Category: Game Design Studio 1

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Critique & 3 Act Structure -Colin Kenny

So I played Munchkin with Gideon, Kiya, Grace, and Brady, and it lasted the entire class period. It took a while to learn the rules and we didn’t even finish our game, but we were close to finishing and once we got a handle of the rules the game started to get really fun. It is definitely worth replaying with those who know a lot about the game.

As far as the three act structure goes, I would say act one consisted of me reading the rules out loud for everyone and starting the game. This lasted longer than I thought but putting that effort into learning the rules was worth it. The second act of us getting more comfortable and playing strategically was a lot of fun. The third act started around the time Kiya and I were at level 8 (you need to get to level 10 to win) and we were using all of our force to push our way to the end and win. Unfortunately we didn’t get to the climax as class ended before someone was able to win, but the nail-biting energy was a fun experience.

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Week 2 – The Play Narrative

Question Set 1

  1. What Mechanics would you like to use for a game with a theme that revolves around being the size of a nanometer?
    • I would like to implement some kind of mechanic revolving around fighting viruses, being that the character is the size of a nanometer. If you would lose the fight of the virus, then the body you are fighting in would get sick and die. Succeed in killing off the virus, and you keep the body healthy, winning the game.
  2. Who are you making games for?
    • Obsidian entertainment, since they made a game already about being really small.
  3. Who will be your play testers outside of class?
    • Any hardcore computer gamer, since the game I’d make would most likely be a neat video game. People would have to have some sense of understanding on computer gaming.

Question Set 2

  1. Can you think of a game you were able to play without referring to the rules?
    • Minecraft – it is a game that does not have a strict set of rules and can be played hundreds of different ways. The only “rules” of Minecraft are the mechanics and understandings of the game, which eventually get so well known that I don’t even have to refer to the rules.
  2. How do you define what a game is?
    • Is it an interactive experience including mechanics, objectives and a theme(s)? Does this playable experience have a story?
  3. What features can make your games more intuitive?
    • Keeping the design and concepts of the game consistent, but simple. Make it easy to learn but fun to play. Additionally, letting the controls be easily accessible, maybe even with a configuration system to let players adapt to the controls.

Question Set 3

  1. What was your gateway game? What do you play to introduce others to gaming?
    • My gateway game that introduced people to boardgames was always CandyLand. If anyone were to ask what boardgame I would play or what is my favorite, it has always been CandyLand. I feel that CandyLand is simple enough for anyone to understand and get into games.
  2. What features to gateway games share?
    • Simple ruleset, theme, interactivity, luck, replay value, and duration.
  3. What are the 10 beautiful mechanics and what should you aim for with your own?
    • Noblesse Oblige, Heat, Set-Making, Card Tapping, Cow Tipping Rule, Popping, Hand Order Rule, Paddlewheels, Communication Breakdown, and Constant Shuffling. You should aim for trying out/implementing some of these in your own game design to make the overall experience more enjoyable.
  4. How does luck and strategy factor into game play?
    • Luck is a choice beyond your control. It’s a fork in the road that could be good or bad. Strategy is the act of making plans and decisions during the game which gives limited information.

5 Game ideas that can be played using cards

  1. Card drawing – A player drops a card down and two other players try to doodle the card with a timer. The more detailed drawing or better drawing wins.
  2. Card sherif – Two players deal 5 cards and stand at a distance, throwing cards at each other. If you get hit you lose a life, but if you use all 5 cards without defeating your opponent you lose.
  3. Card Tower race – First person to build a card tower wins (any size tower)
  4. Card Guesser – A person draws a card and has 5 hints to give the other player as to what the card could be.
  5. Fibonacci roulette – Draw cards that add up via Fibonacci sequence until you are able to get the best card in the deck (ace). Color can shape doesn’t matter. Trade duplicates with the other player.

Dix it game review

  1. Was it fun?
    • Yes, the game was very fun and interesting in its own way. It combines art and theme to win.
  2. What was the interaction?
    • All players put down a card that they think best embodies the theme announced by the chosen player. All players must then choose out of all cards which is best fitting for the theme.
  3. How long did it take to play?
    • The game wasn’t too long, and it wasn’t too short. The estimated playing time took about 15 minutes, but time flew by.
  4. Would you play again?
    • Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the playing experience, and I’d be willing to play with personal friends.

