- Game about doing everything right as a black astronaut and still not being allowed to go to space
- Game where you’re a beloved politician, but no matter how right or informed one of your decisions seems, you only see the worst outcomes
- Game that makes you dissect the mice used to test common medicines (this is not a statement against common medicine I just went out with a girl who does that as a research job and thought it was insane how frequently and mercilessly they kill mice)
- Game that simulates short term memory loss symptoms by dropping the player into high-context conversations – without the necessary context (maybe you can tattoo yourself like in Memento)
- Game that puts you in the position of an American Defense Planner after being notified of an unprecedented nuclear attack. There are no rules.
Post thoughts on iCivics
- I. Love. ICivics. I think I shared about all my thoughts in class, whether you wanted to hear them or not.
- Even so, in having that much love for the iCivics platform, I can admit that they are so totally useless. I never learned anything about bills or laws or gerrymandering when we played these in high school. I just wanted to have more fictional money or upset more of my fictional constituents than my chums.
- If I wanted to learn about those judicial systems and processes, I could go to a real .gov site or pick up a book. Games – at least games like that – can’t teach those things.
Post thoughts on advergames
- I have a hard time imagining the circumstances that would lead to an average person downloading or purchasing one of these games. I think they’re funny. I think that first race in the M&M’s kart game was hilarious. But I cannot see a world where anyone loads up a second race.
- I definitely fell victim to some of the Subway-Surfers Temple-Run franchised remakes, but I was also in fourth grade when the Minions version of that running and swiping game came out.
Game makers notes
- What questions did your players have?
What some of the material cards meant.
- How quickly did they learn?
Fairly quickly
- What kinds of interactions did the players have?
They liked stealing cards/plants from each other
- What confused the player?
The event cards and what order to play your turn
- What made the players excited?
Being able to fill the orders of customers
- What did your players enjoy doing?
Stealing the plants from other players and getting money
- Did any aspects of the game frustrate players?
Just the event and material cards. I feel I need to go back and fix my rules and add more filler material cards so its not just event after event.
Playtest for Starting Roots
Playtest for Mia (Starting Roots)
Playtesters- Family
Most Frustrating?
The event cards. There were too many in the deck and kept pulling the same cards.
Favorite moment?
Liked stealing plants
Wanted to do it but couldn’t?
Play material cards at any time during a player’s turn. Not having a specific order in which to play cards. Wanted to fill more orders for customers.
Magic wand?
Have groups of plants with different difficulties. Make less event cards. Separate events into a separate pile and have an event card in the material cards in which that player can hand another player that card for them to pick an event card.
Would you play again?
Yes
Alex Beachum Podcast
Podcast discussing Alex Beachum by Shane and Clay
BrainyAct Feedback/Questionnaire
I wanted to be unique with my feedback and create a questionnaire myself with my own questions that I was wondering specifically, on top of the questionnaire that Ames already provides to everyone during a play test. I asked everyone:
- What did you think of the colors/aesthetic? Would you change anything? Were the colors denoting the type of question properly?
- Would you be open to experiencing a video as a ruleset instead of a written, lengthy ruleset? Why or why not?
- Was the 2-minute sand timer enough time? If not, what do you think it should be?
- Did you enjoy the red bolt category (actions)? Do you have any recommendations for actions to add or ones to adjust? Why?
- Would you recommend this to a friend? Would you play the finished version/play again?
Shane’s Answers
- I like the idea of having categories/colors. I think stating the color of the card could make the game more interesting/add more strategy.
- A video ruleset would be nice. Seeing the game played out is always easier than reading.
- I think the time was good. It never felt too short and never felt too long either.
- I thought having actions was a fun way to spice things up. Having more active ones could be fun and make managing your time more interesting.
- I would recommend this. I had a fun time and it felt competitive the whole time. It was a good mix of fun and educational.
Ben’s Answers
- I think a various color boxes (red, yellow, green) for correct answer to fill and a reward of a meaningful object(s) (like Beatstar).
- I think both are fine since I saw the written rules are organized; video is a bonus for fun exploration.
- I think it’s a fair amount.
- I enjoy it since it’s a mission trivia for fulfill the level of striking signs.
- I would recommend for video game designer field and students since this mechanics are very towards the video game reward system.
Shane Ames’s Questionnaire
- What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? Some questions I had zero idea on the topic, but I’m not sure anything could be done to help that.
