The color game was based on the simplicity of the game War and was used to teach players about color theory. When the game was played overall, there was some confusion about the color combinations, which was good since it allowed for a lesson to be taught about the game, which was the purpose. If I were to move forward with this game, I would focus on adding more color combinations worth more points and making the quality of the cards better.
Star Sailor: Final Documentation
Star Salior v3
The 3rd and Final version!
Some changes that were made: I removed the rockets as dice, as cool as the novelty was, in real life, they didn’t work out very well. They were loud and clunky, and after the playtest, they seemed to have more chances rolling a 5 and a 3, so they were unfair. The board now has color and a clearer path to follow, and the cards were removed to make it much simpler. The player cards are updated to have information about the landing mechanisms, instead of filler text.
Factorio: Game Review
I chose to play Factorio as part of the Games for Change review and podcast. It was a fun experience, and yes, it does make it clear how it feels about the environment. The basic mechanics of the game are to collect resources to expand your factory to complete all types of technology and all planets. However, in the process of doing this, the trees will die, the water will get polluted, and the local ecosystems of bugs will inflict damage across your base. During my playthrough, we didn’t get too far; we only made it about 5 hours in. However, I was playing with experienced people, so they helped me get some of the information. The game does a good job at making it clear what you are doing, and you start to feel bad as you see the slow progression of what happens to the world due to overmining and pollution.
The major mechanics are: mine and collect resources, grow your factory, and watch the pollution rise. There is actually a pollution meter in-game, as you can see how much damage you are causing, and what material is causing it. Overall, the game was fun to play. I am unsure if I would play it again.
Slop-Or-Not
Download files below, make sure you extract the files and the launch the “index” file in your desired browser. The “Read Me” includes additional information requiring the goal of the game. There is 20 human made images and 20 Ai images, good luck! Created by Sarah Juristy and Meredith Berkheiser
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10aXWWFd7KJePDRzJSVZMA4wXzYhN0hPP/view?usp=sharing
Star Sailor v1 and v2
Star Sailor is a game about focusing on the environmental impact of pursuing your goals, while keeping your energy and life meters in check.
v1: Version one went well. The game took about 20-25 minutes to play and learn. The biggest criticisms were an upgrade to the game board and visuals. And a few more key features to make the game more engaging.
v2: Added content was new dice, new character and stat cards, and a few new mechanics.n This was recived better, however the pathway for the new map was still a little confusin. It was stated that having the cards may be a little reptivitve, so that will be removed in the next version. The black-hole mechaic was also fixed so now that players will move to a new planet instead of being in the black hole.
For the next version I want to shrink and make the dice out of a diffrent materail to make them sound less terrible, make a new map and add some kind of upgrade mechanic.
Color Game
I made an educational game based on the classic card game, War. The game teaches people the basics of color theory, including complementary, analogous, and triadic colors. The game is competitive as players have to yell to claim the cards and get the most, as the person with the most cards wins.
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!
Game Reviews: Monopoly, McDonald’s, and Cool Spot
Monopoly: For this version, we were separated into different social classes to change up the game. Was it fun? I mean I wasd the top 1%, so I was able to get all of the property, but I could tell that the other players were not. It was an interesting take to make the game more realaistic tyo how the modern world it, and to feel like what those billionaires feel like when spending, unaffected by those in lower incomes. I would still play Monopoly after this.
McDonald’s: Very sad when I had to kill the cows, but it’s overall pretty accurate in representing what corporations can go through to succeed. I kinda had fun? But I didn’t read the instructions at 1st, so it was harder, but after I read asbputy it,it was much easier.
Coolspot: Honeslty I wouldn’t have known this was a branded game unless I was told. It was genuinely fun to watch, I couldn’t play it as its discounited, but it looked like an enjoyable game, similar to the old Sonic games. However, it won’t convince me to drink 7-UP.
Week 1 Questions: Game Design 2_MB
-Ian Bogost comments on how these games are essentially meaningless, repetitive, and have nothing to them. The point of these games is simply to have something to do, which makes them less engaging than they should be and gives other games bad names.
-“Friends” on these social games are tools for advancing and getting money. They allow you to trade currency and items in order to make yourself better, without having any real connection to these people.
-If a social game tells you “3 hours till next reward”, then the player is constantly waiting and anticipating those next three hours, causing a cycle of dependency on these games, which is very unhealthy. It can destory meaniningfdul moments by having the time be focused on a game.
5 Game ideas that never end!
Group members- Sarah J, Meredith B, Andrew, Maria
- ‘Pire: lets you build and evolve an empire, and as natural disasters happen, the empire falls and keeps going, pick a time period.
- Antique-coon: A tycoon game that allows you to get more items as the years progress, there will be more and more items to sell, hence it never ends
- Star Sailor: A planet exploring simulator with randomly generated planets to explore and gather materials from
- Minimum wage simulator: Work at a restaurant to get out of debt, never ends
- Charon: You are the person that take people across the river to the underworld, allowing to talk to people while you sail across .
Final Project: Spooky Detection Agency
For my final project I deiced to make a board game based on ghost hunting. This was the 3rd attempt for a game like that’s, as previous iterations were tough for users to understand. This one has a better quaily board, colored chacarer tokens and updated rules. I wanted to dye the players, however rit dye was extreamly messy and didnt adhere well, so alcohol based markers were a subsitute, otherwise all pewioces are 3-D printed or cardstock.
Playtest: Camel Up!_Meredith B
Play: Camel Up!
- Was it fun?
- I really enjoyed it. It was a fun version of horse racing and the ideas around it made it very engaging and fun. It seemed easy for any age, and the random chance of which camel would win make it more engaging and more fun to replay.
- What were the player interactions?
- We were acting more as a group, we were cheering when the camel we wanted moved again and would sigh when we were losing. It was no interaction between players themselves, unless it involved the camels.
- How long did it take to learn?
- In only about 10 minutes, the rules were easy to understand and the game was labeled well to understand where the cards are meant to go. The rules were also easy because the premise of “horse racing” is very common, so it helps with a general understanding.
- What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
- It was first when one of the camels that you have previously bet on was losing, but that is part of the fun. The point of the game is meant to be frustrating in that aspect, as it is gambling.
- What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
- It was overall just a fine time. The smoothness of the game and theming was done well, and the act of randomness made the experience feel more like the players were watching the show, instead of controlling it. It felt cool like we were actually watching the live bets on tv, instead of just playing a game.
- Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?
- I wanted to revoke my bet if anything. I bet on too early and ending up losing money at the end of the game, and couldn’t ever change the bet.
- If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?
- I would change some of the betting rules. You can bet up until the last race, and could still get full points if you are the 1st one to go. I would change it so that in the 2nd to last round, all bets must end up being placed. This would prevent last minute betting and still keep the bets open for a long time though.
- Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why
- Yep! It was fun to play and just an enjoyable experience, which is why I would play it again. The whole game was easy and I feel many people would enjoy the game.
- Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.
- The start of act 1 was learning the rules, which was easy since the instructions and board were easy to understand, plus we watched a video that helped too. Act 2, actually playing the game was very fun. It was, like i said, watching and betting on live horse racing and it very fun, while it was only a game. The ending of act 3 was simple, add up the coins and finalize the money for the bets. It was easy to end the game and easy to get it started again too.
- What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?
- The game was competitive as we were betting on multiple opportunities (camels losing or winning) which caused players to win or lose based on predictions and chances.
- What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?
- I like the whole premise, the racing and the theming was great. It made it fun to play and was a kid friendly way to gamble. The whole randomness of the camels movement, and the fact that not every camel would move every turn makes it interesting.