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Evelyn: Bohnanza Review

  1. How did this game use the 3 act structure? The beginning of the game was a bit confusing. Mostly because nobody knew how to play and the rules were a not really based off of a familiar game. Once we got familiar with the rules, the middle of the game was quite fun! The cards were cute and gameplay was a great combination of peaceful yet cutthroat. Gameplay felt like it was a great pace! The end of the game came at a defined point which added to the strategy.
  2. Easy to understand? I would say it has a medium learning curve. It definitely helps having someone who knows how to play the game to help teach it. It might’ve taken about 10 -15 minutes to figure it out. Once we did, it was simple enough!
  3. Is it fun? Would I do it again? It was very fun and we chose to do it again! My favorite game yet. Definitely recommend!
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game designs cards

  1. darts but with cards, they don’t have to stick just hit a certain part of the board.
  2. paper football but with a playing card.
  3. balloon pop( distance game kind of like archery)
  4. ceiling tile tic tac toe( normal tic tac toe rules)
  5. prediction.( everyone gets a card and someone has to guess the card someone else has, if you don’t guess the card you have to pick up a new card to be your main card if you do guess it you get to give one of your stock piled cards to your opponent, whoever has the most cards at the end of a certain amount of rounds loses and the player with the least cards wins.
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thoughts on dominion

  1. it was fun but the turns got very redundant because we weren’t using any curse cards so it was just a lot of buying and not a lot of playing action cards to win.
  2. the interactions were very minimal between players because their wasn’t any attacking and not a lot of us really used the action cards curse their was no need in how we ended up playing.
  3. it took us probably about 30 minutes to understand the basic rules( after Ames explained them to us in simpler terms) and about an hour to actually smoothly move from turn to turn.
  4. i would love to play again. their were many parts that we didn’t end up using so i would love to play another game with all of the cards and rules in full swing.
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Week 1 Questions Dillon

In your opinion, what should every game have? Why do you like your favorite game?

  • I believe the most important element a game could have is replay-ability. If you are able to play the game, enjoy it, and then come back to it later and still enjoy it just as much as you did the first time — that’s a well-designed game. Replay-ability is important because, without it, the game would lose momentum after the first few months following release; the longer a game can remain relevant the better.
  • My all-time favorite game is and has always been Minecraft; I started playing when I was a young child and have watched the game evolve over the last 15 years while it simultaneously dominated the gaming industry. My favorite part about Minecraft is that it gives the player the ability to, quite literally, do WHATEVER they want. Of course, it’s an imagination-based sandbox game with random finite generation that ensures every world you play is different from the last, but beyond the confines of the base-game, Minecraft allows (and even encourages) their players to mod and customize their game however they please. CurseForge, the most popular website for the Minecraft modding community, reached 100,000 unique player-created mods in 2022. I am personally a member of the that community and I enjoy using Minecraft as a creative outlet where I can develop new features and mechanics for my community server.

List the games you have played or currently played.

  • Currently Play: Creativity: Minecraft, Terraria; Shooters: Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite Battle Royale, Platformers: Ultimate Chicken Horse; Other:
  • Have Played: Creativity: Stardew Valley, The Sims, Roblox; Shooters: Destiny, Destiny 2, Overwatch 1, Paladins, Apex Legends, Fortnite Save the World, Darwin Project, Ironsight, Splitgate; Platformers: Hollow Knight, Little Nightmares, Little Nightmares 2, Portal, Portal 2; Other: Stranded Deep, Skylanders Series, Rayman Legends, Firewatch,

Can you apply the three-act structure to your favorite game? What is its pacing and how long do you find yourself in each act?

