Tag: Marked

Thoughts on what we played in class

Dumb Ways to Die

This is a classic game that I played when I was younger. A mobile game testing your quick-thinking skills, as well as your reflexes. Best of all, the game is a reflection from the YouTube video “Dumb Ways to Die.” I used to like watching that video with my friends, and it brings me a sense of nostalgia to see us interact with this game during class. Although my parents always thought DWTD was inappropriate, me and my friends got a good chuckle out of it. Anyways, the game itself starts off easy. The longer you play it, the harder it gets. It seemingly never ends, using a point-based system to give you the next number to beat. One of the best features of the game I enjoy is the description of rule before the minigame starts. Let me elaborate…when you are met with a quick time event, before the minigame starts, you have a sense of direction. There is a short description of the rules in what to do, so the player isn’t panicking. Each trial is different, but the player will know what to do.

5 Empathetic game ideas

1. Savior’s Passion – This is a religious game, pertaining to Christ’s death on the cross. You are Jesus’ mother, Mary, who is trying to make it to the crucifixion. During this time, there is discourse and chaos making it hard for you to find your son. Crowds of people blocking your way, Romans trying to control the crowd, and disciples trying to find Jesus, account for what you endure. You can find Jesus through clues by the disciples, and news on the street. It’s hard to navigate, but through more hints and navigation, you can find your son on the cross.
2. Sinking Sailor – Inspired by the Titanic, you are a sailor who is trying to stay afloat. As the life rafts are being prepared, you must avoid sliding tables and people running around. As you are sinking with the ship, you must also make sure to save people yourself. It is your duty to fight for your life, while saving the lives of others. There is a chance you may not be able to find a life raft, so spend your time wisely.
3. Mother’s Wish – Your mother is very sick, and she asks of you one thing – to grab her medicine/groceries from the store. Unfortunately, the store is also about to close, and you are limited on time. each isle has different items in it. Your job is to navigate the isles accordingly, before the time runs out. At the start of every game, the items are randomized, making each game different.
4. Puppy Pals – A game making the player feel empathetic for adopting puppies. This experience involves adopting the right puppy in need, based on description. Players are given vague descriptions of the puppies that they are trying to find, and based on what they read, they have to make the right decision. When they make the decision, they turn over the card to determine if they chose the right puppy.
5. Com. Compassion – A communication game, but also a mystery solving game in which a character must console someone going through a hard time. This is not only empathetic towards others but also increasing our communication skills. A player might be perfectly fine, but that is for the other players to find out. An interactive experience between two different players, one trying to find out answers and the other one trying to help the player guess.

Mother’s Wish Wrinkle

There are tiny little model shelves on a board, each with intricate tiny pieces. The Shelves can be organized in any way, in any order and same applies to the items on the shelves. On a player’s turn, they choose a card to see what item their mom wants them to get off the shelf. When they are ready, they flip over the timer (probably a sand timer), and they start looking on the shelves visibly. When they find an item, they pick another card and choose the next item. The player who was able to put the most items in their shopping cart before the store closes wins.

Week 3 questions

Chapter 1

1. How does Mary Flanagan’s definition of game differ from Chris Crawford’s as well as the definition crafted by Katie Salen and eric Zimmerman?
   • Flanagan brings in a linear and broad definition of games, more open to non-traditional forms of play. Crawford focuses on decision-making and interaction within structured systems. Lastly, Salen & Zimmerman stress the importance of rules, systems, and artificial conflict leading to quantifiable outcomes.
2. What is an activist game?
   • Activist games are characterized by their emphasis on social issues, education, or even intervention. Games that engage in a social issue through themes, narratives, roles, settings, goals, and characters.

