- In my opinion, every game should have a good reason to play it. Do you want to play it because the art is pretty? Because it is a beloved childhood game featuring your favorite artistic license? Because the idea of an ever-changing set of rules intrigues you?
- For all the games I’ve played, please see the attached file. Note, this list is nowhere near conclusive, I just don’t have a great memory.
- I’m not sure what my favorite game is, so I’m not sure if the three act structure applies to it. Some games I have enjoyed include Dragon Age 2 (video game), Hand and Foot (card game), and Red Dragon Inn (board game). Dragon Age 2 definitely has a three act structure, as it is telling a story. How long you spend in each act depends on how many of the side quests you do and what story paths you choose. Hand and Foot has a ‘setup’ bit, a ‘meat of the game’ bit, and a ‘conclusion’ bit within each round, but also across the whole game if you count trying to win as the conclusion. Finally Red Dragon Inn could probably be considered a three act structure if you think about it really hard. I tend not to think too hard for that game and just enjoy knocking people out of the Bar.
- When coming up with the ideas for a game, I find myself doing a mix of both mechanics and metaphors, though I would probably lean more toward the metaphor and working out a mechanic to fit it.
- Over the course of this semester, I would like to collaborate with all of the graduating seniors. They have seen the change from Interactive Media to UX/UI design and they’ve been around the RMU block a few times. I would like to be able to learn from their experiences going forward as a ‘new’ student.
5 Campus Games
- A person or group is given a list of landmarks they must hit around campus. They cannot use any stairs or cut across any grass. Different groups can be given a different list of landmarks.
- NAME THAT TUNE but the music is whatever short pep songs the RMU band plays.
- Must answer trivia questions about RMU. If right, you get to ‘chop’ an opponent. 3 ‘chops’ and the person is out. Last one standing wins.
- Puzzle! In The Library: Given a Dewey Decimal #, you must find words/letters/phrases in specific books to spell out the answer to a riddle.
- Given a small time limit, you can only grab supplies that you find on campus (textbooks, pencils, water bottles, etc.). Using only what you have grabbed, you try to build the tallest tower.
Fluxx Review
What was fun? My group played the space themed Fluxx. I thought all the references to various sci-fi media was a lot of fun! These included Star Trek (expendable crew member in a red shirt) and Doctor Who (the Goal was to get the Doctor card and the Time Traveler card), two of my all time favorite things. I appreciate all the various rules that can come into play. For me, the best part of the game is trying to be compliant with all of the rules set up throughout the game or even using the rules in a specific order to win!
Interaction between players? Ethan was openly bored and unhappy with the game, so sometimes I felt like I had to remind him it was his turn. It made the game a little hard to enjoy when he clearly wasn’t into it.
How long to learn? I already knew how to play basic Fluxx, but it did take two or three rounds to get the space theme’s own rules (like computer viruses or holographic projectors).
Would I play again? Heck yeah I would play again! I actually have two different versions of Fluxx at my own home (Marvel and Star Trek: Voyager).
Campus Game Ideas
Kick High and Catch
Kick High and Catch is a team based game where teams compete to score goals against their opponents. The team with the highest goal count at the end of the game wins.
Setup
Teams consist of 1-15 players (meaning 2-30 players), with a maximum of two teams per game. Teams will place medium soccer nets across from each other, 30 yards apart. One team will be on a hill, and one team will be in the valley. A parallel line will separate each team in the middle of the field (15 yards on either side). For every 2 players there must be at least one ball in play (for example if you have two teams of 4 you must have 4 balls in play). The game ball is one of those horrible rubber dodgeballs.
Process
Teams will flip a coin to determine who begins on the hill, and who begins in the valley. The team with the oldest player starts with the ball on their side (old people need the advantage). The game is played for a continuous 30 minutes. Your team must attempt to kick the ball in the other team’s net and score goals. You can only SCORE goals by kicking, and SAVE goals by any means necessary (no felonies, but pushing teammates or sacrificing them is encouraged). The game is meant to be fast paced and a little wild. There is no “out of bounds” but teams must not cross the center line dividing the playing field. Anyone can score a goal, and anyone can save a goal. Just score the most goals in 30 minutes to win.
