Category: Game Design Studio 2

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.

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.

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.

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.

Observance: This game was an interesting take on Battleship’s game play. I was only able to experience one side of the game, the US side. It had interesting game mechanics such as hiding certain buildings/locations and trying to find the other player while they are moving around. The message of the game was also front and center, as I played I was constantly thinking about how the game related to real life.

Chess War Game (Title is Slipping my Mind): This game was an interesting take on Chess’ game play. Neither myself or the person I was playing with were to familiar with Chess and how it worked and I do believe that impacted how we played the game. I was able to quickly move all the civilians to my side, winning me the game, but I feel the game ended so quickly because both players were unfamiliar with how Chess usually works. I later watched two others play the game and both players were much more familiar with Chess and watching them play I noticed there was a lot more strategy being used and the game was much closer. Overall an interesting game with a good idea and message.

Game Thoughts

Dumb Ways to Die: This was a rather simple game that did not leave much of an impact on me. It was entertaining for a few moments while playing it, but the game play and idea of the game did not stick with me once we moved on to other games.

Fake it to Make it: This game was interesting to watch happen, it gave a quick look into how growing on the internet can work. It made me think about the good and bad ways that people can take to quickly get a bigger image on the internet.

Cards Against Calamity: This game was another interesting on to watch happen, it gave a good insight on how leaders have to manage countless people and ideas. The game gives you many challenges to deal with and each solution often benefited one group, while hurting another group.

Five Potential Problems/Issues that can be addressed with Game Play

• Pollution
• Online Image/Social Media
• Diversity/Inclusion
• Ethical Behavior
• Relationships/How you treat others

Game Thoughts

The McDonald’s Game: The McDonald’s Game was an interesting, but also frustrating, look into how a company can be run and all the effects it has. I was able to see how the company handles things like land, animals and workers. The game was also frustrating as I felt a lot of how the game worked was not very clear or not very well explained in the games massive tutorial.

Monopoly: The version of Monopoly we played created a very different experience from a typical game of Monopoly. Each player was given a ‘status’ in society, I played as a ‘minority.’ Since I was playing as a minority, I had a whole list of disadvantages I had to deal with while playing, most of the time I was just sitting in Jail, waiting for my chance to get out. Even when I was out of Jail, if I landed on someone’s property, I had to pay them more than others. The whole experience definitely was a lot more difficult than how I was used to playing the game and it gave an idea of how certain people are at a disadvantage in life.

Game Ideas

Business is Booming: This game involves starting a manufacturing company with the goal of expanding your business and earning more and more money. However, as you expand your business and build more factories, you pollute the land around you, but you do end up earning more money.

Vote, Vote, Vote: This game involves voting for politicians that you agree with and convincing others to vote the same way as you. The goal is to get your chosen politician to win by rallying others to vote along with you.

Social Media King: This game is about starting up a page on social media and growing your brand. You start by posting simple pictures, but as you gain fame you start to get sponsor deals from companies. Earn money from sponsorships and ads, but some of these sponsors may not be from the most ethical of companies, but they offer way more money.

Climb to Stardom: In this game you start as an aspiring actor, you find whatever work you can and slowly climb your way up with your goal of becoming a famous Hollywood actor. You can slowly rise through small time movies and shows, or you could always take more ‘questionable’ work from people in the industry to jump through the ranks much faster.

Life Choices: In this game you start as a recent high school graduate. You are now determining your next step in life, will you jump straight into a job? Go to a trade school? Go to college? The world is yours and you have countless choices, but you ultimately have to live with your choice and the challenges that come from it.

Luke Conte

Jungle Justice is a team-oriented game in which 2-4 players compete to be the first to collect 3 of the 5 endangered animals. Poachers want to kill the animals for profit and the Conservationists want to save the animals by taking them to an animal sanctuary.

SETUP:

First, separate the Conservationist & Poacher tiles to their respective sides of the board.

• 2 Players
  • Both players are on opposing teams. Each player controls both of their C or P tiles.
• 3 Players
  • 2 players are on one team, 1 player is on the other. It’s a 2v1, play accordingly. No rules change, but the team with 1 player can move both of the P tiles.
• 4 Players
  • Again, the rules do not change but abilities are shared, i.e. each poacher can only call in 1 law enforcement sweep per game for a total of 2 for the team

Place your C and P tiles anywhere in the row closest to you. This is called your starting row.

Separate all of the different tiles (green “vegetation” tiles, brown “animal” tiles, blue circular “law enforcement” tiles).

The teams (poachers or conservationists) split the vegetation & animal tiles evenly between the two teams. For the animal tiles, there’s 5 tiles, so the team going second gets the extra animal tile to place. Both teams should have 12 vegetation tiles.

Both teams place their vegetation tiles on the board in any location on their half of the board. These tiles are not to be moved during the game. When placing vegetation tiles, ensure you do not block an entire row. There must be a gap to move through. Once the vegetation tiles are on the board, place the animal tiles anywhere in the marked rows on the board.

PLAYER TURN

The first team to go is decided by rock, paper, scissors. Decide a turn order from there, and stick to that order. Ensure that your entire team goes before the next team plays their turns.

On the player’s turn, they first move their P or C tile  0, 1, or 2 spaces. They then have the choice to shoot, or in the case of the conservationists, heal an animal or call a law enforcement sweep.

