Last Resort Game Review
Created by the one and only Professor Ames, this is a more intense iteration of chess. This version of chess welcomes a more aggressive, yet strategic playstyle. First, there are civilians that each player should strive to save. The civilians can be taken by either side, making the experience a fight for possession. Next, there is a nuke, which is in white’s ownership. Although white has a nuke, and may seemingly be more powerful, black’s troops are a pawn with the movement of a bishop, knight or rook. This way, black will have to put in more of a strategy with an equal opportunity for winning. The nuke can be seized by either team, making the whole experience much more chaotic. I like this chaotic feel to the game, making the typical, relaxing chess mindset irrelevant. With these new play factors incorporated, it also makes me feel smart when I figure out the system. Although I will say, the game seemed easy in resulting in a tie. The game can also feel like it can go on for a while, with black and white fighting for the civilians. The playstyle can seem very back and forth. However, there is a second version of this game, and I’d be willing to see what changes were made.
5 Serious Game Ideas:
- Cybersecurity Defense – Players take on the role of a cybersecurity analyst defending a corporation’s network from various types of cyberattacks. They must identify implement countermeasures and respond to security breaches time. The game teaches concepts like encryption, firewalls, threat detection, and incident response, with escalating levels of difficulty.
- Restaurant Tycoon – This game revolves around the hardships of working as a chef in a fancy restaurant. You are constantly pressured by the head chef and are timed to prepare certain foods. One player is the chef, while the other player is the head chef. The head chef times and tracks the amount of points the chef gets, while the chef sees how far they can get before they miss an order. This is a point-based game, which gives you the initiative to beat your previous score.
- House Crafter – A person plays as an architect, designing an effective layout to a house. The goal is to design the house in a way that can withstand multiple waves of environmental tragedies, or robberies. You can iterate and learn based off of mistakes, but you must manage funds and resources to maintain the house. The situation grows more challenging, as the house endures more catastrophic events that put dents in the building.
- Investigation Nation – The goal of this game is to pick a crime from a specific part of the world, which alters what type of crime scene you will investigate. This is a problem-solving game, where you have to discern what has happened at a crime scene. For example, a crime scene in Italy might have to do with certain factors around the area, that could affect the decision of how the crime happened. There can be clues sprinkled in the crime scene, which can additionally help you make an assumption.
- Bees Knees – As a bee, it is your job to maintain the colony and family you are a part of. You must be alert and aware of your surroundings, so you are able to increase the hive. Some bees may die, and it is your job to reduce the amount to which bees are dying, so the honey output can be maximized. As you work with other bees, you must overcome obstacles, tribulation and challenges in being a bee.
Week 4 Questions
- What learning games have you played? Can you categorize them by the theory of learning types: behaviorism, constructivism, or social nature? If you played more than one which was the most effective?
- The only learning game that I can remember was FunBrain. FunBrain was a website (still up and running but not the same) which involved solving math problems, determining shapes and patterns, as well as training your cognitive thinking. There was also a board game, and every few tiles there would be a minigame which trained your knowledge. On the other hand, the website was for kids up to 12th grade, so the difficulty could vary. I’d categorize this game with learning constructivism, based on the inquiry-based learning and problem-solving activities.
- Is gamification bullshit, what is Ian Bogost’s argument, and do you agree? Where have you encountered it outside of class and what was your experience?
- Ian’s proposition is that gamification “is marketing bullshit, invented by consultants as a means to capture the wild, coveted beast that is videogames and to domesticate it for use in the grey, hopeless wasteland of big business.” I’d say that I agree to some extent, but depending on how aggressive the gamification is. For example, if gamification completely sucks the concept of productivity out of a task, turning something serious into a game, I think that it can be unnecessary. On the contrary, I feel that it could motivate people to complete a mundane task, so in some cases gamification could be fun. My only experience outside of class was probably in school, when my teacher made a prize system from earning in-class points. At the time, it was fun, as it encouraged me to engage more and earn little prizes. In this case, I think gamification can be useful.
- What is a serious game and why aren’t they chocolate covered broccoli?
- Serious games are games withstanding a purpose other than pure entertainment. Serious games combine elements of game design, technology, and educational principles to engage their players in insightful experiences. Serious games can deal with societal problems, earthly problems or awareness in a particular matter. Serious games aren’t chocolate covered broccoli, because they can still be entertaining and don’t sugar code what they are. For example, flight simulator can be a serious game, engaging the player in the educational circumstance of flying a plane. However, flight simulator is still fun, as some people want that experience of flight.