  • Minecraft’s standard Survival mode could be broken into 3 acts.
    Act 1: Early-Game
    The player begins by spawning in a new world with absolutely nothing in their inventory. Players are supposed to secure shelter and protection against the enemies that come out at night using accessible resources such as wood and stone to craft gear. Players will typically start an early-game food source, like an animal pen or a crop farm. The early-game act takes up a majority of Minecraft’s gameplay; it is the slowest paced act of the three due to limitations on your character like weak tools and armor. In a typical playthrough, the first act usually takes me a few weeks, but that’s due to my methodical playstyle. If you were to focus on completing the game in one sitting, I would estimate around 5-8 hours for extensive completion.
    Act 2: Mid-Game
    Once the player has finished acquiring basic tools, armor, and a base of operations, they will begin mining and adventuring for resources. Players must descend into the dangerous caves below them in search of non-renewable resources such as iron, gold, emeralds, and diamonds, all used to further improve their gear. They will encounter hostile monsters and natural hazards like lava that will impede their progress. Players will want to acquire obsidian for an enchanting table to enhance their tools’ stats and a nether portal to travel between dimensions. The mid-game act takes up the second-most amount of time as it has the most amount of different objectives, each necessary for the end-game preparation. In my personal playthroughs, I spend the most amount of time (typically a month or more) in the second act because it is my favorite. If you knew what you were doing and were to focus on completing this act in one sitting, I would estimate around 4-7 hours.
    Act 3: End-Game
    After the player has acquired powerful enchanted weapons and armor, their next step is locating the Stronghold, home of the End Portal. Players will hunt rare monsters to acquire Eyes of Ender, a necessary item for locating and activating the portal. Once fully prepared, the player will cross dimensions to The End where they will battle the final boss of Minecraft, the Ender Dragon who, once defeated, rolls the game credits; however many will argue that this is not the end of Minecraft, as there is a plethora of content still available and being released every year for players to enjoy. For me, I savor this act. The end-game act can take between 2-3 hours depending on whether or not you want to proceed with your playthrough following the Ender Dragon, and I always choose to continue.

When coming up with ideas where do you find your start, with the metaphor or the mechanics?

  • When I am drafting ideas for my custom Minecraft additions, I always start with mechanics. I will factor in things like “how will this work”, “how is this acquired”, and “how would i create this with code?”. Once the mechanics are fleshed out and they function, then I go back and work on the aesthetics.

Over the course of this semester, who would you like to collaborate with and why?

  • I’m open to collaborating with anybody.
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Fluxx Questions

Was The Game Fun

Yes the game is fun only when the other players are engaged.

Would you play it again?

yes. just to be chaotic

How long did it take to learn

I played it previously so it took a few steps to bring back the memory

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Question Set 1

  1. In my opinion every game should have a good set of rules that are easy to follow(but can be exploited if needed) as long as a good story line to keep the player(s) engaged throughout the whole game. One reason that I like my favorite game(being The Binding of Isaac) is that there is a very high returnability factor for this game. For it being a Rogue like game that has 547 different items that you can use and combine to beat the various enemies.
  2. Some of the games that I have played include the entirety of the pokemon franchise, The binding of isaac games, Minecraft, Ping pong, Pong, pool, billiards, 9 ball, golf, basketball, baseball, softball.
  3. There is not a direct pacing for my favorite game due to it being skill based and some time based mechanics in the game but no set pacing.
  4. I try to start with the metaphor just to get all of the ideas then I start to get the mechanics after that.
  5. I feel like the student aspect would be Gideon to pick his brain on how he would do things. But also any faculty member to get there own spin to get them involved.

5 ideas for games around campus

  1. Group hide and seek (battle of the schools style)
  2. Capture the flag( battle of the schools)
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Fluxx questions

Was the game fun?

Fluxx can be fun if the rules don’t get messed up almost immediately

Would you play it again?

yes I would play it again because I still need to finish a game of fluxx

How long did it take to learn

Flux didn’t take me that long to learn it took me longer to understand what a majority of the cards did

what was the interactive aspect and what was it ?

the interactive aspect is talking to the people at your table and deciding do I want to mess up the entire game with a rule that will make a big inconvenience

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Week 1 questions Owen Cable

In your opinion what should every game have? Why do you like your favorite game

I believe that every game should have a story or an adventure aspect or a competitive aspect I have been playing a lot of Elden ring and College football 25 and Fortnite are the main games I have been into lately but my all time favorite game has to be ark because it has a good story and the maps are well made and there is so much to do.

List games you are playing currently

I am currently playing Fortnite College football 25 and Elden ring which is angering me at the moment.

Can you apply the 3-act structure to your favorite game? What is its pacing and how long do you find yourself in ach act

i feel like each act should take a decent amount of time for a good game but would go faster if you did them in groups you could split up the acts or work on them together

When coming up with ideas where do you start.

