Category: Game Design Studio 2

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Finals Week Game Reviews

A Review of Game Design 2

  • Was it fun? Yes, probably one of my favorite classes. 
  • What were the player interactions? Commenting on each other’s posts, playtesting each other’s games, providing game feedback, playing games together, etc. 
  • How long did it take to learn? Somedays I feel like I am still learning things about the points and the rules, but overall, not very long because the point system is fairly simple. I still feel like I don’t understand the multipliers though. 
  • Would you play it again? Yes, but please don’t fail me. 
  • What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game’s metaphor is that game design is structured like a game to learn the principles of a game. If it has a rule set, it’s a game. I really like the character sheets and the multipliers.  
  • What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? I think I just needed more motivation to really focus on making a solid game. Because you can get points from so many different things like commenting, posting reviews, and coming up with game ideas, I felt less motivated to spend a lot of time making a game, but that is also partially because I have been so busy this semester. I essentially wish I had more drive and time to make a really good game, but that isn’t necessarily game design’s fault. 
  • What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? Everything!!!!
  • Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? Not that I can think of
  • If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? I think it would be nice to somehow incentivize the competition a little bit more. I think last semester was a lot more competitive in terms of the leaderboard and that made it really fun. This semester, it kind of feels like everyone is just in survival mode and doing what they can, not caring where they end up. 
  • What should be improved with the next version? Refinements to the multipliers, and maybe more restrictions on the hidden achievements. I honestly hated trying to keep track of my own hidden achievements because it just became a lot on top of everything else 
  • What was the game’s message? If you have a set of rules, it can be a game. 
  • Describe the game in 3 words. Fun, educational, going-to-miss-it-ngl

Evan’s Cracking Jokes Game Version 2

I’m really glad that the glowsticks were switched out for the clickers!

  • Was it fun? Yes, but to be completely honest, the second version wasn’t as fun as the first one. I do like the new clickers though. 
  • What were the player interactions? Reacting to each other’s jokes by moving the noise maker clicker thing
  • How long did it take to learn? I got this game almost instantly 
  • Would you play it again? Yes I would 
  • What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? I’m honestly not sure what the metaphor is, but the standout mechanic for me is using the clicker to react to other player’s jokes
  • What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? Not being able to come up with a joke. The categories were almost a little too vague for me. I know that Evan doesn’t want it to become like Cards against Humanity with the kind of prompts, but I think more specific prompts can help people come up with jokes. 
  • What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I really enjoyed spinning the clicker thingy. 
  • Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? I wanted to be able to steal other people’s points if they couldn’t come up with a joke or the one that I tell in addition to their joke is funnier. 
  •  If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Make it easier for players to come up with jokes 
  • What should be improved with the next version? I would revise the points system. I think that people should be rewarded if they get more people to laugh. Maybe 1 point per person who clicked the spinner? I would also like to see if players are able to steal points from other players. Also, I would love for you to bring back the old joke categories that everyone helped come up with. I had a much easier time coming up with jokes for those cards. To avoid people being like “I don’t like this one, IDK”, you could have people draw 2 cards and pick their favorite category from those 2 cards. 
  • Describe the game in 3 words. Comedy, satisfying clicker

Horrible Therapist

  • Was it fun? Yes! 
  • What were the player interactions? Responding to the problems at the therapist and deciding what cards were the funniest or the most fitting
  • How long did it take to learn? This game was a pretty instant learning experience
  • Would you play it again? Absolutely, and I better! 
  • What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? You are a bad therapist and you have to help people’s absurd problems. I really liked that you were almost building a comic strip. 
  • What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? Reading some questionable cards in front of Professor Ames
  • What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? Being very good at it lol
  • Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? Not that I can think of!
  • What should be improved with the next version? It would be funny to have some improv or recreations of some of these scenes for immersive gameplay 
  • Describe the game in 3 words. Fun, shocking, wow! 

