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Sara Estus – In class games, and reading questions (Week 2)

Pepsi Man: Though the graphic quality isn’t the best for modern times, I think for the era it did release it was like more popular games. I think the game can be seen as a fun gimmick to get people to not only enjoy a fast-paced game but also an easy way to have advertising flashing in your face constantly. From the quality of other games, we checked out in class, I’d say this is the most planned out and more gameplay-focused advergame.

Sneak King: This game is incredibly silly, almost giving the focus on just the “king’s” actions and mannerisms rather than Burger King as a brand. It obviously wasn’t a focus on good branding, but rather Burger King jumped on a bandwagon of how much the public loved the creepy king.  

Chex Quest: The whole factor of a squad fighting “aliens” reminds me too much of suicide squad. The gameplay seemed fine, and the story was quite vague about why cereal was fighting phlem. But I guess that’s beside the point and the developers want you to just have fun?

M&M Kart Racing: This is the type of game you play when you feel like you want to make yourself angry. The controls are bad, the graphics are not the best, and the overall gameplay seems poor and confusing. But at least the candy is good.

America’s Army: This game just feels like a knockoff of COD if you take away all the fun story aspects. Now I get to think about WAR and SADNESS and people dying. I’d rather enjoy a game that has me walking away wanting to play more later, rather than walking away thinking about how real people can die in similar situations.

Monopoly: I am not usually a fan of Monopoly because every time I play, I have this dread that the game will take forever and people will argue (I speak from experience). But I found this version to be super unique not only due to it’s new rules that make you aware of class systems but also because it made players feel bad for having more.

Cool Spot: I have a soft spot for older games, and this one is such a silly, goofy game that I could see myself enjoying as a kid, but as an adult, the music, sounds, and controls get too repetitive and annoying. It’s still a cool game, though!

McDonald’s Game: I love it when people get away with satire, especially against big companies! This game is one I think people should take the time to sit down and look into learning how to play correctly. It seems like it takes a while to play, but like I said, I love satire and making people realize how bad companies really are.

  • What advergames have you played? did they influence a purchase?

I have not played any advergames before this class, though I wonder if you would consider games based on toys to be advergames, as they can make children want more toys. If so, I did play a lot of Barbie and Polly Pocket games online, and yes I was 100% influenced to beg my parents for more. Creating a space where children can play with their toys while the toy itself talks and moves is a really good way to influence children.

  • Why do the advergames tooth protector and escape work? What makes chase the chuckwagon and shark bait fail?

Tooth protector and Escape worked because they added realism and human nature to the impact of the game. However, chase the chuckwagon and shark bait had less success as chase the chuckwagon was on Atari and had poor graphics and design, similarly, shark bait had poor appeal.

  • What does Volvo’s drive for life accomplish? 

Volvo’s Drive for life brought awareness to driver safety and mainly aimed at educating drivers about road safety and reducing accidents.

  • what company used in-advergame advertising 

Pepsi, with the lovely and iconic game, Pepsi Man

  • What was one if the first home-console advergames and what beverage was it for? 

Kool-Aid man, for Atari VCS

  • what makes the toilet training game sophisticated and do you agree?

It is stated that the urination in the toilet game is sophisticated due to a “strange attractor that draws and repels the players curser to mimic a lack of control.” I do agree that this is sophisticated and funny in a way, but it adds realism.

  • what do advergames and anti-advergames have in common, and what principles do they share?

Both advergames and anti-advergames leverage interactive engagement, persuasive influence, and gamification to change players’ perceptions and behaviors. They both are based on the factor of persuading people into buying a product or hating a product.

