- What Mechanics would you like to use for a game with a theme that revolves around being the size of a nanometer?
I think movement and perception would play large parts in this type of game. At that size, something the size of a pepsi can has enough of a gravitational pull to hold you rooted to its surface, and that surface is a lot more uneven and bumpy than we perceive with the naked eye. Additionally, atoms are about .1 to .5 nanometers in size, so you would see the world in terms of atoms. Electromagnetic forces could also play a huge part, and perhaps the movements of these half person sized atoms can play a part in the game.
2. Who are you making games for?
Mostly myself, but my close friends as well. My pen and paper RPG is primarily for myself. I make the game the way I want with feedback from players and my own ideas mixed together. Of course I want it to be fun, but I think that at some point I have to say, “to heck with that, this is MY game!”
3. Who will be your play testers outside of class?
Several of my family members and close friends will be the testers, perhaps unwillingly.
- Can you think of a game you were able to play without referring to the rules?
The game, “The game,” is played by everyone on the basis that the only rule is you lose when you think of, refer to, or otherwise become aware of the game’s existence, at which point you must announce you have lost the game and therefore cause all others around you to additionally lose the game. In this case, I have just lost this game by referring to it.
2.How do you define what a game is?
To me, a game can be just about anything. It’s always a set of rules, whether basic or otherwise, with the objective to make something fun. If I wanted to I could elaborate further, but the fact of the matter is, sometimes, stepping on only the green floor tiles is how a group of kids keep themselves entertained at a family party at the local fire hall. Even that much can be a game.
3. What features can make your games more intuitive?
Rules as simple and dumb as possible. Not everyone is stupid, in fact, the majority of individuals nowadays are quite the opposite. That being said, one of the biggest hurdles to learning and sometimes even enjoying games is too much complexity. Having a deep game is good, but if you can pick something up in 5 minutes, without having to refer to a rulebook along the way, it makes it a lot more fun to learn, and if done right, it leaves a lot of room for depth and freedom in play. Nobody likes having to stop a game halfway through to look up rules or settle a debate, especially if it’s the first time they’ve tried something. It’s like my friend Alex, a military man, once told me: Keep it simple, stupid!
- What was your gateway game? What do you play to introduce others to gaming?
My gateway game was Halo: Reach. This was the first game I ever played, and I played it a whole lot. I loved the setting, the world, the characters, the story, and obviously the gameplay itself. It got my foot in the door in regard to gaming in general, but after that, I branched out hard. Magic: The Gathering, Minecraft, DND, Scrabble, Skyrim. I wound up enjoying games in which I can make my own story, so I introduce people to gaming using my own game, Soul. I can control the rules, I can control the encounters, the story, the characters, and I can get everything just right and tuned to the people I’m trying to hook. I’ve managed to grab about a dozen so far.
2What features do gateway games share?
Ease of learning, lack of complexity, a theme, interactivity, luck, replay value, a relatively quick or short duration, and originality.
- What are the 10 beautiful mechanics and what should you aim for with your own?
The ten beautiful mechanics are: Kingmaker’s Nobless Oblige: simulating equality through creative means, BattleTech’s Heat, simulating stakes, and strategy, Set’s Setmaking, simulating pressure and internal tension, Magic’s Card Tapping, which simulates a sense of resource management and game progression, Battle Cattle’s Cow Tipping Rule, simulating symmetry, xXxenophile’s Popping, which represents numerics and chain reactions, Mississippi Queen’s Paddlewheels, which simulates a weight of benefit vs detriment, Time’s Up’s communication breakdown, which simulates communication feedback, and Dominion’s shuffling, which simulates luck.
With your own mechanics, you should aim for beauty, whatever that may mean to you. They should function as a piece of the final work of art that is the watch, and they may be in themselves a work of beauty. According to Mike Selinker, this means that the mechanic is at the core of the experience, guiding imagination and allowing the players to play more freely.
2.How does luck and strategy factor in to game play?
Strategy can get you far when it comes to design, and can make a player feel like they’re truly in command, but luck can add tension to the game. In Battleship, for example, strategically placing your own ships can make all the difference, but there’s always that chance your enemy will guess exactly right, and it makes you feel like there’s something other than just your opponent bearing down on you.