I always start with the design aspect then i will go onto the rules the prep phase

Over the course of this semester who would you like to collaborate with

This semester I would like to collaborate with Gideon, Evan, Carson and Braden

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Game Ideas Tori

  1. A tabletop game in which you are growing items in your own planter box. Different plants and herbs are worth varying points, and there could be bundles that when completed award players extra points. It would go through all the seasons, with some plants only being able to grow in certain conditions. Selling your reapings, players could buy different buffs they could add to their garden to make it more efficient.
  2. Tick-Tack-Throw! An outdoor spin on the classic game of tick-tack-toe. Players will throw frisbee-like discs with no center toward a large board made of pegs. Get your disc to land on a peg, and count it as your mark!
  3. Business owner simulator. Allows players to create their own unique start-up business and create their dream store in virtual reality! Hire employees, define your store layout, determine prices, and gain real experience on what handling a business might be like!
  4. Head Count! A fun outdoor game to play with big groups that only requires one ball! Have a large group divide themselves into two teams. Make sure they can identify one another. Proceed to have all players form a large circle while still standing. A ball is then bounced hard into the ground so that it shoots into the air. From here, players will try to run under the ball to someone on their team on the other side of the circle without touching another player, or getting hit by the ball.
  5. Hall Pass. This online game is fun to play with friends. One player is randomly assigned to be a delinquent student roaming the hallways without a hall pass. All other players will play as teachers, who will try to allocate the student player among the slew of many NPC students. The student player will have objectives, but doing them will draw attention to themselves and create a cause to get caught.
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Post Game Questions Tori

Was the game fun?

The constant chaos and changing nature of the game made it enjoyable to play!

Would you play it again?

I would! Further, it would be fun to see the different versions of the game and how they compare to the one we played.

How long did it take to learn?

A quick read-through of the rules helped our group learn how to play in just a few minutes.

What was the interactive aspect, and how was it?

The game had players interacting with cards, drawing them, playing them, and discarding them. The mechanics worked well and made it so our game played out smoothly.

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Week 1 Questions Tori

In Your Opinion what should every game have? Why do you like your favorite game?

In my opinion, every game should have obtainable goals/achievements that intrigues and entices any given player. When I think about games I don’t enjoy, I reflect on objectives that are not pleasurable to chase, or that the route to achieve them leaves things to be desired. Thus, I hold high value in the experience of what the game asks me to do. My favorite game, Stardew Valley, stays true to this testament. Within the game, there are varying routes you can take to accomplish different tasks and master different skills. It hands the user the freedom to decide what they want to pursue, and constantly switches up experiences as to not make gameplay stale.

List the games you have played or currently Play.

To the best of my knowledge:

Tabletop: Apples to apples, Blokus, life, Scattergories, Sequence, Taboo, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, Cartographers, Splendor, Telestrations, Wingspan, Codenames, Rummikub, Mysterium, Catan, Sushi go.

Digital: Cooking Mama, Gardening Mama, Nintendogs, Wii sports, Just Dance, Minecraft, Do Starve together, Stardew Valley, The Sims, Among Us, Jackbox, Leauge Of Legends, Valorant, It Takes Two.

Can you apply the three-act structure to your favorite game? What is its pacing and how long do you find yourself in each act?

Stardew Valley Is a game that allows the player to go at their own pace. Tasks have no set timeline, so users can choose how swiftly or leisurely they want to go about completing them.

Applying the three-act structure to my favorite game, Stardew Valley, It breaks down as follows:

Act 1 (Setup):

  • Introduction: The player inherits a run-down farm from their grandfather in the quaint town of Stardew Valley. They leave their monotonous city life to start anew in the countryside.
  • Inciting Incident: Upon arrival, the player meets the townsfolk and learns about the challenges of restoring their new farm. They also discover the looming threat of the Joja Corporation, which is trying to take over the local community center.

Act 2 (Confrontation):

  • Rising Action: The player begins to cultivate their farm, plant crops, raise animals, and explore the town. They build relationships with the townspeople and participate in community events. Throughout this time, they face various obstacles such as harsh weather, financial struggles, and the need to upgrade their tools and facilities.
  • Midpoint: The player discovers the mystical side of Stardew Valley, including the presence of the Junimos, magical creatures that can help restore the community center. This revelation adds a new layer of depth to their mission, as they now have to collect specific items to complete bundles and restore the center.

Act 3 (Resolution):

  • Climax: The player works diligently to complete all the bundles, facing the final push to gather the remaining items. This often involves overcoming the most challenging aspects of farming, mining, fishing, and foraging.
  • Resolution: Once the community center is fully restored, the town celebrates, and the Joja Corporation’s influence diminishes. The player has successfully revitalized the farm and the town, forming lasting bonds with the townsfolk and creating a thriving, self-sustaining community. The game allows for continued play, but the main narrative arc concludes with the restoration of the community center and the defeat of Joja Corp.

When coming up with ideas where do you find your start, with the metaphor or the mechanics?

When drafting ideas, I tend to find my start with a metaphor; a symbolic/imaginative concept. Before I can delve into the inter-workings and mechanics of my idea, I find I first must start with a metaphorical image or theme I want to explore.