- What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? The competitive aspect of trying to get enough cards was a lot of fun.
- Was there anything that you wanted to do that you couldn’t? I would have liked to know the color of the card I was being asked.
- If you had a magic wand, and you could change, add , or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Know the colors easier for more strategy
- How was the play experience changed since the first play test? n/a
- Is this a game you would play again? Why? Yes, mentioned on other sheet.
My response to user feedback
I think a lot of what Shane and Ben said is valid. I was already thinking about a lot of their concerns and questions such as the color of the cards and potentially playing around with the concept of changing the back of the color to whatever color the bolt is on the front of the card. Given that the user answering doesn’t get to see the question/answer side, it makes sense to change this so they have an idea of at least what kind of question they are going to be asked. Also, I’m glad that both of them thought the time given (2 minutes) was good because that was one of my main concerns given the variety of questions/actions on the card.
Clay added some insight as well. He was talking to me about explaining the answer to the person answering if they answer incorrectly. In the play test I left that open ended to see what the users would do when answering incorrectly. Would they be curious and ask what the answer was? Or would they simply fall into a cycle of confusion? Unfortunately it was the latter. This wasn’t the end of the world, but I edited the ruleset to explain that and even added in the house rules section an optional hint section.
Ames talked to me about my blue bolt section. Some of the questions weren’t necessarily “general knowledge”, so I changed this section to be classified as “Pop Culture” to give me some leeway in that regard.
Lastly, from just observing, I found that I wasn’t specific enough about who was flipping the tube and who was picking the card. In most card games, if it is your turn you are the one picking the card. However, in this game, since the answer is on the card, the person not actively answering (the person who’s turn it is NOT) is the one picking the card from the deck to read to the other. That means that the player that is actively answering is the one flipping the sand timer.
BrainyAct Updated Rule Set
(2+ player game)
Components: XXX (tbd) Question and Answer Cards, One 2-minute Sand Timer
Objective: BrainyAct is a card game designed for a fun, educational, interactive group experience. Be the first to reach 3 correct answers in each category. The first person to correctly complete three actions, three science questions, three pop culture questions, and three geography questions wins!
Setup/Gameplay: Make sure the deck of cards is shuffled sufficiently. Once shuffled, place the deck in the middle of the group playing. Youngest player goes first. Players will take turns picking a card from the top of the deck. It is IMPORTANT that the player that is answering flips the sand timer, and any player not active is looking at and reading the card to the active player, preventing the active player from seeing the answer. Complete as many cards as possible in the 2 minutes. Once your 2 minutes is up, it’s time for the next players’ turn. You can even play in teams of two, asking your partner the question, or against anywhere from two or more players.
Correct Answers: Correct answers are listed on bottom of the card upside down. If a player answers the question correctly, they get to keep the card and form 4 different colored stacks in front of them, creating a total of three cards in each stack to win!
Incorrect Answers: If you answer a question incorrect during your turn, the card gets shuffled back into the main deck. However, before doing so, as the reader, make sure to read off the answer to the player who answered incorrect to promote a learning environment for all!
House Rules: At the beginning of the game, players should decide whether they are allowed multiple guesses per question or if there is only one guess per question. Also, decide how accurate answers need to be. For example, if a question card asks, “Which country is the state Pennsylvania in?” and the answer is “The United States of America” and a player states “the U.S.” is that an acceptable answer? A skip option is something that should be declared at the beginning of the game as well. Lastly, players can decide if they want a hint or not after a certain amount of guesses. For example, if after three guesses the player is stumped, feel free to give a hint!
Colors:
Red Bolt: A red bolt denotes an action. Players will have to complete a physical task to earn the card!
Yellow Bolt: A yellow bolt denotes science! Make sure to channel that inner Bill Nye!
Blue Bolt: A blue bolt denotes pop culture. Examples include questions about the internet, the Olympics, and M&M’s!
Green Bolt: Last but certainly not least, a green bolt denotes geography questions! Do you know your countries? We shall see!
Class 3/20
Another productive class today. I completed my to-do list of writing the rule set for BrainyAct, printing and assembling a prototype, and completed my first play test. I also got a lot of good feedback from Shane, Ben, Clay, Prof. Ames and Prof. Jones. I think BrainyAct is coming together nicely. I need to tweak a couple things here and there, but I like where it’s heading and truly believe it has production potential. It will 100% be in my portfolio and I think documenting the process will be fun.