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Persuasive Game Ideas- Colin Kenny

  1. A side-scrolling 2D platforming game like Super Mario Bros. where you play as an underprivileged person in an area going through war right now such as Ukraine or Palestine where your goal is to avoid being bombed or shot.
  2. The Faux News Game: Similar to the McDonald’s Game, tycoon style game where you build up your station and get rewarded for spreading “news” (hate. violence, endorsement of a certain orange political candidate).
  3. Funny Cards: A card/video game that explores the legitimacy of tarot, fortune telling, palm reading and more. For example, you go see a fortune teller and they pull the 2 of Krakens or something and them all of a sudden water fills the fortune teller shop and you have to try and get out alive before krakens appear and eat you. Or, if you do die it was all a dream or it didn’t happen at all. Or the card did nothing at all in the first place.
  4. Help Our Guy: You play as a large corporation, and your goal is to help your childhood best friend become president, but the game gets more unhinged as it becomes clear his policies are just purely evil but he promises to keep your business alive, and it’s just this tug-of-war of lobbying where no one really wins in the end.
  5. A board game where you and your opponents work in competing sweat shops making products like crappy clothing and cheap smart phones and you have to become the most productive without overworking yourself and literally dying.
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Week 2 Questions.

I have only played or remember playing one Advergame. It was the minion rush game promoting dispicable me 2 or 3. it was a fun game it was pretty much subway surfer but reskinned. It did not however make me wanna watch the movie. The app is no longer on my phone and i forgot about the movie. so this game did not work on me but I can see it working for the younger kids at the time. Tooth Protector worked so well because they made it to where eating snacks was not a bad thing, it was human nature. Too much snacking however can lead to tooth decay. Escape worked to well because it makes the player aware of the quotidian tribulations that would cause such a need in the first place, and then uses search-engine optimization to get the game into the hands of people likely to be suffering from those tribulations. The game not only musters a procedural rhetoric of burdensome coercion, but it actually turns that rhetoric inside out, encasing the game inside the very experience chat reveals it. Chace the Chuck wagon and Shark bait failed due to a combination of poor marketing, lack of appeal, and technical or gameplay shortcomings. Volvo’s Drive for Life initiative was a safety awareness campaign aimed at educating drivers about road safety and reducing traffic-related fatalities. It aligned with Volvo’s long-standing reputation for prioritizing vehicle safety. Some brands that used in-advergame advertising were Coca-Cola – Featured their products and branding in games like The Sims and FarmVille. McDonalds – Included branding in various mobile and online games, often as part of promotional campaigns targeting younger audiences. Pepsi – Released their own game, Pepsi Invaders, and included in-game ads in racing and sports games. Nike – Integrated ads into sports games like the FIFA and NBA 2K series, featuring virtual gear and branding. Burger King – Created the Sneak King game for Xbox as part of a promotional campaign, incorporating the brand directly into gameplay. Red Bull – Frequently features in extreme sports games and racing games, aligning with their brands energetic image. General Motors – Showcased their vehicles in racing games like Gran Turismo and Forza. One of the first home-console advergames was Pepsi Invaders (1983), which was created for the Atari 2600. It was developed by Coca-Cola as a promotional game to target its competitor, Pepsi. The game was essentially a modified version of Space Invaders, where players shot down the letters spelling PEPSI instead of traditional alien enemies. It was never sold commercially but was distributed in limited quantities to Coca-Cola employees, making it one of the earliest examples of a home-console advergame. The Toilet Training game, developed as an educational tool, is considered sophisticated due to its use of behavioral psychology principles, interactive learning, and gamification to reinforce toilet training in young children. Do I agree? Yes, to an extent. If the game effectively applies these psychological and educational principles, it can be a helpful tool for parents. However, its sophistication depends on the execution. some toilet training games may be too simplistic or gimmicky to truly make a difference. Traditional methods combined with digital tools may offer the best results. Advergames and anti-advergames both use interactive engagement, persuasive messaging, and gamification to shape player perceptions and behaviors. They create emotional connections through immersive experiences, whether by reinforcing positive brand associations or using satire to critique corporate practices. Both rely on persuasion theory, narrative framing, and user experience design to ensure their messages are compelling and memorable. Cultural awareness is key, as anti-advergames often challenge the same consumerist behaviors that advergames promote. While advergames aim to enhance brand perception and drive sales, anti-advergames seek to expose corporate manipulation, yet both showcase the power of interactive media in influencing public opinion.