Trial by Trolly 

  • Was it fun? Yes, I really enjoyed this game! 
  • What were the player interactions? Players had to try to “one” up each other by making the other team’s track seem worse so that the conductor would run over them instead. You also had to try to convince the conductor to not run you over so there was a lot of verbal manipulation as well. 
  • How long did it take to learn? This game’s rules and mechanics were simple to learn, but I kept getting hung up on if I wanted the cards to be the “worst” or the “best” since some of the cards were placed on our own track and others on the other players’. That might just be a me problem though. 
  • Would you play it again? Yes, I would! I think I would have a good time playing this with a group of friends. 
  • What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game’s metaphor is about the trolley problem, where you have to debate the moral dilemma of running over the people on one train track. A metaphor I really liked was that the player teams changed every round. 
  • What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? I kind of wish we could have mixed the teams up a little bit better, because even though you had a different team almost every round, I never got to be on the same team as Sara. 
  • What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? The cards were very funny and I enjoyed debating on which ones to choose. 
  •  If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? I want there to be a physical train to run over the people!!
  • What should be improved with the next version? Physical train, maybe better ways of shuffling the player teams?
  • What was the game’s message? Can’t always please everyone (not really but that’s what I got out of it)
  • Describe the game in 3 words. Absurd, funny, different 
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Gris Review and Notes

From games for change:

“Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality. Gris will grow emotionally and see her world in a different way.

GRIS is a serene and evocative experience, free of danger, frustration, or death. Players will explore a meticulously designed world brought to life with delicate art, detailed animation, and an elegant original score. Through the game light puzzles, platforming sequences, and optional skill-based challenges will reveal themselves as more of Gris’s world becomes accessible.”

Notes from online

  • Gris = grey in French or Spanish 
  • Colors represent the stages of grief
    • Denial – grey 
    • Anger – red 
    • Bargaining – green 
    • Depression – blue 
    • Acceptance – yellow 

Review

  • Was it fun? Yes! I love puzzle platformer games like this and it was super easy to become immersed in the gameplay. 
  • What were the player interactions? While you don’t interact with other players, your character is able to interact with various objects which are integral to completing the puzzles. I especially enjoyed interacting with the little cute creatures in the forest. 
  • How long did it take to learn? The mechanics of this game were super easy and quick to learn, but I think it would have been different had I played on a different platform. Based on the demo we played during class, the tablet version seems a lot harder to control the girl, which makes sense for the game. On the Switch, I had no issue moving her. 
  • Would you play it again? Absolutely, I haven’t finished the game yet, but even when I do complete all of the main objectives I can already see myself going back to complete some of the smaller puzzles and challenges that I missed along the way. 
  • What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game is about a girl that is going through the process of grief. The game starts out with little to no color and no character abilities, but as you progress through the game you unlock more colors and abilities. Each of the colors is representative of the stages of grief, and that is one of the standouts for me. The fact that the character abilities that you unlock are representative of that specific stage of grief and the things that you experience during it, it is so beautifully poetic. 
  • What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? Once you get past a certain point, you can’t go back to the area you were just at. For instance, I was exploring the world a little bit before completing one of the puzzle challenges, but then I fell down a big hole and couldn’t return to finish that puzzle. As a completionist, I was not very happy about this, but I respect why the game developers chose to do that. I read online that I can revisit this at the end of the game so at least there’s that. 
  • What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? Honestly, everything. The game so cohesively goes together. The soundtrack and the visuals make the game such an immersive experience and at times it is very emotionally moving. The game doesn’t have any words that tell you about the process of grief, but you are able to feel it in your soul. 
  • Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? I wanted to go back and finish those earlier challenges!
  • If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Absolutely nothing! 
  • What was the game’s message? The game is about a girl who is navigating through the process of grief and sorrow
  • Describe the game in 3 words. Beautiful, moving, breathtaking 

Also here is a gallery of screenshots I took, just because it is so pretty and I need to share:

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Sara Estus – Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover – The Game

CASE STUDY~ Please check out my first post about this game, where I go over the drawing process if you’re interested!