Poaching Bad —> Jungle Justice Update
I recently updated the rules based on the second play test of Jungle Justice based on the notes below, which is wayyyyy less notes than I had even through the first 15 play tests of Blast Radius, so I think it’s really cool being able to now anticipate issues ahead of time, before players even encounter them. Check my post with the rules for the updated rules.
Class 3/13
Class today was productive. I worked more on color theory and the overall aesthetic for BrainyAct. I found that the best look is to go with a black and white color scheme and have the colorful aspect of the game be associated with the types of challenges that come with the game. I originally experimented with primary colors (red, blue, yellow) with the addition of a bright green. However, after looking at the concept art and mockups, I decided to go against the brighter colors and instead chose a pastel color scheme for the same colors. This gave the look a more unique feel and made the game feel better art-wise.
Next week I plan on elaborating on the experimentation I did and begin to test the game mechanics. Until then I will be working on making at least 5 challenges per color category and do some user research/testing while doing so. I think this would be a good addition to the portfolio as well.
Can Education Be Fun?
I mean, yeah. More than that, the reading made some really good points. I remember being in school and ‘playing’ typing games in which the faster and more accurate you typed, the more points and goals you accomplished (not fun, but I can type without looking at my keyboard now). Had my teacher covered my computer keys, and given me a game in which I could type my own responses or manipulate the game in my own way instead of typing what was in front of me my typing education would have been more fun. I don’t think I would have ever thought to make a math game about being part of a rock band (but that’s why we come to college). I feel like using the authors 5 points will help me better develop some of my educational game goals, and help me think outside the box. No more chocolate covered broccoli.
Brainy Act
The game I am working on currently is called Brainy Act. If you have ever seen minute to win it, played heads up, or pictionary, then you would love this game. The idea is that it comes as an app and a physical stack deck, with cards that ask a user to complete a certain activity in a certain amount of time. The activity may be a physical action, or an intellectual challenge. An example could be, name three countries starting with the letters Li in under a a minute. The box would come with a timer that has a color that matches the color of the card. If the card is red, use the red sand timer. if the card is green, use the green sand timer. Each timer is a different amount of time 30 seconds, 1 min, and 2 mins. If on the mobile app, the timer will come up automatically. Users have the option to shuffle the deck to create a random order of types of activities, or don’t shuffle and pick which types of activities you’d like to focus on by separating that color.
I also did research, as I mentioned in my other post, about colors and what colors create what emotion in a user. This was primarily to get a better understanding of what color aesthetic I want my game to be.
I found that Red sparks Excitement, Energy, Passion, Action, Desire
White relates to Innocence, Pure, Simple, Hopeful
Orange relates to being Optimistic, Uplifting, Rejuvenating, Friendliness, and Fun
Black related to being Powerful and Sleek – used to market luxury products
Yellow directly correlates to Happiness, Enthusiasm, Friendliness, Optimism, and Confidence
Grey relates to Balance, Calm, and Secure
Green relates to Hope, Growth, Refreshing, Balance, Reassurance
Blue relates to Trust, Honesty, Authority, Serenity, Intelligence
Purple relates to Creativity, Spirituality, Individuality, Quality, and Royalty.
The key words in bold are representative of the things I look to show through Brainy Act. I want an exciting game through multiple different unique actions. A game that is simple, fun, and easy to learn for all ages. A sleek, elegant looking game that is a high end product. And of course, last but not least, creating a happy environment for all users.
I really look forward to seeing where this game can go. I think it has a lot of serious marketing potential, and people of all ages could have fun no matter the day or circumstances.
If you have anyone has any feedback I’d love to hear what you have in mind or any suggestions. Or if you have any questions I’d be willing to answer.
Class 2.28
In class today I was very productive. I got a large part of my game design concept down, researched a lot, and began to do some concept art. It’s been tough to try to catch up conceptually with everyone else given I missed two weeks, but I think I am getting there.
The thing that is intriguing about the last two weeks is we’re starting to think about all aspects about what the user will do and how they will interact. This is what I have been hoping for given it is the UX world I am interested in. I started to research about what colors make a user think what to start to conceptualize a color scheme for my game. Also, how long each activity in my game should take in order to give the best and most recurrent experience.