• If the player on the conservationist team has a law enforcement tile in play, they get to move their C tile then their law enforcement tile (refer to abilities for details)

After each poacher and each conservationist has taken 3 turns each, flip the sun to the moon, or vice versa.

GENERAL RULES

The goal of the game is to be the first team to bring 3 animals to their truck. An animal can be considered captured when it has reached your starting row. It can then be put in the truck square included with the game.

MOVEMENT

Throughout the duration of Jungle Justice, players will take turns moving their tiles. Poachers and conservationists can both move up to 2 tiles in any direction except diagonal. Law enforcement can move up to 3 tiles in any direction except diagonal. You must move each poacher or each conservationist every turn. 

Both poachers and conservationists must carry an animal back to their truck, which means that they are encumbered and can only move 1 tile while carrying an animal. Poachers cannot shoot or hide while carrying an animal. Conservationists cannot heal or call in a law enforcement sweep while carrying an animal. Both conservationists and poachers can drop the animal they are carrying if they need to get away from the other player. The animal stays where they drop it until it is picked up again.

Vegetation tiles can only be crossed by poachers. Poachers cannot shoot while hiding in the vegetation. If a poacher is in a vegetation tile, they can only move 1 tile per turn until they are out in the open again.

TIME

Time passes in this game. A day/night cycle is 6 total turns (3 turns for each poacher and conservationist in the daytime and 3 turns for each in the nighttime). Use the turn counter to keep track.

DEATH/ARREST

The death of a conservationist or the arrest of a poacher both mechanically work the same way. The dead conservationist or arrested poacher gets pulled off the board for 3 turns, the round they are shot/arrested counts as their first round out of the game. After 3 rounds they may return to the board from the starting row on their respective side of the board.

TEAM ABILITIES:

Both teams have a small set of abilities that can be used against their opponents.

POACHERS

Poachers can shoot at animals and only once per game, they can shoot at a conservationist or a law enforcement officer.

• Poachers can only shoot at night.
• Poachers must be within2tiles of either the animal or the conservationist to shoot.
  • If a conservationist or animal has been shot, the  animal tile gets flipped over to indicate that it is dead. (If there are 2 people on the conservationist team, the person controlling that tile is out of the game until their 3 turns are up)
• Poachers must shoot an animal before bringing it back to their truck (anywhere in the labeled starting row)
• Poachers can only shoot at an animal or conservationist if the path to their target is clear. No shooting through a dead animal, other player, or vegetation

Poachers can hide in vegetation tiles, but cannot shoot when they are in them. To hide in a vegetation tile, the poacher just moves into the tile by placing their P tile on top of the vegetation tile. This means that law enforcement officers won’t be able to arrest you so long as you are hidden.

CONSERVATIONISTS

Conservationists can heal animals if they are dead, only during the daytime (obviously it’s impossible to resurrect something but let’s pretend it isn’t). Conservationists can only bring an animal back to the truck if it is alive.

• Conservationists can can only heal an animal if their C tile is on top of the animal tile

Conservationists must heal the animal before bringing it back to their truck if it is dead. 

Each conservationist, only once per game, can call in a local law enforcement sweep.

• Law enforcement will only spend 3 turns in the game (not including its initial spawn), so time it well!
• When a law enforcement sweep is called, the conservationist calling can place one of the law enforcement tiles anywhere within a 2-tile radius of whichever C tile(s) they control.
• Law enforcement tiles are essentially an extra tile that the Conservationist can control. They can move 3 tiles per turn as opposed to the usual 2 tiles.
• Law enforcement tiles can arrest a poacher for a duration of 3 turns. The poacher must be within a radius of 1 tile around the law enforcement tile.
• When a poacher is arrested, the respective P tile is flipped for the duration of the arrest, then returns to start over at the starting row after they are released.

1. OCD – I mentioned it last week, but I truly think there are games that can both raise awareness and actively assist with those suffering from OCD.
2. Lack of Creativity – video games allow for those who lack creativity to start to express themselves and find it within themselves.
3. Lack of problem solving skills – for those who lack problem solving skills, video games such as Uncharted or the new Harry Potter Hogwarts video game allow for them to work through challenges to solve problems.
4. Bio modification – although not quite an issue in today’s age, the idea of bio modification is very much a thought in many people’s minds. Games that involve such intrigue users and allow them to see the dystopian society that is created through such.
5. Mental Health – games such as the Flower game we played on playstation in class help users explore the depths of mental health and could be described as a stress reliever.
6. Privacy – games that discuss or surround the idea of the government invading the public’s privacy are interesting. Example: Watch Dogs 2
7. Collaboration – games such as It Takes Two which one game of the year a couple of years ago at the game of the year awards involve working with a partner to beat challenges.
8. Empathy – we discussed it in class briefly, but empathy is often explore in games. It is a very undervalued topic and often times not realized by the user.
9. Bullying – I found a game called Whisper of a Rose that is about a girl named Melrose who is bullied in school and is surrounded by the idea of not feeling understood. The story involves her imagination and the sad reality that she will eventually have to turn back to real life.
10. War – the obvious games that stick out about War include Call of Duty, Rainbow Six Siege or even Apex Legends to an extent. However, none of these really involve the idea or explore the depths of actual issues surrounding war. A good example could be This War of Mine. I found this game and it is from a new perspective that most would not assume a war game would take. It is from the perspective of a group of civilians besieged in the city rather than a soldier fighting the war itself. Many forget (within video games) the innocent lives involved in wars. It is not always about the two sides fighting with weapons.