Summary: The game, “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover” is about assumptions, and basing judgments on people based on a picture of them. The game has over 20 different people, with a variety of different statements based on an event or experience a person has dealt with in their life. These statements can be humorous, sad, or surprising. 

Primary Audience: The primary audience is generally people over the age of 15 as some of the cards are more serious topics that a younger audience may not fully understand the weight of. 

Design and Thought Process…

Iterative Design: 

Basic Idea: Based on the idea of finding an old book, and judging its contents based on the old, worn cover. The character cards are based on Polaroids in black and white, to also “age” the design concept. More people were added through the versions, and new statements were used, but the design stayed consistent with the versions. 

Version 1 Design: The statement cards are an old yellow parchment style, and the font is comparable to typewritten. I wanted the impression when seeing the game for the first time to be “This looks old, and like a crime scene game.” The character cards are loosely based on the standard style of a Polaroid photo, as it gives some room for the character’s names, age, and pronouns. For the rules sheet, I used the same yellow and carried the same typewritten font over.

The Polaroid Cards above are the Version 1 (Left) and Version 2 (Right 2) designs for the cards.

Above: Some examples of the Statement Cards from Version 1

Version 2 Design: I chose to stick to the same design concept but added a few more details and styling to the second version. For the Polaroid character cards, the art style was consistent, but I added an “Occupation” to the cards as I noticed many players were spending a lot of time using the age of the character to match rather than any other detail. It makes the game a bit easier, but it also shows how much players are paying attention. 

For the statement cards, I decided to make them more like slips of paper, due to a happy accident of the yellow coloring I used before not printing correctly. (I didn’t want to waste any paper) So I ended up cutting the cards down just to have the words fit, and used stamping ink to apply my own thumb prints on the paper’s design. 

I did design to include a box, and I had two other smaller boxes I used as well (I recycled!) To make the boxes have consistency and style, I painted the parts of the boxes that were printed on with posca pens and brown acrylic paint to age it. Then I used an old pile of book pages and applied modge podge to the paper and box (Think like paper mache) and used lots of alcohol ink and the same stamp ink to apply my finger prints. For the rules paper, I reused the same page as before, but I CAREFULLY, used a lighter torch and burned the edges. 

Game Mechanics: The game was intended to be super simple, spread the character cards out, and then the statement cards out in a different area on a table. Then, carefully read each character card and observe their name, age, pronoun, and occupation, while also observing what they look like. Then read the statements aloud, and decide who fits what statement, based on the content of the statement itself, or the information provided on the character cards. After each statement has been matched with a person, the game master (Me) will check and take away the ones that are correct. The game continues until all cards have been matched correctly. 

Player Goals: Understand the concepts of judging others based on appearance, and little information given about them – you never truly know what someone is going through.

Gameplay Sequence: Place all the character cards out, and then all the statement cards, observe and read/look at all the cards. Try to match the correct cards with the people, repeat until all cards are matched.

Game Board and Components: 

Version 1: The game contains 15 Polaroid Cards, 15 Statement Cards, as well as a rule set.

Version 2: The game contains 18 Polaroid Cards, 18 Statement Cards, as well as a rule set, two small boxes labeled “Statements” and “Polaroid” Cards, all packed into a bigger box with the title of the game on the face of the box

Rulebook and Playtesting

Rulebook Sample: 

Playtesting Notes: 

The biggest lesson I learned was that not everyone took the time to observe as much as they could about the people in the game, but players also didn’t stereotype and judge people as much as I assumed they would! Players would often build thoughts and ideas about who did what, and I think after multiple rounds of playing, people became a little overwhelmed with the concept of getting the cards matched incorrectly all the time.

Game Maker’s Play Test Notes – Don’t Judge a Book by it’s cover (Combined for Versions 1 and 2)

  • What questions did your players have? Who are these people, and can I be in the next version were the two biggest questions
  • How quickly did they learn to play? The rules are quite simple, so they worked together and figured out the concept quickly.
  • What kinds of interactions did the players have?  Laughter, surprise, and empathy in general when cards were matched correctly. Some cards were humorous, and some were a bit sad. I think they learned a lot about being empathic with others.
  • What confused players? They would match a card incorrectly and not remember to move it during the next round, so they would keep getting cards wrong.
  • What made players excited? Seeing their friends on some of the cards, and getting matches correct
  • What did your players enjoy doing? Reading all the statement cards
  • Did any aspect of the game frustrate players? Getting matches wrong multiple times.

