round powers that enhance strategy (e.g., swapping cards, skipping turns, or blocking Mischief effects).
  • Once the draw pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile to make a new draw pile, leaving the last discarded card face-up. If the last card is a Mischief card, randomly select a card from the shuffled pile to replace it. Play continues until only two players remain, battling it out for the final victory.

Winning Conditions

“It’s a race to the finish! The first player to discard their cards is wins, but the fun doesn’t stop there. The remaining players face off in a nail-biting showdown. The goal is to not be the last player standing, as the final two players will compete for the ultimate victory.”

Anansi Web of tricks Third Playtest: Final Observations and Adjustments

Third Playtest: Final Observations and Adjustments

Feedback:

The third playtest demonstrated the near-final state of Anansi’s Web of Tricks, showcasing its refined mechanics and balanced gameplay. The reception was overwhelmingly positive, with only a few minor insights to consider:

1. Dynamic Interaction:

• Players praised the high level of interaction throughout the game. Mischief Cards and character abilities encouraged strategic thinking and constant engagement between players.

• The combination of sabotage, strategic defense, and adaptability made every round unpredictable and exciting.

2. Replayability:

• Testers highlighted the game’s replay value due to the variety of character abilities and Mischief Card effects. No two games felt alike, which encouraged players to experiment with different strategies across multiple sessions.

3. Balanced Abilities:

• Adjustments made during the second playtest to balance character abilities were well-received. Players felt that no single character was overpowered and that every ability had clear strengths and weaknesses.

• For example:

Anansi’s card swap was impactful without feeling unfair due to its once-per-round limitation.

Fari the Hyena’s laugh mechanic now provided a consistent and enjoyable disruption to opponents, adding humor to the gameplay.

4. Reduced Downtime:

• The streamlined Mischief Card rules significantly reduced delays during play. Targeted effects (e.g., Steal or Wild Distractions) resolved quickly, allowing the game to maintain a steady pace.

Notes from Testing Across Age Groups:

1. Learning Curve:

• Younger players (ages 10-15) adapted quickly to the mechanics, especially the use of character abilities. The thematic connection between characters and their powers resonated strongly with this group.

• Older players (ages 25+) took longer to grasp the concept of character abilities, often defaulting to playing Number Cards or Mischief Cards during their first few rounds. However, after 1-2 games, this group also began to incorporate abilities into their strategies effectively.

2. Time to Learn:

• On average, it took 2 games for individuals to fully understand the interplay between card types, Mischief effects, and character abilities. Afterward, players found the game intuitive and engaging.

3. Group Dynamics:

• Testers noted that the game excelled in creating lively, competitive group dynamics. The mix of strategy and chaos kept all players invested, even when they weren’t in the lead.

Anansi Web of tricks Second Playtest: Observations and Adjustments

Second Playtest: Observations and Adjustments

Feedback:

After the changes implemented following the first playtest, the second playtest revealed several positive improvements and areas for minor refinement:

1. Improved Game Flow:

• Players noted that the simplified turn structure (one major action per turn) made the game much smoother and faster.

• The pacing issues from the first playtest were largely resolved, with rounds progressing quickly without feeling rushed.

2. Balanced Offense and Defense:

• The rebalanced Mischief Cards and character abilities created a satisfying interplay between offensive actions (e.g., Steal, Forced Draw) and defensive strategies (e.g., Tiko the Tortoise’s ability to block Mischief Cards or Zari the Owl’s ability to draw and discard strategically).

• Players felt that they had meaningful choices each turn, contributing to a sense of control and engagement.

3. Card Readability:

• While the game mechanics were praised, players suggested improving the visual design of the cards for better readability.

Specific Issues: Fonts for numbers and card effects were sometimes too small or overly stylized, making them harder to read at a glance.

Impact: This caused minor delays during gameplay, particularly for new players unfamiliar with the card effects.