Chapter 3

1. Go and chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information”, what other games share that feature?
   • Mancala, picture games and checkers are other examples of “perfect information” games.
2. Why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures?
   • The random outcomes symbolized influence of fate, divine will, or the unpredictable nature of life itself. Gambling was not just for entertainment but could be correlated with religious and social fabric of ancient societies, serving as a means to interpret fate, seek divine guidance, and reinforce communal beliefs.
3. When was the earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games? what modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized?
   • Tables was a game played with dice, played on a backgammon board. Europeans in the Middle Ages were captivated, and the church fought to forbid its play. 1254 Is when St. Lous IX forbade Tafl at court, calling the game “inhonesti ludi.” Modern games that have been banned or demonized are “Mobile Legends, Bang Bang” and “Marvel Snap” due to national security or data privacy.
4. What is a fox game, and what would be a modern example?
   • Unequal opponents, where the games are characterized by an unbalanced set of game goals and a rather abstract board. One player controls numerous geese, sheep or mice, whereas the opponent controls the fox, or aggressor. A modern example of a fox game could be Dead by Daylight. In this game, four survivors work against one powerful killer, fixing generators to escape through the gate.
5. What was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness?
   • The Mansion of Happiness explored morality and virtue. Success is earned through honesty, temperance, gratitude, sincerity, humility, and so on. The intent of this game, with these qualities, is to hope that children would understand and take these principles to heart. Furthermore, children could connect their thoughts to the secular joys of competing for positions, fighting against the wages of good vs evil.
6. Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surrealist movements play games? Why did Surrealists believe games might help everyone?
   • They played games as a form of recreation and research. Surrealists emphasized the playfulness of Dada through the use of chance and juxtaposition. They were also concerned with the internal workings of the mind and believed that games encouraged a deep focus on the subconscious.
7. Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WW2?
   • Changes in any larger social situation, such as economic depression can signal profound changes in games. Pinball games typically updated graphics, pertaining to the ongoing wars at the time. They were made “politically relevant.”
8. What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like monopoly and ping pong?
   • Fluxus artists wanted to reexplore and open up the concepts of the current concepts of these games, questions how different things would be. The artists intend that the meaning of the work and its spatiality be infinitely interpretable when “put into play.”
9. How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco and Ruth Catlow using war games?
   • These artists use war games in response to think about global conflict, and how games can investigate ways to express different kinds of aggression. Furthermore, these different forms of expression can teach principles of nonviolent conflict resolution.
10. Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game?
    • Artists can employ contexts for play which include empathy and learning, as well as activating metaphorical or actual action.

Notes on Observance. 

– I like the concept of battle ship. 

– struggling to understand how the rules work. 

– I’m sneaking the Mexicans across successfully 

– kinda slow, the Americans can not catch me. 

– I’m too good at sneaking across. 

– Kinda unsure of the rules still the Americans are just letting me cross. 

– No winner because I didn’t realize I had to look for green cards to declare citizenship. 

– My partner also didn’t have enough time to play as a Mexican so we don’t know who could’ve won. 

– creative game in general. I liked it. Wish we had more time to play it. 

(Climate Change Game)

Players take on the role of a climate refugee navigating a world devastated by environmental disasters. They must manage limited resources, form alliances, and make moral choices such as whether to share dwindling supplies or hoard them for survival. As players progress, they learn about the causes of climate change and its disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.

Mechanics: Dynamic weather disasters (hurricanes, wildfires, droughts) that force players to adapt. A morality system where choices affect relationships with NPCs and long-term survival. Interactive storytelling that presents real world environmental case studies.

Message: The game highlights the urgency of climate change and the human cost of environmental neglect.

(Immigration Game) 

Players assume the role of an immigration officer in a fictional country experiencing political turmoil. They must make decisions on asylum applications, refugee status, and deportations while balancing their personal ethics, government policies, and public opinion.

Mechanics: Case files inspired by real refugee and immigration stories. Limited resources force tough choices: Do you approve a questionable application or follow strict policies? Multiple endings based on how compassionate or strict players are.

Message: Encourages players to think about  the challenges of immigration policies and their impact on human lives.

(Mental Health & Stigma)

Concept: emotionally driven game where players step into the mind of someone struggling with anxiety and depression. Each level represents different mental health challenges, such as social anxiety, burnout, or trauma. Players must navigate these challenges through puzzles, dialogue, and interactive storytelling.