Game Reflections:

I enjoyed the process of creating this game and the meaning behind its purpose. It was really enjoyable to connect with people during my process of developing the game, hearing some of their stories, and seeing their reactions to my drawing of them. I hope to make another iteration of the game that will allow people to play without the need of having me around, as well as some changes in how hard it is to match some of the cards. But all in all, I think the game was a huge success!

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Week 1

  1. Ian Bogost issues with cow clickers is the are addicting and time wasting because they always want to keep clicking instead of being engaging with another activity.
  2. Games like Farmville enframe friends because you can change what happens to your farm and people will see and if someone doesn’t, they will feel out of place, and no one likes to feel that way or have FOMO or fear of missing out
  3. Social games do destroy the social aspect because you’re on your phone I think non electronical social games like card games and board games are okay but other than that social games are not really the greatest I play a lot of single player games where i can play with friends which I do but also I can play solo and have no issue with it.

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Animal Shelter game

I had some people play my animal shelter game, where players work as a team of animal welfare advocates managing an animal rescue organization. their goal is to successfully rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome animals who have experienced abuse or neglect.

One thing I noticed is that I did not add in the team aspect as much as I wanted to, I will either have to fix it or make it so all the shelters are in competition, which I would like to avoid.

I based the game off of real animals that are, or were sheltered as Washington Humane, so I believe I reached the empathetic idea I was going for, it was very sad. I even brought in pictures of all of the animals so they could visualize who they were taking care of. Id like to create new cards that have the pictures of the dogs on one side, and their description and story on the other side.

I need to set up a new system where people only get a challenge card everyone once in a while and not every turn. Though people enjoyed that there was a challenge, it was just a bit too hard.

Overall, I believe that this game could be made into something bigger with its empathetic playthrough but needs some touching up.

If you played let me know what you think and if anything needs fixed up!

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Litter Patrol Game

Litter Patrol: A Social Impact Board Game

Game Overview

An asymmetric board game where environmental defenders (Civilian and Officer) compete against a Litterer to protect community spaces. Features balanced gameplay with meaningful environmental messaging.

Components

  • Hexagonal tile game board representing a community
  • Character pieces: Civilian, Officer, and Litterer
  • Various tokens: Litter, Education, Enforcement, Reward, etc.
  • Card decks: Environmental Impact, Community Action, Litterer Strategy, Scenario

Core Gameplay

Basic Actions

  • Litterer: Move up to 4 spaces and place litter tokens
  • Civilian: Move up to 4 spaces, remove litter, or place education tokens
  • Officer: Move up to 3 spaces, remove litter, or place enforcement tokens

Key Mechanics

  • Environmental health tracker monitors game state
  • Scenario cards create dynamic situations and choices
  • Each role has unique abilities and restrictions

Scenario System

When players land on scenario locations, they face environmental choices:

Example Scenarios:

  1. Ice Cream Outing
    • Litterer: Drop wrapper (gain litter tokens)
    • Civilian: Properly dispose waste (gain civic points)
    • Officer: Set good example (place protection tokens)
  2. Fast Food Drive-Thru
    • Litterer: Toss trash (place multiple tokens)
    • Civilian: Report littering (force Litterer to skip a turn)
    • Officer: Monitor area (create no-litter zone)
  3. Public Event
    • Litterer: Take advantage of crowds (place multiple tokens)
    • Civilian: Organize cleanup crew (place volunteer tokens)
    • Officer: Establish disposal stations (create clean zones)

Special Abilities

  • Litterer: “Blend In”, “Sneak Littering”, “Distraction” tokens
  • Civilian: Education campaigns, volunteer coordination
  • Officer: Enforcement, citations, strategic positioning