No positions
No leaders
No captains
ONLY Anarchy
Pokemon Championship
The Pokemon Campus Championship will mimic the Sword and Shield championship using the Pokemon TCG by traveling on an adventure around campus.
Setup
8 pokemon gyms will be designated in different portions/buildings of campus. Players will register and pick there “jersey” number for the competition. Volunteers will act as NPCs to be stationed around and inbetween different gyms. Players will face off against NPCs and Gym Leaders using Pokemon TCG decks and rules to face off. The first player to collect all 8 gym badges wins the game.
Process
Everyone registers and picks a jersey number. Everyone receives a map of their pokemon region. Everyone races around trying to complete all the gym challenges and collect their badges to win the game. Try not to get held up by NPCs as it will slow you down in winning the competition.
Basic B*tch Bingo – To Have Fun While You Study
A group of gameplayers sits in different parts of the library with bingo cards. The first player to get a bingo wins.
Setup
Basic b*tch bingo is created specifically with college kids in mind. Some blocks of the Basic B*tch Bingo will be dry erase for players to add their own special twist to the game. Examples of spaces on the Basic B*tch Bingo card are “Spot Someone Wearing School Swag”, “Spot Someone Drinking Starbucks”, “Spot at least 3 individuals wearing airpods”, “Spot at least 3 BANG Energy Drinks”, etc. The Dry Erase spots enable you to make it school specific.
Process
When you get a Bingo (because this is silent bingo you are in a library) you have to race to the gamemaker’s location and present your bingo card. You don’t know if you have won or lost until you get a bingo and go to the location.
Get Your RMU Passport
Players will pair off in teams of 3-4 and receive an RMU passport that requires stamps. To get each stamp you must complete the challenge associated with the stamp.
Setup
Each RMU department has a required stamp, and Professors of those departments have created the challenges/obstacles the teams must face in order to get their stamp (Very Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone). For example you could have to win a game against Professor Ames and Professor Jones in order to receive that stamp.
Process
Each team will go around to collect stamps and complete fun puzzles and challenges. The first team to get back to the “airport” with their completed passports is the winner.
Fortress
Teams will use the given “bricks” (cardboard blocks) to create and build their Fortress. The last Fortress standing, or the Fortress with the most captured flags is deemed the winner.
Setup
Each Fortress set comes with enough blocks to create a small cardboard fortress, and “rocks” (essentially those indoor snowballs you can buy but grey). Teams can consist of 2-6 players, but only two players can be inside/ protecting the fortress at one time. Teams fortress location must be known to all other teams. Teams will pick something to be their team flag and place it inside their Fortress after it is built.
Process
Teams must work to destroy other fortresses sending teammates and using “rocks”, and creating alliances (depending on the amount of fortresses). Fortress flags can only be taken after more than half the blocks have been knocked down. When your fortress is destroyed you may choose to stop playing, or join other fortresses to try and get revenge. The last fortress standing (or in a stalemate the Fortress with more flags) is the winner.
Kobold Game Questions
In your opinion what should every game have? Why do you like your favorite game?
I think that every game should offer some sort of ability to strategize. Games based purely on chance, don’t feel like games and aren’t fun to me. My favorite game genre is almost any Pokemon game. You can’t beat a Pokemon game without some semblance of hard work and strategy
List the games you’ve played and currently play.
Currently I have perfected the Legends of Arceus Pokedex (and I mean every single research task attributed to every single pokemon). I have modified my original gameboy color in order to add a backlight and I’ve decided to complete at least one pokemon game from every generation (including the pokedex). I’m also going to replay Zelda BOTW before the sequel is released. I also enjoy Rocket League and the Halo series. On rotation my wife and I enjoy playing Life, Yahtzee, Boggle, Monopoly, Skip-Bo, Fill or Bust, and Pigs.
*In progress is a complete compendium spreadsheet of every game I have ever played*
Can you apply the three act structure to your favorite game? What is it’s pacing and how long do you find yourself in each act?