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Sara Estus – 5 Persuasive Game Ideas

5 Persuasive Game Ideas:

  1. “Polluted” (Awareness to polluted oceans effects on wildlife)

Players start the game by learning about various sea creatures and how they live in their natural world. From whales to sea turtles and even to nudibranchs, this game gives players the full experience of the complexities of survival in the sea. However, after players learn about these animals and grow attached to their stories, the factor of humans comes into play. Now, players start to see how these various species’ environments are tainted with garbage and waste and how it affects the animals.

Mechanics: (Intended to be played as a video game) When players begin the game, they are presented with multiple pictures of varying sea life. When they pick a photo, they are then walked through the natural day-to-day lives of the animals, such as how they eat/hunt, the environment they live in, and what they do to survive – such as if they must defend their territory, court each other for mates and migration patterns. After players “meet” the sea creature, the story will turn into a darker tale, expressing the alarming rate at which the oceans are polluted. It is now the player’s job to save trapped animals – such as if a turtle gets its head stuck in a jar. The player also must adapt to what it truly means to reduce, reuse, and recycle. The game can only then be “won” once there is a significant impact on how the environment in the ocean is supposed to be.

  • “Follow the Stars” (Awareness of light pollution)

 Years ago, humans used to use the stars as a form of navigation. Now, we see GPS as our primary tool for finding where we need to go.  “Follow the stars” brings a twist to this modern ability by forcing players to find ways to turn off lights in a big city so that they can begin to see a clear night sky again.

Mechanics: (intended to be a video game/app) Players are given a paper that says (e.g.) “Follow the north star and then the smallest tip on the little dipper, and you will find where we are meant to meet.” However, players will notice that the sky above them makes it impossible to view the stars. As they begin their journey, players will point and click to turn off streetlights, apartment building lights, and signage to get a clearer view of the sky. Only after players turn off 4-5 light sources can they begin to journey forward into the night.

  • “Nostalgia” (Awareness of the need to appreciate items and reuse them)

Have you ever had an item, like a radio blanket or even a T-shirt, that worked just fine as it did years ago when you bought it, but now you are older, and it feels like it’s time for a new one? “Nostalgia” is a game where players are given a box of old items from their attic when they move out, and they must find a new purpose for the items without throwing the items away.

Mechanics: (Intended to be a video game) Players receive the box of items from their dad when they finish moving out, as it is the last box, and most of the other boxes have been moved and unpacked in their new place; this box feels useless but super nostalgic. Players will begin by digging all 10 items out of the box and reading about what they are and what they were used for. For example, it may say, “Your old Sony Walkman. It has seen better days; it’s a little dented. Has a cassette tape of the band Tears for Fears inside.” Players then must decide how they will either reuse the item or reflect on the item’s value and worth. An example of how that can be done is through options given to the players. “You decide to keep the Walkman, as it is an iconic piece of technology, though it is outdated for its time, it is worthy of the collection.” But players can also decide to completely reuse the item. “You decided your old Mickey Mouse blanket no longer fit your style. You decided to donate it to an animal shelter, so the cats and dogs had something comfortable to sleep on.”

  • “The length of my chain” (Awareness of the lives of dogs kept outside on chains)

Charlie was a good dog, at least he thought he was after he was adopted by a family. But not long after he turned a year old, he began getting restless when his owners would leave him unattended inside for hours on end daily. He would get into chewing the couch up, peeing on the floor by the front door, and drinking out of the toilet, getting water all over the bathroom floor.  Once his owners came home, they punished him by locking him outside, bound to a thick iron stake by a chain. He remained there for years, rain, snow, and the high heat of the summer. The only thing that changed was occasionally, the owners would come out and toss him scraps of steak and hotdogs, and they gave him a little hutch to sleep in. But Charlie didn’t know any better; he was just being a good dog.