Winning Conditions

  • Defenders Win: Maintain environmental health above 40% for 12 rounds or restore to 90%
  • Litterer Wins: Drop environmental health below 20% or below 30% for 3 consecutive rounds
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Refined Game Documentation #2

Donkeys vs. Elephants (2 players)

Short Summary

This game acts as a criticism towards modern politics; how chaotic and manipulative it can be. Players interact as a fissure between the left and right wing, trying hard to score votes and public approval. Both sides try and control the crowd in the middle of the board in order to give themselves a tactical advantage. It comes to show how politics can manipulate crowds, or the decisions of the public in order to thrive. Furthermore, there is always going to be a debate between the parties, without a settlement or peace negotiation to end the ongoing bickering.

Design Process & Thought Process

Iterative Design

First and foremost, the two main colors I used for the game’s board design is red and blue. Of course, this reflects upon the democratic and republican parties. At first, the board was completely plain, but I wanted to figure out a way that I can better differentiate both sides. Below you can observe the before and after board design I touched upon. I like simplistic designs for my games. I wanted to find a balance between color and simplicity, going back to what I was saying on differentiating both sides.

Next, another design consideration I had to take was where the marble was going to be placed. This had to be some kind of launching area for the players to determine angles before firing. I didn’t want to make the launch area too small, restricting movement. Additionally, I didn’t want to make the launch zone too big, or else it would be too easy to launch across the board. In order for the marble to sit comfortably without rolling around, I poked a multitude of holes in the launch zone so players wouldn’t have to worry about keeping the marble perfectly steady.

Lastly, the sticks used to hit the ball are identified by a color, in which both sides can use their respected stick.

Game Mechanics

The first main mechanic in the game are the three goals of your opponent. These goals replaced the ballot boxes that I first initially used during the early prototype. The ballot boxes were originally point indicators, as the first player to knock over all three ballot boxes one the game. The problem with that was, it was easy to knock over all three ballot boxes at once. This made the game too easy to end quickly, not letting the other player have a chance. So instead, I added three holes that act as the goals.

This way, players are instructed to get all three of their balls into the goals. This mechanic allows for a slower-paced gameplay which is more forgiving.

The second essential mechanic of the game are the hitting sticks. I’ve talked about them already in the iterative design, but they serve as good launch options for the marbles. Originally, I thought about making the launch mechanic as a rubber band, but I soon came to find how it would be confusing to implement that into my board design. There would not be enough room to fit a rubber band onto the board, so instead I made the game more like knock hockey.

Player Goals

The task of this game is to get all three of your marbles into the opponents’ goals. There are three goals for three marbles, and players can inhibit progression by moving the pegs around in order to block an open goal. Each turn a player takes is a hit of their marble, followed by a spin of the wheel. The wheel will determine how many pegs the player can move to block the incoming marbles. When a goal is occupied by a marble, it can’t be altered, and that is considered to be a point. The game ends by the first person to score all three goals occupied by a separate marble.

Gameplay Sequence

Here are some of the gameplay sequences I have captured.

One of the players scored a point, shown by this other picture. Since this goal is occupied by a marble, the player who scored would keep that marble there and move onto their next one.

Game Board & Components

The game board is another simple design yet complicated at the same time. There are many things to consider during the construction. For example, I made sure that the corners of the board had borders so that the marble wouldn’t get stuck. The board itself had to be relatively long, so that the marble would have some travel time.

Certain measurements had to be taken into consideration, in order for both sides to be equal. This included where the launch zone would be located, as well as the middle placement of the pegs. Everything had to be measured, which would ensure that both sides have equal advantage. For example, If the middle pegs of the board would gravitate towards one side, then the other side would have smaller room.

Here is what the game looks like setup:

Another component I haven’t touched upon was the spinner mechanic. This adds a luck factor to the game about skill, blending the two categories together nicely. This way, players can anticipate the number of pegs they will be able to move after they hit the ball. The spinner is simple in design, which I usually tend to keep simple. If the design of the spinner were too complicated, it could make the numbers harder to read. Perhaps if I were to take this game to a final revision, I could add some color to the spinner.