Over the course of this semester, who would you like to collaborate with and why?

During the course of this semester, I would enjoy the opportunity to collaborate with Evelyn. I enjoy her work and style and would be interested to see how we could collaborate with one another to work toward a common goal.

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week 1 questions kelsey

In Your Opinion what should every game have? Why do you like your favorite game?

Every game needs a set of rules and a goal. If their isn’t a goal then why progress at all, it can get boring really fast. all the games i play may be more of a sandbox where you can just meander but their are still always new things to discover. i enjoy slime ranchers because it has great visuals, a slight danger aspect to hinder or jut break up the monotony of bright colors, and it always has a reason for you to keep making money and collecting slimes. even if you get all of the slimes their are friends that you can do chores for or you can just sit and watch your stock piles of food and money clime which is very satisfying.

List the games you have played or currently Play.

Minecraft, slime ranchers, slime ranchers 2, legend slime, mahjong, solitaire, Pokémon( X, Alpha Sapphire, Sun, Lets Go Eevee, Go), Splatoon 2, Hatsune miku colorful stage, beatstar, plants vs zombies, jetpack joy ride, Fortnite, Mario cart, Mario party, pacman party. i could keep going but this list would be forever lol.

Can you apply the three-act structure to your favorite game? What is its pacing and how long do you find yourself in each act?

i can apply it to slime ranchers. the first act is the opening to the game, its just a block of text that you can just skip past and not read but it sets up why your character is on this planet and what they are doing their. it is really quick. over the course of the first few days you get a few emails from other farmers saying welcome an this leads to you helping them collect random things around your ranch. some emails are from a friend on your home planet as the game progresses they remains about old times and basically say they miss you. i don’t think i have ever come to the end of this plot line but is is very interesting to read the first time you play. also something that has a good pacing based on how fast you progress in the world are these letters left in the lands outside of your ranch. they are from a man who had lived in your ranch before. they give quick insight about his thinking and kind of parallel the emails in a way. both seem to be talking in a way like they long for a lost love or someone they never got to tell their feelings to. when you get to the last one it gives you a good moral, it tends o feel like this is it but when you look deeper it shows a story of a man who realized that he cant sit here forever and he needs to go for what he wants to find. you don’t get to much insight into your own characters story mostly because your the one crating her ranch and what she prioritizes o their isn’t a lot about her character except for her past. the passing focuses heavily o the second act. i don’t know if I’ve truly ever made it to the true ending of the game but it seems to not gloss over but not hold a lot of time on the first and final act.

When coming up with ideas where do you find your start, with the metaphor or the mechanics?

it depends, most of the time i tend to start with the mechanics. in my game coding class in school we normal started with how the platforms work and how the enemies move before we think about the look and the quote unquote story.

Over the course of this semester, who would you like to collaborate with and why?

i would love o collaborate with Evan or Gideon or sara, they always have really cool ideas and are so easy to get along with, which is something i really look for in someone i partner/collaborate with. those also tend to be the people i look up to in the our major because they aren’t years ahead of me so i don’t feel to disconnected but they are still older than me and know the ropes a little better so they re someone i know i can ask my questions to and get real answers and not those cookie cutter answers.

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Brayden Bauer Game Ideas

A Bomb War

It’s a game me and my friends made when we were in high school and never really finished making it. It’s similar to the card game “war” where the players draw from a deck and play a card. Higher card wins. The a bomb part is where an ace comes into play. The a bomb trumps every card other than other a bombs. Depending on the suit will determine if your a bomb is better or not. 

Quickdash. 

Quickdash is a trivia based game with a few action cards. The trivia questions can be any topic but vary in points. During some of the cards the players may revive an action card that has to be played immediately. It can range from simple to more difficult tasks. 

Ww2 game

On the board there’s the axis and Allie’s powers. You collect cards to either advance or retreat your soldiers.(Examples could be trains, planes, surprise attacks, artillery, etc) You can hold up to 7 cards to play with and strategically use them to either defend your country or push forward. 

Super smash brothers card game. 

The two players each have a deck filled with cards. Each turn the players draw two cards either being characters to put into the field of play or items that can negatively or positively affect the field of play or characters. There are different maps the players can collect that can again change how your cards are played. 

Shocking potato

Simple game here with the only thing being you don’t want to have the potato when time runs out. Whoever has the potato when the timer stops is shocked and is out of the game. Last player in the game wins.