Yes, generally the first act of a Pokemon game is setting establishing what region you are living in, who the Pokemon Professors/Researchers are, who your friends/rivals are, and what the three starter Pokemon choices are. This choice effects the way that you play through the second act. The second act is your adventure through your Pokemon region in your quest to become the Pokemon Champion. You must level up your pokemon through battles, and catch others to add to your team. Having different types is ideal as it effects the success of your battles. Once you have collected all the gym badges you must face the elite 4 (or some sort of champion) to be a Pokemon master. As a result you also get to automatically catch the Legendary Pokemon associated with the game. The push to become champion would be the third act.
When coming up with ideas where do you find you start, with the metaphor or the mechanic?
I find that I almost always start with a metaphor. Your imagination is your oyster, so finding mechanics to fit my ideas and make them seamless seems like less hassle than fitting my awesome idea into mechanics that I’m not willing to change. Plus it’s easier to manipulate and change a metaphor than a mechanic.
Over the course of this semester, who would you like to collaborate with and why?
One person I’d like to collaborate with is Max. I feel like when it comes to design I often let my “adult brain” get the better of me and I don’t stay as open minded as I would like. I feel like Max let’s his kid brain roam free and I love that and want to learn more about how he develops ideas and thinks. He might be a mad genius like King Bumi in Avatar Last Airbender.
Week 1 questions
1 Every game should have an appropriate level of complexity if it is a family friendly game the complexity should be different from a high adrenaline FPS. The complexity of the levels and the story is why I there my favorite.
2 doom eternal, battleship, cards against humanity, cyberpunk 2077, talltale walking dead, halo wars, halo wars 2, halo 4, cod ww2, cod advanced warfare, cod black ops 4, cod black ops 3,cod ghost, cod infinite warfare, cod modern warfare 2, cod modern warfare 3 (2011), cod modern warfare (2009), cod vanguard, cod modern warfare (2019), battle field 5, evil within 2, call of Cthulhu, sniper elite 4, pinball, pac-man, skeet ball, raving rabbids, Mario party, Mario cart, super smash bros, Minecraft, Lego star wars the complete saga, Lego harry potter, star wars fighter pod, connect four, arcade connect four basketball, uncharted arcade, halo arcade, walking dead arcade, scooby doo DS, battlefield 3 (2011), battlefield 4 (2013), uno, monopoly, castle crashers, air hocky, plants vs zombies, angry birds, flappy bird, halo infinite, Skylanders series, Lego boardgame, temple run 2, Seawolf arcade, wii sports, wii sports island, Mario world, FIFA series, Lego pirates of the Caribbean, Lego Indiana jones, SpongeBob DS, nerf arcade, nerf wii, arcade basketball, pac-man battle royale arcade, worlds largest pac-man arcade, worlds largest space invaders arcade, fruit ninja, miss pac-man, apples to apples, headbands, band words, war, left right center, GTA 5, ghost recon, left 4 dead, cod modern warfare 4
3 The 3 act structure can be found in my favorite games. The length of the acts depends on the type of game but for the most part the first act is the shortest with the second and third acts being the longest. The first act usually ends after the set up in video games that is the reason for the game to start with physical games it ends after learning the rules.
4 When coming up with ideas I start with a basic mechanic concept like getting from one side to the other or how far you can throw a thing.
5 over this semester I would like to collaborate with Luke at some point because I know that he can come up with good ideas. I would also like work with some of the people that I don’t to get more opinions.
Game ideas for campus
1 Manhunt
2 See how many things you can move before getting caught
3 Run as far as u can with only one breath while screaming the farthest one wins
4 Run to a goal while being chased if your tagged your out
5 Capture the flag
flux review
1 the rules of the game and the goal for winning are ever changing
2 the basic rules of simple and easy to under stand
3 needs at lest 3 players with no upper limit
4 only one person can win the game but even with no cards a person is not out of the game
5 you are invested in the turns of the other players as well as your own
6 has a reasonable amount of play time that only slightly varies between games
Week 1 Discussion Questions
1.) In your opinion what should every game have? Why do you like your favorite game?