Mechanics:  A  world that changes based on the character’s mental state. Mindfulness and coping mini-games that educate players on mental health strategies. A branching story where choices impact how the character seeks support.

Message: Raises awareness about mental health, reducing stigma and promoting empathy.

dumb ways to die

dumb ways to die is a game about how to save people from making dumb decisions. the game is fast paced and in a more simple art style. the game is supposed to show you how simple things can keep you safe. the game works well in the thing it is trying to promote and show awareness about.

fake it to make it

fake it to make it is all about showing people how easy it is to make and promote fake headlines an media. it also teaches how to make fake media, but it makes it very clear that it is not a good thing. it is just to show awareness.

cast your vote

cast your vote shows how bad it can be to vote just to vote. it shows that it is a good idea to do research and be an informed voter, but it also shows how it can be easy to be influenced by the media.

Gris

gris is an amazing game about grief. it shows how slow the recovery can be and how its better to take it slow an even small accomplishments can be a big step in the healing process. beautiful graphics that help you feel what the character feels without any dialogue.

ideas

1. a game where we play as an animal and have to live life as that animal and help to keep this animals kin alive. their is not many things you can do with your character but explore and hunt or graze to keep your animal alive. these aspects of the game will get harder as the game progresses and the environment starts to change. it will start as weather conditions and get into habitat loss and hunters encroaching into your territory.
2. a mini games based game where you will play simple min games as a character with memory loss and each mini game completed it will bring back fragments of their past, slowly showing their life they forgot and the traumas that have lead them to this state of amnesia.
3. you are a CEO that has to make many decisions for their company but as the game progresses you get visions of what your decisions are doing to the people it affects, employees, customers, coworkers. you can chose to make better decisions to help people and make a difference or keep going the direction you are going because they are making you money.
4. a game where the main character is neurodivergent. in the game you have to go about your normal day and make decisions for what to do in certain scenarios, dealing with social exhaustion, sensory overload, executive dysfunction, and other struggles and experiencing how making certain decisions can either be beneficial for your health or can harm it. the game will have a bar that shows how much energy they have that day and how much energy you have is dependent on what you have done in previous days and you can go over the allotted amount with detrimental consequences. during your play thought their will be cut scene where you hear some of the common things people with these problems are told by people how don’t understand or have the same problems they do. and their is nothing you can really do to stop from getting these cutscenes.
5. similar to my last idea but having the character play mini games during decisions and playing the mini games in a completionism fashion can lead to the burnout of energy but some mini games are more important and need more energy to complete so you need to pick and chose what mini games you just try and complete with the bare minimum and what games you can perfectionist. how you play these games will also give achievements that give the mentality that neuro typical people try and give to neurodivergent people. the game is meant to make you frustrated with the fact you aren’t able to really do any more then you are doing.