4. Character Abilities:

• Although the abilities were better balanced compared to the first version, some characters still felt slightly overpowered or underwhelming:

Overpowered: Anansi’s ability to swap a card remained strong, particularly when combined with certain Mischief Cards.

Underwhelming: Fari the Hyena’s ability to skip an opponent’s turn by making them laugh felt inconsistent in effectiveness.

Anansi Web of tricks(1st Playtest)

1st Playtest

During the first playtest, several critical issues surfaced that needed attention to make Anansi’s Web of Tricks more enjoyable and accessible:

1. Pacing Issues:

• Players often took a long time to complete their turns because they had too many options available (e.g., playing Number Cards, using Mischief Cards, activating character abilities, and drawing cards all in one turn).

• The combination of multiple actions led to decision fatigue, especially for younger players in the target age range of 10+.

2. Disruptive Mischief Cards:

• Certain Mischief Cards, such as the original version of Wild Distractions, which forced all players to pass cards to one another, caused significant delays and confusion.

• Group-wide effects often felt frustrating for players who had carefully planned their strategies, only to have their progress upended without much recourse.

3. Rule Complexity:

• Players struggled to follow the game’s flow because the rules for Mischief Cards, character abilities, and the multiple actions allowed in one turn were not clearly delineated.

• Younger players found it hard to track which cards were played and what their effects were, leading to slower rounds and frequent rule clarifications.

Ananasi Web of tricks(Version 2)

Version 2: Developing the Game

Changes Made:

  1. Streamlined Deck:
  • Reduced Trick Cards to 20 and renamed them Mischief Cards to avoid confusion with the Trick suit.
  • Removed Wild Cards entirely.
  1. Simplified Turn Structure:
  • Limited each player to one major action per turn:
  • Play a Number Card OR
  • Use a Mischief Card OR
  • Activate a character ability.
  1. Balanced Abilities:
  • Adjusted character powers to be fairer and more strategic:
  • Anansi: Changed from “swap hands” to “swap one card with another player.”
  • Tiko the Tortoise: Adjusted to block one Mischief Card per round.
  1. Improved Card Effects:
  • Mischief Card effects were focused on individuals or small groups, reducing group-wide disruptions.
  • Example: “Wild Distractions” was changed from forcing all players to pass cards to targeting one player.

Anansi Web of Tricks, 1st version

Initial Version

The initial design included 30 Number Cards, 40 Trick Cards (now Mischief Cards), and 10 Wild Cards. Concerns were raised during playtesting:

  • Pacing Issues: Too many options per turn slowed the game.
  • Unbalanced Rules: Powerful Mischief Cards (e.g., Wild Distractions) targeted all players, disrupting flow and frustrating younger participants.
  • Unclear Design: Fonts and text placement on the cards needed adjustments for readability.

WEEK 6

Concept and Rule Set: Anansi the trickster
PROTOTYPE 1
• Theme: Inspired by Anansi, the trickster spider, with gameplay focused on outwitting opponents.
• Objective: Be the first player to discard all cards while using abilities and trick cards to sabotage others.
• Deck Composition:
• Number Cards: 30 cards across 3 suits (Trick, Trap, Action), numbered 1-10.
• Trick Cards: 40 cards with various actions (e.g., stealing cards, reversing turns, forcing draws).
• Wild Cards: 10 cards to match any suit or number.
• Character Cards: 10 unique trickster characters, each with special abilities.
• Turn Structure:
1. Play a card to match the top card on the discard pile by suit or number.
2. Play a Trick Card or Wild Card at any time.
3. Use character abilities at any time during a turn.
4. Draw a card if no playable options exist.
• Winning: First player to discard all cards wins.