I believe that there are a few key factors that every game should have, things like competition, interaction, replayability, and a good hook. I like my favorite game because of it’s adaptability. Despite the rules staying the same, the game is able to change and variate depending on the people playing it, which I think keeps it interesting and fun.
2.) List the games you’ve played and currently play
- Chess
- Battleship
- Monopoly
- Life
- Clue
- Sorry!
- Trouble
- War
- Yahtzee
- Poker
- Spoons
- Settlers of Catan
- Throw Throw Burrito
- Cards Against Humanity
- Hedbanz
- Uno
- Pictionary
- Connect 4
- Tetris
- Magic
- BeatBlade
- Bubblemaster
- Tap Away
- Pac-Man
- Ms. Pac-Man
- Donkey Kong
- Galaga
- Arkham Asylum
- Arkham City
- Arkham Knight
- Arkham Origins
- Ghost Recon
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Lego Harry Potter
- Lego Indiana Jones
- Mario Kart
- Mario Party
- Super Mario World
- Super Mario Bros
- Super Smash Bros
- Mario Super Sluggers
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
- Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Wipe Out
- Animal Crossing
- Wii Sports
- Cyberpunk
- The Last of Us
- The Last of Us Part Two
- Fall Guys
- Genshin Impact
- The Sims 4
- MLB The Show 20
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Detroit Become Human
- Fallen Order
- Spider-Man
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Five Nights at Freddy’s
- Assassins Creed IV; Black Flag
- The Quarry
- Until Dawn
- Man of Medan
- Stray
- Horizon: Zero Dawn
- Horizon: Forbidden West
3.) Can you apply the three act structure to your favorite game? What is it’s pacing and how long do you find yourself in each act?
Yes, I would say that the three act structure can be applied to my favorite game. The pacing of the game really depends on the players. While the first act usually starts off slow, it can also pass rather quickly if the players know what they are doing. Then you’re faced with the second act, which is what usually takes up the majority of gameplay. It’s easy to get “stuck” in the second act, especially as players get more competitive and rules sometimes get more complicated. Once you reach the final act, the game usually moves relativley quickly until it’s over, but not always. Sometimes the win can come seemingly out of no where and the game is over just like that. And other times, you can see it coming miles and miles before it actually does.
4.) When coming up with ideas where do you find you start, with the metaphor or the mechanic?
I don’t know if I would say that I really have one method I use more than the other. I think that my process involves a lot of mix and matching. I come up with a handful of metaphors and a handful of mechanics, and from there I sort of see what works with what and what I can put aside for something else. Although if I had to pick one I start with more than the other, I would say I tend to go with the mechanics of a game first, and then the theme.
5.) Over the course of this semester, who would you like to collaborate with and why?
Someone I would like to collaborate with over the course of the semester would probably be my brother. He’s always been someone I can brainstorm with when I get stuck on something, and a part of that is because his brain functions sort of opposite of the way mine does. We balance out pretty evenly, and I think that he’s someone who could push me in a different direction and help me create something new.
Campus Game Ideas – W1 (by Benjamin Zou)
Rhythm Tsunami [Rhythm (music)] — Climax Resonates Your Emotions
The Impression(s) of the Game (why is it fun): Expressing your face towards the shaking musical beats to resolve uneasiness.
Brief Info: The floating animated blocks on the choppy tides where the player crosses through by various postures like a running man. The Player will use their hand to control the character’s movement to get the blocks in the right location and not drop underseas or be blown by the block.
Compass 2 Survivalist (Survival Challenge) — The Signal to the Survival Shortcut
The Impression(s) of the Game (why is it fun): Get Guidance from hazardous undersea from the compass to seek survivalists to get rescued.
Brief Info: The character will be diving below the ocean surrounded by harsh tides, whirlpools, cyclones, volcanos, and sharks; players will need to be aware of the cautionary phenomena by using jumping/spin/slide (left & right, etc.)/ liquid spray [prevent the animal attack, not harmful for both human and animal] to get through; once the character receives the compass icon, they will be direct to where the survivalist is (be sure to follow the direction and take precaution about surrounding circumstances); once he/she reach to the survivalist, then it will be successfully rescued.