Mary Flanagan’s Perspective: Flanagan argues that games go beyond entertainment, serving as platforms for critical engagement where players exercise agency and find meaning through interactions with rules, environments, and narratives. Her perspective highlights the social, political, and cultural dimensions of games, emphasizing their ability to reflect and influence real-world issues. Chris Crawford’s Perspective: Crawford, a game designer, defines games more rigidly as interactive experiences where players make decisions in response to challenges. He emphasizes the interactive nature of games, viewing them as simulations in which player choices directly impact the outcome. Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman’s Perspective: Salen and Zimmerman define games as structured systems governed by rules that establish goals and outcomes. Their focus is on the structured nature of gameplay, emphasizing the balance of skill and chance in achieving objectives. They see games as frameworks that guide player experiences. Key Differences: The primary distinction among these definitions lies in their focus: Flanagan considers the broader cultural and critical impact of games, Crawford emphasizes interactivity and decision-making, while Salen and Zimmerman concentrate on game structure and mechanics. An activist game is designed to inspire social, political, or cultural change. These games encourage players to critically engage with real-world issues, such as inequality, human rights, and environmental concerns, prompting reflection or action. Activist games often challenge traditional narratives and power structures, using gameplay as a medium for social commentary. Games like checkers and Chess fall under the category of perfect information games, where all players have access to the same knowledge about the game’s state at all times. Other examples include: Checkers: A deterministic game where all moves and positions are visible to both players. Tic-Tac-Toe: A simple example where both players can see the entire board and every move made. Chess: Both players can see where the pieces are and what they do. Chance-based or gambling games have historically been linked to spiritual or religious beliefs. Many ancient cultures viewed these games as a means of interpreting fate, divine will, or omens. The element of randomness in such games was often thought to reflect the influence of gods or spirits, making them tools for decision-making or religious rituals. The tension between games and governing or religious institutions dates back centuries. In Ancient Rome and medieval Europe, certain games were banned due to their associations with gambling or because they were seen as distractions from religious and civic duties. More recently, games like Dungeons & Dragons (which faced backlash in the 1980s) and violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto have been criticized for their perceived moral or social impact. A fox game is a game where players have partial but not complete knowledge of the game state, leading to uncertainty and requiring strategic thinking. Modern examples include: The Mansion of Happiness was an early American board game designed to teach moral and spiritual lessons. Players progressed by making choices aligned with Christian virtues like honesty, kindness, and piety. The game served as a tool for moral instruction, particularly for children. Artists from the Fluxus and Surrealist movements often used games as a way to challenge conventional artistic and societal norms. Surrealists, in particular, believed that games involving chance and randomness could unlock deeper levels of creativity, freeing players from rational constraints. Games provided a space for experimentation with absurdity, symbolism, and the subconscious. Games have been reskinned and repurposed throughout history to reflect different cultural or historical contexts. During World War II, pinball machines were modified to include patriotic or war-related themes. Similarly, Fluxus artists reimagined games like Monopoly and Ping Pong as critical or experimental experiences, subverting traditional values through altered gameplay and aesthetics. By modifying classic games like Monopoly and Ping Pong, Fluxus artists made statements about art, play, and society. Their approach disrupted traditional interpretations of these games, transforming them into tools for creative expression, social critique, and commentary on capitalist values. Artists such as Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco, and Ruth Catlow have used war-themed games to explore themes of conflict, violence, and power dynamics. Through game-based artwork, these artists critique militarism, the human cost of war, and the commercialization of violence, challenging traditional portrayals of warfare in culture. In critical or serious games, player agency—the ability to make meaningful choices that influence the game’s outcome—is essential. A strong sense of agency enables players to engage deeply with the game’s themes, narratives, and mechanics, making the experience more impactful. Without agency, players may feel disconnected from the game’s message, reducing its ability to provoke thought or inspire change.

Empathy Game on Fleeing The country and being different than everyone else 

studies said that it did change peoples empathy “a little bit”. 

Got a positive result but it didnt matter because it wasnt big enough. 

“Who is gonna sit down and decide to play a game that will encourage change”

people are not looking for games that encourage change as much. 

Take the lolipop. When you take it it starts the game. your on a zoom call. Tells the story of a facebook stocker. The dangers of sharing your information online. 

You also control the information that the players get at a certain moment in time and throughout the game.

Reading Responses:

Mary Flanagan’s Definition: Flanagan highlights that games are not just about play but also about critical engagement, where players experience agency and meaning through interaction with rules, environments, and narratives. Her approach acknowledges the social, political, and cultural aspects of games, emphasizing the potential of games to reflect and shape real-world issues.

Chris Crawford’s Definition: Crawford, a game designer, defines games more strictly as interactive experiences where players make decisions based on challenges. Crawford is focused on the interactive nature of games, viewing them primarily as a form of simulation where players’ actions directly affect the outcome.

Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman’s Definition: Salen and Zimmerman describe games as systems with rules that create goals and outcomes, emphasizing the experience of play. They focus on structured interaction and the balance of skill and chance in achieving outcomes. Their definition highlights the game as a framework that players navigate to achieve objectives.