Rulebook & Playtesting

Donkeys Vs. ElephantsDownload

Playtesting Notes

  1. What questions did your players have? 
    • Players asked if the ball is allowed to ricochet off of the walls. This is unspecified in the rules, so it makes sense that this would be a valid question. Next, players wondered about if they had to move the maximum number of pegs. One of the players spun the wheel after their turn and got a 5, and they wondered if they have to use all 5 movement opportunities. Lastly, another question they had was based on an unspecified situation of hitting one of your own ballot boxes. The ball could ricochet back and hit your own boxes, so I will have to think of a way around that.
  2. How quickly did they learn to play? 
    • Players learned fairly quickly. The rules are simple, and the gameplay is very straight forward. After answering the questions they had about the rules, players were able to understand the game fully.
  3. What kinds of interactions did the players have?  
    • The players interacted directly with each other. Moving the pegs around made some interesting interaction, as players strategized what peg placement would benefit them while giving the other side a disadvantage. Furthermore, while a player would aim toward the other player’s ballot boxes, there was some tension arising on whether the peg placement was efficient.
  4. What confused players? 
    • Mostly just unspecified rules, which I ended up having to answer for them. These unspecified rules were discussed in what questions players asked, but another confusion was if they were allowed to hit multiple ballot boxes. One of the players made the interesting point that if more than one ballot box is knocked over during a turn, maybe the player can choose which ballot box to knock over. Of course, this is something else that will need clarified in the rules. There can be turns in which all three ballot boxes can be knocked over, ending the game in one turn.
  5. What made players excited? 
    • Most of the excitement came from spinning the wheel or getting bank shots. The wheel is luck-based, so excitement derived from whether players were going to spin on a big number. The bank shots were hype, as players not only got the ricochet but bypassed the pegs in the middle of the board.
  6. What did your players enjoy doing? 
    • Players enjoyed hitting the ball with the popsicle stick. It reminded them of knock hockey, using sticks to hit the puck to the other side of the board.
  7. Did any aspect of the game frustrate players? 
    • The only thing that mainly concerned players was the fact that there was no net to catch the marble after hitting the ballot boxes. This is something I’m surprised I haven’t thought of, but as players started hitting the ball, it flew off of the board.
  8. What is your plan to address player questions. Confusion and frustration?
    • In order to address most of the confusion and frustration, I will have to make some clarifications in the rules. Most things that confused the players were not touched upon in the ruleset, so it wouldn’t hurt to make the necessary clarifications. Although I will probably end up dealing with the ballot boxes, whether it is adding a net or completely revamping the mechanic.

Game Reflections

I think that with most of my games, there can still be clarifications to be had. There were still small questions that I haven’t even thought about that could be covered in a future iteration of this game. The development of this game had me focus on combining luck and skill, such as hitting the ball combined with spinning the wheel for movement opportunities. However, I’ve come to realize design flaws within the board, which could be fixed in the future. An example of this “design flaw” could be the middle pegs, which are hard to pull in and out of the cardboard. Refining this game can really shape it up, and next time I will make sure to pay attention to more intricate details which will optimize the playing experience.

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Sara Estus – Case Study “Easter Week Bunny Hunt”

Summary: For the week of  Monday April 14th – Monday April 21st 2025, which is considerably the week before Easter Sunday, and the Monday after – Eight little plastic bunnies of various colors were hidden in eight different buildings across the campus of Robert Morris University in Moon Township, PA. Various Instagram Posts were made on the account “What_The_DucDuck” that stated the concept of the game, as well as rules, hints, and photos portraying the “finders” of the bunnies. Each day from April 14th, to April 17th, 1-3 Bunnies were hidden and a hint was provided. Each “finder” who found a bunny had their name put onto a slip for a chance to win an Easter basket that had a mason jar of ducks, candy, and stickers. (There was no class Friday the 18th, and the prize was awarded April 21st) 