Rush 4 Ambassador (Strategy) — Banner Structured By Runner
The Impression(s) of the Game (why is it fun): Running to be not only a brand influencer but also creating the poster by collecting design elements like alphabets and graphics to sculpt the poster.
Brief Info: The story character will be taken initiative to make an impact on the brands he/she is up to like radio podcasts, nonprofits, and other events that lack banners and/or posters; the player will guide his/her to collect the items based on the instructions from the ad material. The character must be aware of the obstacle that can damage the banner and its item like rain and crowds of visitors respectively; the player needs to slide left and right and use an umbrella. It will be a game over if the character’s banner touches the rain or the items of the banner become empty.
Obstacles Rhythm [Story & Shooting (musical beats)] — Elevation by Overcoming Barriers
The Impression(s) of the Game (why is it fun): Beating the limitations is the motivating stimulus to reach the new altitude.
Brief Info: The character in a hot balloon is a DJ who can shoot a laser(s) through his/her beat control panel and wants to get on the aircraft (for ongoing musical acts) but is surprised that he needs to pass the exam of rhythm theory. When the musical blocks come, the player must touch the destination, if the player touches the destination too late, the block(s) will blow the balloon, you have 5 hearts (which indicates the damage to your balloon, you get lost if it is empty), if you hit too early, you may get lower height as it used to be. The final score depends on the height of the balloon and the quantity of the hearts.
Wisdom Painkillers [Story with Challenge Tasks (objects collection and hitting musical beats)] — Side effects Free Relievers
The Impression(s) of the Game (why is it fun): Eliminating aches whether it is physiologically and/or psychologically by keeping entertainment beats (music and interesting tasks) resonate with your body.
Brief Info: The character loves any entertainment that can become the best numb shot for preventing anxiety for the next big event that could trigger pain in his/her body and mental breakdown; the character will be undergoing wisdom teeth surgery (extract bottom third molars) under IV Sedation; before he reaches to the dental office by his car, he would like to talk to the radio station to play the emotions of the upbeat songs that can help him to relieve tension and post-op pain(but not sure which song). Now the player must find the song through his treasure room that could match his description of the emotion of the song. During his surgery, the player will play rhythm beats (make sure to hit musical block correct to ensure he is comfortable otherwise the game will be lost); after the dental operation, the character will be sent to the car by his nurse (he cannot drive), he turns up the radio volume to the 50%, the player will play a rhythm beats. After back home, he feels some soreness on his gum, he will need to find some supplements to fuel him up (the player will take responsibility to help him to get the object).
Week 1 Questions
!. I feel every game should have a “wow” factor. I know that’s kinda broad but something has to be eye-catching or at least seem interesting enough for someone to play. Whether it’s the art style, colors, format, narrative, or music. Something about each game has its own “wow” factor. My favorite game at the moment is “Taiko no Tatsujin” This game has different music you play on the taiko drum. I enjoy this game because of the music and the bright colors what makes this game fun is that it has different skill levels ranging from easy to extreme. Also, not every song has the same easy level. Depending on the intensity of the song whether it’s a slow song or a fast song, it has certain intensities. I feel it gets addicting by wanting to clear each song and level.
2. Mario cart Wii and 8. Mario Party 8, superstars and all-stars. Black ops 2, modern warfare, and ghost. Left for dead 1 and 2. Grand theft auto. Animal Crossing, Minecraft, smash bros, just dance, Wii sports, battle box theater fall guys, until dawn, the quarry, corn hole, Rumi 500, Pacman, monopoly, cards against humanity, apples to apples, clue, Sorry, twisters, Pictionary, guitar hero, taiko, subnautica, slime rancher, FNAF
3, I would think so. The first act would be choosing a song and difficulty. This sets the stage for how difficult the journey is and what to expect. The second act would be the time playing the song and struggling for victory. If you miss too many notes you won’t complete the song. The third act is right at the end of the song finding out if you passed. I also feel that the acts are short. The pacing depends on the song. Some songs are long some are short.