The difference between these definitions is primarily in the focus: Flanagan’s is more inclusive of the cultural and critical dimensions of games, Crawford’s focuses on interactivity and decision-making, and Salen & Zimmerman focus on systems and structure in gameplay.

What is an Activist Game?

An activist game is one that is designed with the intent to provoke social, political, or cultural change. These games seek to engage players in critical thinking about real-world issues such as inequality, human rights, or environmental concerns, encouraging them to take action or reflect on their role in these issues. Activist games can also challenge traditional narratives and power structures, using gameplay as a tool for social commentary.

Perfect Information Games

Games like Go and Chess are described as featuring perfect information, where all players have access to the same knowledge about the game’s state at any time. Other examples of games with perfect information include:

• Checkers: Like chess, it is a deterministic game with no hidden information.
• Tic-Tac-Toe: A simple example of a game with perfect information, where both players can see the entire game board and the history of moves.
• Reversi (Othello): Another game where players have full visibility of the state of the game at all times.

Chance or Gambling Games and Their Spiritual or Religious Importance

Chance or gambling games were often seen as involving forces beyond human control, linking them to concepts of fate, divine will, and spiritual or religious significance. Ancient cultures might have considered these games as a way to connect with the divine or to interpret omens, as the randomness of chance was thought to reflect the will of the gods or spirits.

The Earliest Battle Between Government/Religious Groups and Games

Historically, the conflict between governments/religious groups and games can be traced back to the prohibition of gambling or certain leisure activities. The earliest significant battles might be seen in the context of Ancient Rome or medieval Europe, where certain games were outlawed for their connection to gambling or as distractions from religious and state duties. In the modern era, games like Dungeons & Dragons (often demonized in the 1980s) or video games with violent content (such as Grand Theft Auto) have faced similar opposition.

Fox Games and Modern Examples

A fox game is one where the player is given some knowledge, but not all, about the game’s situation, leading to uncertainty and a need for strategic thinking. Modern examples might include games with hidden information like Werewolf, Clue, or Mafia, where players must use deduction and social manipulation based on incomplete information.

Mansion of Happiness

The Mansion of Happiness was an early American board game designed to promote moral and spiritual lessons. Players advanced by making choices that aligned with Christian virtues such as honesty, kindness, and piety. The purpose of the game was to reinforce moral values through the structure of gameplay, providing a form of instruction for players, particularly children.

Fluxus and Surrealist Artists Playing Games

Artists from the Fluxus and Surrealist movements often played games to explore the boundaries of art and to challenge the rules of conventional society. Surrealists believed that games, particularly those that involved chance or randomness, could help break free from the constraints of rational thought and enable players to access a deeper, unconscious level of creativity. Games offered a space to experiment with absurdity, symbolism, and the irrational.

Changes and Reskinning in Games

Games can signal profound changes when they are reskinned or repurposed for new cultural or historical contexts. During WWII, for example, pinball machines were often modified (reskinned) to reflect patriotic or war-related themes, thus aligning with the war effort. The reskinning of games like Monopoly or Ping Pong by Fluxus artists also aimed to subvert traditional values, transforming the experience of these games into something more critical or experimental.

Fluxus Artists and Reskinning Games

By reskinning games like Monopoly or Ping Pong, Fluxus artists were making a statement about the nature of art, play, and societal values. They sought to disrupt the established meanings and functions of these games, turning them into tools for creative expression, social critique, or commentary on capitalist values.

Artists Using War Games

Artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco, and Ruth Catlow used games (including war games) to engage with issues of conflict, violence, and power dynamics. These artists often used war-themed games as a medium to explore or critique militarism, the human cost of war, and the commodification of violence. By using games as artistic tools, they could challenge the traditional portrayal of war and the way it is embedded in culture.

The Importance of Player Agency in Critical Games

In critical or serious games, player agency—the ability to make meaningful decisions and influence the game’s outcome—is essential. It allows players to actively engage with the game’s themes, narratives, and mechanics, fostering a sense of ownership over their experience. Without agency, players may feel disconnected from the game’s message or fail to experience the transformative potential that critical games can offer.