Game ideas(Collecting)

  1. Anansi’s Web of Tricks is a trickster strategy game in which players collaborate and compete to discard their hands by using character abilities and trick cards to outwit and manipulate each other. Players collect trick cards, action cards, and number cards, which they use strategically to discard their hand and manipulate the game.
  2. Temple Path is a tile-laying adventure game in which players collaborate to build paths toward the center of the temple while using action cards to assist each other or overcome obstacles. Players collect path tiles and action cards that help them build routes toward the center of the temple.
  3. Corporate Espionage is a strategy board game in which players act as rival executives in a high-stakes corporate world, collaborating with or sabotaging others to secure the most resources by using underhanded tactics, corporate spies, and bribes. Players collect resources, such as money, insider information, and influence, by using spies, bribes, and underhanded tactics
  4. Sabotage Heist is a real-time card game in which players compete as thieves on a heist, secretly sabotaging each other’s plans while trying to pull off the perfect crime by using bluffing, deception, and carefully timed traps. Players collect valuable loot during the heist while using bluffing cards and sabotage tools to prevent others from succeeding
  5. The Saboteur’s Ball is a social deduction party game in which players are attendees at an elite gala, trying to identify who the secret saboteurs are while undermining each other’s efforts to influence key figures by spreading rumors, planting evidence, and setting traps.
    Players collect rumors, evidence, and influence as they try to identify the secret saboteurs and undermine other attendees at the gala

week 4

theme is
High Sabotage

The Saboteur’s Ball is a social deduction party game in which players are attendees at an elite gala, trying to identify who the secret saboteurs are while undermining each other’s efforts to influence key figures by spreading rumors, planting evidence, and setting traps.

Corporate Espionage is a strategy board game in which players act as rival executives in a high-stakes corporate world, collaborating with or sabotaging others to secure the most resources by using underhanded tactics, corporate spies, and bribes.

Heist is a real-time card game in which players compete as thieves on a heist, secretly sabotaging each other’s plans while trying to pull off the perfect crime by using bluffing, deception, and carefully timed traps.

Spy vs. Spy: High Sabotage is a team-based action game in which players, as elite spies, collaborate to complete missions while simultaneously sabotaging rival teams by planting false intel, hacking, and setting up ambushes.

High Sabotage: Space Station Showdown is a resource management and strategy game in which players, as astronauts on a space station, must work together to survive while secretly sabotaging each other’s life support systems, stealing supplies, and causing chaos.

WEEK 4 Ideas + review

Pandemic review

Was it fun

Somewhat but yes

What were the players’ interactions?

it was a 100% collaborative game we were definitely working together to win the game

Would you play it again?
yes and I would go in a strategy this time.

How long did it take to learn?
it took us a fair bit of time give or take 20-30 minutes and even then we got stumped while playing and had to refer to the rules and prof. Ames for help

What is the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

the game is all collaborative and there isn’t any competitive aspect because all players need to work together to win.

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?

the game’s mechanic of roles and different attributes each character possesses was important as it helped us progress through the game. Pandemic teaches us that teamwork makes the dream work at the end of the day.

HOMEWORK :

  1. Anansi’s Web of Tricks is a trickster strategy game in which players collaborate and compete to discard their hands by using character abilities and trick cards to outwit and manipulate each other.
  2. Temple Path is a tile-laying adventure game in which players collaborate to build paths toward the center of the temple while using action cards to assist each other or overcome obstacles.
  3. Gold Coast Empire is a resource management and diplomacy game in which players collaborate as leaders of ancient Ghanaian empires by trading goods, forming alliances, and negotiating peace to expand their influence.
  4. Tactical Football: The Card Game is a strategic soccer game in which players collaborate as teammates to outmaneuver their opponents by using player and tactic cards to score goals and defend.
  5. First-Person Tactics: FPS Card Battle is a team-based FPS card game in which players collaborate as a squad to defeat opponents by using weapon, equipment, and tactic cards to outgun and outthink the opposing team.

Week 3 Thoughts and Ideas (Munchkin)

Thoughts AND Ideas

Munchkin was fun as it went on but for a game that a supposed to be a shortened more straightforward version of D’n’D it has a lot of rules out of the box and its setup takes a while and a lot of reading just to get started. Also, some of the rules are not clear and need clarification to help the most basic players to understand. This is definitely a “Pick up and play game”. But I do like the option to either help a player or band together against other players or enemies feature. Which would either help the progression of the game or set everyone back to the start.