4. Mechanic
5. Probably my brother Caden because I feel we would work well together and we have a lot of the same interests with playing video games
Site Review 4:Competition
As our restaurant does kebab and barbeque, I figured a natural competitor would be none other than Mike and Tony’s Gyros. Overall, the website is well laid out. The food is the first thing you see when you land on the webpage, and it scrolls to show off different parts of the menu. The color scheme is simple but effective, using the standard red/white/black that many restaurants choose. The navigation is very visible and easy to understand, and the homepage uses awards and images to build consumer confidence in the final product. It also shows off all their locations. For the most part, everything important can be accessed right from the homepage. This means that any user interested in finding a location does not even have to click to find what they’re looking for. This is something that their site definitely does better than ours, as ours is simple to navigate, but the content is split into separate pages. I do think we made the right choice with the layout of our pages and our color scheme, however. We chose the red and white because it is effective and simple. Our navigation, like Mike and Tony’s, is visible as soon as you land on any page of the site, and they are clearly labelled. I think it is a site that if not standing out completely, is definitely competitive, and I think our design elevates it beyond.
Fusion Competition
The site I decided to review is for a pierogi place called Pierogie Plus, I chose them because our Fusion restaurant is a Pittsburgh meets New Orleans fusion restaurant that specializes in class pierogies with a cajun twist. Overall their website is okay, the color scheme works, and the font is readable. One negative we see right off the bat is the inconsistency in font size. In some places, it shrinks when needed, but there are spots where the font is just drastically bigger while surrounded by much smaller fonts, this can cause the page to look bumpy when reading which can distract the viewer.
The website is informative but should try to keep the tabs on the main bar to a minimum. There are currently 9 tabs on the main bar, and most of these categories could all go under one tab. I think most websites that work well tend to have only 3-5 bars on the home tab, in order to not confuse or overwhelm the customer.
I think our site will stand out because of its easy navigation, and appealing color scheme. Our website gives a lot of valuable information while staying simple without confusion.
Review 4
I chose to look at Pittsburgh Pierogi Food truck, I chose this because out fusion is a pierogi and Cajun fusion food truck in Pittsburgh. http://pghpierogitruck.com/
The layout of all their pages is consistent, and the navigation of the website is easy. The homepage opens and at the top they have their logo and a taskbar with all the pages they have on the website. Which include Home, Menu, Schedule, Catering and Private Event, Fundraisers, Wholesale, and Contact. Each page keeps the task bar in the same location so its easily accessible. And at the bottom of every pager there is more links to their schedule, Fundraisers, and contacts each with a small description. In between these 2 bars is the content for each page.
They also use the same colors throughout, red, yellow, and white. The top bar is bright red with a yellow logo which stands out when you first open the page. And each of the headings are in red font to make them stand out.
I think that this website is similar to our design that we are creating, but I think ours will stand out because we are planning to use some different formatting and more embellishments rather than having all the text on a white background. Also we want to have a map and a calendar instead of just a calendar like they have for scheduling.
Alexis Hay Review 3
I chose to look at No 9 Park and Burgatory for this review.
At first glance their layout is very similar, they both open to a photograph as the first thing you see. No 9 Park has one stagnant image and a few more as you scroll where as Burgatory has a set of images that it goes though. Each webpage also has a top tool bar that has options for the different pages that they have. They both also use a great amount of emphasis they know what they want to stand out. Burgatory uses emphasis on the words “Helluva Burger + Heavenly Shakes” because that is what they are built around. And No 9 Park uses different fonts to make sections stand out more and it also separates them. Each of the sites also have a good balance, nothing seems to be completely out of place, and it also flows. And the same goes for with unity.
I think that fir each site each section and the pages are broken up in defined area. On the front homepages each uses picture, text, and backgrounds to create the definition. I think both also make it very easy to find what is clickable and helps with the easy navigation because its clear where the click is taking you.