Primary Audience: Anyone who followed the account “What_The_DuckDuck” could join in on the game. Even people who did not follow the account could participate, but many who found out about the game at a later time from hearing about it, did end up following the account regardless. *Anyone ages 5+ can play the game, it just requires knowing the campus, and being able to understand the hints*

Design and Thought Process 

Iterative Design: There was not much involved in terms of a design process, most photos used were taken on the spot, but the beginning photos with the bunnies to announce the game was a simple set up on a table with jelly beans. The rest of the posts just used different colors of bubble lettering provided by instagram, and finding music to add to the video was by search. The plan for the post’s design was to remain simple, fun, and light hearted. 

Game Mechanics: The mechanics were simple for the ‘finders” but the process of hiding the bunnies creatively was a challenge. For the people searching for the bunnies, all they needed to do was keep an eye out for any posts on the Instagram page, and then use the hints to generalize the area and possible place the bunny could be hidden. Each hint provided the name of the building, and a vague hint in the form of a statement of where the bunny could be inside of the building. Once the bunny was found, they could directly message the Instagram account, and it would be announced with their username that the bunny was found, and what building it was in. 

Player Goals: Find a little plastic bunny based on hints and clues, share that they found the bunny to Instagram, and get their name put into a drawing to win a prize.

Gameplay Sequence: In steps: 

1. Look out for what building a bunny is hidden in, and any of the clues provided 

2. Find the bunny (Players could find more than one if they wanted) 

3. Share that you found it to Instagram 

4. Players who find a bunny and share it get tagged in a post letting others know it has been found, and then have their name put into a drawing. 

5. After all the bunnies have been found, all names will be written on slips of paper and put into a bag, and randomly one will be picked to receive the prize

6. Player whose name was picked will receive the prize

Game Board and Components: Eight little plastic bunnies, an Instagram account to make posts, and a prize basket with candy, and goodies

Rulebook and Playtesting

Rulebook Sample: As there is no clear ruleset, besides the answer to the comments and post, here is a summarized version of the rules for clarity: 

1.) Eight Bunnies will be hidden in eight different buildings across campus from Monday to Thursday! After they a hidden, various clues and hints will be given for each bunny!

2.) Have sportsmanship! They are only plastic, and there is enough to go around!

3.) The bunnies will ONLY be hidden in places that are fully accessible, so no shops like Saxby’s or Romo’s!

4.) You can find more than one bunny to get your name put into the drawing more than once!

5.) Search high, low, below, and around! But please refrain from damaging or moving anything! BE RESPECTFUL!

6. Have so much fun! And be KIND!

Playtesting Notes: 

What Questions did players have? Players wanted more hints for the first bunny. I made it quite difficult, and they took two days to find it, which made me believe this would be a longer process than I had anticipated, so I hid them a little easier. 

How quickly did they learn to play? Hell hath no fury like a college student who wants cute bunnies and candy, they learned how to play very quickly, almost obsessing over the concept of the game, and drive to win a bunch of candy and goodies.

What kinds of interactions did the player have? Many people ended up teaming up into groups, running around campus quickly due to turning on notifications for the Instagram account, so each time I made a post, many would be on top of searching for bunny, many times even minutes after it was hidden.

What confused Players? The factor of one of the rules being that the bunnies will only be hidden in places that stay open. Many reached out worried a bunny was in Saxby’s, concerned that it was closed and they would have to try again later, they were all assured it would be hidden and easily accessible. Of course I messed up this rule by putting one in the Nicholson basement, but you can read above how that was resolved. 

What made players excited? The ducks have been very popular, and now that there was a new animal, and new colors, players were on the hunt pretty obsessively about finding them. Many even made comments on the posts like “I needed this” or “This is my whole life this week” I think the excitement of not knowing where something is, and hunting for it in order to have a chance to win a prize makes people really happy and have fun.