Week 2 – Gideon Gyamfi

GAME IDEAS
1. Shooting Stars: The Card Game

Overview: Over several rounds, players construct teams and employ strategies to outperform their rivals in this strategic soccer card game.•

Goal: Utilizing player, tactic, and action cards, score more goals than your rival

Play: Each player puts together a team of eleven cards, consisting of defenders, forwards, midfielders, and a goalie, each with a different set of talents and abilities (e.g., speed, strength, playmaking). Attack, midfield control, and defense are the phases of the match that each turn symbolizes. To make decisions, players select cards from a deck of tactic cards that represent attacking maneuvers, defensive arrangements, etc. Dice rolls and player stats are combined to determine the outcome of goal attempts; players can use cards to alter the result (such as “Power Shot” or “Perfect Save”).

Winning: Following a set of goals, the player with the most goals wins

2. ORION OPS: FPS Card Battle

Overview: A fast-paced card game inspired by FPS battles, where players must balance offense, defense, and resource management to outgun their opponent.

Objective: Reduce the opponent’s health to zero using weapon, equipment, and tactic cards.

Gameplay: Players build a deck that includes weapon cards (e.g., rifles, pistols, grenades), equipment cards (e.g., armor, shields), and tactic cards (e.g., “Flank,” “Headshot,” “Heal”). Each player starts with a set amount of health, and the goal is to use their cards to deal damage while avoiding or mitigating the opponent’s attacks. Weapon cards have varying damage and range, requiring players to think strategically about positioning and timing (e.g., a “Sniper Rifle” card might do high damage but take longer to play). Players can “reload” or use special “Power-Up” cards to enhance their strategy.

Winning: The player who reduces the opponent’s health to zero first wins the game.

3. Kingdom Tales

Overview: This game is based on the famous Ghanaian folklore, where players take on the roles of different characters attempting to outwit each other to gather the most wisdom.

Objective: Players compete to gather “wisdom points” by playing tricks, telling stories, and completing challenges inspired by Anansi’s cleverness.

Gameplay: Players begin by selecting a character from Ghanaian folklore, each with a unique ability that represents their skills in trickery (e.g., Anansi, the Spider, can steal points, Kwaku can charm others). The game is played in rounds, with each player drawing from a deck of “Story” and “Trick” cards. Players can use these cards to challenge each other, perform tricks, or avoid being tricked. Special “Wisdom” cards offer insight or solutions to avoid getting tricked, while “Obstacle” cards introduce challenges like the “Bola Bird” or “Tortoise’s Slowdown.” Storytelling is a key aspect, where players must narrate short tales based on the cards they play, adding a creative and cultural twist to the game.

Winning: The first player to collect a set number of wisdom points (e.g., 10) wins the game, symbolizing the accumulation of Anansi’s wisdom.

4. Anansi’s Web of Tricks

Overview: Anansi’s Web of Tricks is a fast-paced, trickster-themed card game where players take on the roles of characters from Ghanaian folklore, each with unique abilities.

Gameplay: Initial Hand: Players are dealt 5 cards each (from the Trick, Action, and Number card decks). The remaining deck is placed face-down as a draw pile, and the top card is flipped over to form a discard pile. Character Abilities: During their turn, a player can choose to use their character’s unique ability once per round to help discard cards or sabotage opponents.

Winning: The player who successfully discards all of their cards wins the round. If multiple rounds are played, keep track of scores, and the first player to win three rounds is the overall winner.

5. Temple Path

Overview: Be the first player to reach the center of the temple by strategically placing path pieces that guide your character toward the go

Gameplay: The board starts completely empty, with a temple center marked as the destination. Players must build their own paths to reach the center. Players must connect their starting point to the center by placing path pieces, one at a time, according to the cards they play. Paths can overlap or intersect, and players can attempt to block or reroute opponents 

Winning: The first player to create a continuous path that leads to the center of the temple wins the game.