Empathy Game Ideas

A Walk in Their Shoes: This game puts players in the shoes of various characters from different walks of life—people experiencing poverty, discrimination, or other challenging life situations. (The player would be viewing their character as if they were looking down at their shoes throughout the game). Through interactive storytelling and decision-making, players experience the daily struggles and triumphs of these characters, fostering a deeper understanding of their perspectives. The game uses branching narratives where each decision impacts the story and shows the consequences of choices, highlighting how external factors (like social class, race, or health) affect one’s life trajectory.

Thron and Blossom: In Thorn and Blossom, you play as a new patient in a mental health facility. The hospital is designed with a central, neglected greenhouse that hasn’t been tended to in years. As you begin to interact with other patients—each dealing with their own personal struggles and emotional battles—the greenhouse starts to come to life, reflecting the emotional states of the characters around you. As their stories unfold and you develop bonds with them, the plants in the greenhouse begin to flourish, symbolizing the healing power of connection and empathy.

Wings of the Storm: In Wings of the Storm, you play as a bird soaring through a vast and dynamic sky. The clouds above are not just weather patterns, but manifestations of negative emotions—such as anxiety, anger, sadness, and fear. As the bird, you must navigate through or around these stormy emotional clouds, each one affecting your flight in different ways. The game’s focus is on perseverance, emotional resilience, and understanding the complexities of inner struggles.

Murder Mystery: Similar to those of “To Hunt a Killer”, a group of players would work together with pieces of evidence to help solve a heartbreaking murder case. There would be lots of room for exploration theme-wise, but tying in an event like a wedding where emotions are at an all-time high could add to the experience. 

Echos of the Lost: Echoes of the Lost is an alternate reality game where players take on the role of a “memory detective,” tasked with uncovering the forgotten stories of individuals who have been lost to history or memory—whether due to tragedy, societal oppression, or other reasons. The goal of the game is not only to uncover the truth about these lost stories but also to reconnect with the emotions and experiences of these people, developing empathy for their lives and struggles.

The twist: Players are part of a secret online community of “Memory Archivists,” and they must use real-world clues, interact with actors portraying historical characters, and gather physical artifacts to unlock the mysteries of these forgotten lives. The more players engage with these stories and empathize with the struggles of the people involved, the closer they come to uncovering their fates—and, ultimately, revealing why their stories were lost to time