What did your players enjoy doing? Hunting for the bunnies for sure! When I met with some of the “finders” afterward, many commented that they enjoyed the unknowingness of when another bunny hint would drop, so they were always on their toes!

Did any aspect of the game frustrate players? I think there’s always an aspect of frustration when players don’t win the final prize. But I also observed that many players who didn’t find bunnies would be a bit disappointed if they didn’t find a bunny in time. 

** The very last bunny was hidden with me, as I wanted to end the game by being able to ask some of the players what they thought, besides the comments and DMs I would receive. It ended up being really helpful for future insight to receive this feedback directly!**

Game Reflections: As a person who has placed over 35.000+ ducks across campus for the last two years, I really enjoyed this instance where I would be able to interact with the public and people who have been following the account for some time. It was really fun to have a bit of control and guidance directly with people, by means of encouraging them to keep looking, and congratulating them for finding bunnies. I definitely want to do this again! I did run into some issues that I think I will try to prevent in the next iteration of this concept, and I would like to share what I experienced in simplified points:

  1. Be 100% sure that places you are hiding bunnies/anything is fully accessible 24/7. I hid a bunny in the Nicholson basement and I did not know the basement closes at midnight. It did cause some issues for players, with a few getting upset. Due to this, I ended up hiding eight bunnies instead of seven to make up for the mistake. 
  1. Stress the importance of sportsmanship. Though I shouldn’t have to, some people who played the game became very difficult with other players upsetting them. For this instance, one “finder” hid from other players that the bunny was found by them – wasting others’ time. 
  1. Have prizes for people who do find bunnies, but don’t win the final prize drawing. I had a group who found six of the eight bunnies, and I ended up giving them a bunch of ducks and stickers since they all worked so hard. I think it would be good to stress that even if they don’t win the big prize, they will still get an award. 

I do plan to do this again! I really enjoyed this experience!!

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Oblivion Remastering Review

Recently, the Elder Scrolls got an update of Oblivion: Remastered, developed by Virtuos and Bethesda Game Studios and I thought I would talk about it a little bit and give it a review.

Some back story, Oblivion OG released in 2006 and was a huge hit, especially in my family. The graphics and game play were great especially with the open world concept that it followed. Yes, Oblivion may be known for its hilarious glitches, limited voice acting (even over recorded lines that weren’t clipped lol) , and their now-a-days not so great quality ( the green hue that you see in the game) but The Elder Scrolls series is something unmatched, and hearing that they were remastering one of the best games in the series got a lot of the fan base excited and nervous. It was one of the first games I fell in love with on the PS3 and XBOX 360, so I am eagerly writing this review.

Honestly, Bethesda is known to push back dates, very often. There have been rumors of an Elder Scrolls 6 since 2014, and they rarely talk about it. But when they shadow dropped Oblivion Remastered, the whole world had officially shifted its gaze back to our good old Oblivion. Bethesda released a statement talking about how much they wanted to keep so much of the game, but bring it up to todays standards of graphics, and it has truly lived up to it. They have kept all original dialog, voice actors, storylines and so much more which has made people thrilled to keep going back in for more. If you haven’t played the original, I can honestly say (even though I love modded OG Oblivion) you don’t have to worry about playing the OG first, its all, and more in the remastering. And yes.. a majority of the game still has it’s glitches (thank you Bethesda I feel right at home hehe).

Bethesda and Virtuos collabed in 2021 to use Unreal Engine 5 to update only a bit of the game play, but a majority of the graphics. The landscapes are not even compared to Skyrim’s anymore (which honestly hurts to say, but needed to be said.) they are beautiful, the water, animals, and people are so much more life like now, it’s good that they’ve gotten the love they’ve so deserved.

I haven’t played enough through the remaster to tell you everything, but I can tell you that it has a whole new life to it that gives goose bumps down your arms feeling not only at home, but a new love put into it.

Highly rated 10/10 game, please go buy it if you haven’t and if you love fantasy based games like me, and if anyone has play through it more than I have please put your input in the comments!! I would love to hear more thoughts about how others feel.

“go back to the chess club” -todd howard