• Discuss:
  • ARGs: A World Without Oil:
  • I feel like this is a good real world scenario that not only helped players become more conscientious about the environment, but it also pushed them to make an impact through gardening, biking to work, or participating in local farmers markets.
  • Discovery Tour by Assassin’s Creed:
  • I feel like this took all the fun out of Assassin’s Creed, as you couldn’t play the traditional game mechanics in these historical sites. However, from a strictly historical standpoint, I would say it was worth the knowledge of these places architecturally in their true forms.
  • Detroit Become Human:
  • Although I’ve never played this game, I hear that it draws emotions out of the players, and the fact that there are so many different ways that the game could play out, I think that is something as game designers we should strive for.
  • Factorio:
  • This game partially influenced one of my future prototypes that I am currently in the conceptual stage with. I tried incorporating the sense of colonizers Vs Natives in an attempt to steal resources to take over their land. If I had a critique on this game, maybe they shouldn’t have made it so fantasy, like prof. Ames said, and instead shed some light on the struggles of the natives due to these factories being built.
  • Outer wilds:
  • This game screams fantasy and future dystopian in an alien yet sorta familiar world. I think this game succeeds in the idea that sometimes nature can be scary, and that sometimes one must defend themselves from it.
  • Gris:
  • I loved the art and seamlessness of the animations and the actual playing of the game, as they all looked uniformed to each other and worked super well. Although it was hard to get the hang of it at first, understanding that sometimes a game is just there to make you think differently but not stress out too much about it was reassuring. Beautiful style and theme.
  • Gone Home:
  • Idk why but this game reminded me of that one game where you’re in that house and you try and escape from an evil granny.
  • The Layoff Game:
  • I think this is one of those satire games that people shouldn’t get too upset about, as the developers took a real world issue, and simply poked fun at the matter. Do I agree with the message, no. However, I wouldn’t go as far to feel offended by it.
• Homework:
  • Generate a list of five game ideas that revolve around the theme of empathy. Wrinkle: Take one of the five ideas and make it an alternate reality game.
  • 1. Emotional Pictionary: players must draw a feeling that they have in under a minute. Then it is up to other players to guess what it was that made them feel that way.
  • 2. Poverty POV: Engage in a POV from all different walks of life, resulting in understandment for what other cultures must go through around the world in 3rd world countries
  • 3. Pet paradise. This game consists of players competing to rescue as many stray dogs as possible in order to bring them from their life on the streets, into a pampered home, by playing different challenges and rolling a percent die to determine the outcome.
  • 4. shroompathy: Players take on the role of someone experiencing a deep, emotional, and slightly ridiculous psychedelic journey. Other players must guide them through it in the most empathetic yet funny way possible.
  • One player draws a Trip Card (weird, surreal experience).
  • The other players respond with Guide Cards (comforting or unhelpful things a “trip
  • sitter” might say).
  • The tripping player awards the point to the most comforting but absurdly funny response.
  • 5. Ink Memories: this game is set in a dystopian world where people forget their past, but tattoos preserve their memories. As a tattooist, players restore lost moments through symbolic ink-work. Clients’ reactions change depending on how well the tattoo captures their forgotten experiences.
  • Read: Chapter 1 and 3 from Flanagan, Mary. Critical Play Radical Game Design, MIT Press, 2009
    • From chapter 1:
      • How does Mary Flanagan’s definition of a game differ from Chris Crawford’s, Katie Salen’s, and Eric Zimmerman’s?
      • Chris Crawford defines games as interactive and competitive. In which players make decisions to reach a goal. Overall, he focuses heavily on conflict and competition.
      • Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman define games as much more structuralized set of rules. Which in turn determine the outcome of the game. Their definitions highlight systems, player interaction, and experience
      • Mary Flanagan, Defines games as tools for expression, social commentary, and activism. She pushes that games have the ability to challenge cultural norms and create new forms of engagement beyond simply being played for enjoyment or entertainment. This is a lot like the definition of an activist game.
      • what is an activist game?
      • An activist game is a game designed to promote social change, critique issues with how our world is run, or raise awareness about real problems in the world.
      • From chapter 3 –
• go and chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information”, what other games share that feature?
• Checkers, Shogi, Tic-Tac-Toe
• why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures?
• Bc Ancient societies believed that randomness/luck was connected to the divine.Dice games, lot-drawing, and other gambling mechanics were often used for:
• Decision-making by deities
• Predicting the future
• Determining leadership or settling disputes.
• when was the earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games? what modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized?
• In Ancient China (3000 BCE), these rulers attempted to restrict gambling due to its association with disorder. Currently, games that I can think of that have been banned are games like happy wheels in schools, as it was too gorey for children to play according to the teachers and staff.
• what is a fox game, and what would be a modern example?
• strategy board games in which a predator tries to catch prey. A similar modern game to this could be Agar.io as you spawn for the soul purpose to eat smaller circles than you.
• what was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness?
• Mansion of Happiness was a christian morality-based board game that rewarded players for good behavior. All the while punishing sins such as pride, idleness, and gambling.
• Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surealist movements play games? Why did Surealists believe games might help everyone?
• Fluxus artists used games to challenge traditional art forms as well as a critique on capitalism.
• Surrealists saw games as a way to unlock the unconscious mind, in a way to free creativity
• Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WW2?
• During World War II, pinball machines were redesigned to feature military themes, in a hope to make the players more patriotic.
• What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like monopoly and ping pong?
• It allowed them to give a critique on capitalism, as well as turn a competative game, into something more collaborative
• How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco and Ruth Catlow using war games?
• to critique political powers
• Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game?
• it helps players engage deeper with the message that a game tries to push.