Mechanics: (Intended to be a video game/app) Players start the game as a puppy version of Charlie. They can roll around and play with their siblings, and when the level is almost over, players are picked up by two big open arms – presenting them to their family. Then time moves on, happily as Charlie plays with his new family, sleeps in a nice warm bed, and eats delicious meals in a nice metal bowl with his name on it. Players play this level in an open world, with limitations to sleeping, playing, and eating as a puppy does. On the third level, Charlie is now a year old, and players can cause complete chaos, ripping up pillows, drinking from the toilet, and so on. On this level, players are given a bar that must be filled (called the “Mass destruction” bar) After the level is over, there’s a sound at the door, and Charlie’s family is home. The fourth and final level is broken down into ten nights, over multiple seasons and years. This time Charlie is chained up outside and each day/night cycle is about Charlie seeing the world by the limitations of his chain. Only receiving any form of love through a rare, occasional “treat” from the owners. Charlie will not live to be 16 like a dog usually does, as living out in the elements on a chain is no life at all.

  • “Kintsugi” – Golden Joinery

(awareness of the little things in life and the imperfections that come along with living)

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken ceramics back together by using lacquer, bringing meaning to embracing imperfections and bringing visual beauty to imperfections. In this game, players are given various ceramic pieces, each having a special story about what it was used for and where it came from. It is the player’s task to fix the piece back to what it originally looked like. As players slowly piece the ceramic back together, they see flashbacks of the “life” the ceramic has lived.

Mechanics: Players own a self-redeemed “repair shop” in a small town. Every day, a customer comes and drops off a bag with a unique broken ceramic. As the game goes on, players will slowly repair broken ceramics, slowly also learning about each customer and the meaning of the ceramics in their lives.

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week 2 questions

monopoly

monopoly was a very fun concept. playing with the rules of different demographics like women and minorities really show how the world can be. of course it is not a one to one reconstruction of society but it still shows how different it is to live in todays society. having the white male be playing the game normally was really interesting.

McDonalds game

i loved how hard the game was and how much you need to pay attention really well. it really highlight how the business is run. the game play also forces you to make bad and unethical decisions like bribing politicians and health scientists. having it be almost impossible to do it ethically also helps highlight how corrupt the business is. the simplistic style is also a fun contrast to the game play and the message.

Chex Quest

i played Chex quest and as i played it it had nothing to do with Chex mix besides the characters being the different snacks in the mixes. the monsters rely had nothing to do with it and the weapon was a spoon and who eats Chex mix with a spoon. if it was cereal the spoon would make since. the game itself was kind of fun, it was pretty simplistic but their wasn’t a tutorial to tell me how to use the weapons or change weapons or how to open doors.

game ideas

  1. the campaign trail – in this game you are a political running for and office. you pick who you are based on a bunch or random character cards, some have special bonuses and cons to them. you each start out with a certain amount of voters and spaces on the board can give you more voters. you will roll a 3 die and move that many place, some spots have bad outcomes. bad means a scandal came out about you and you will love voters or your opponent made a smear add about you and they take some of your voters. some spots will give you a chance to gain a monetary supporter and this lets you make more adds to give you multipliers to your voter gain each spot. you want the most voters by the end of the game.
  2. echo chamber – Players start in a digital world where they are trapped inside an “Echo Chamber”—a metaphorical maze filled with distorted news, bias reinforcements, and cognitive dissonance puzzles. To escape, they must engage in debates with NPCs representing different viewpoints, critically analyze news sources, and identify misinformation.
  3. the butterfly effect – Players make choices that impact the climate, economy, and society over multiple generations. The catch? They only see the long-term effects of their actions decades later. By playing through different scenarios—such as investing in green energy or ignoring climate policies—players witness how small decisions lead to massive societal shifts.
  4. detox island – Players are stranded on an island with a nearly dead phone. They must decide whether to use its last battery for comfort (entertainment, messages) or survival (flashlight, emergency calls). The more they rely on it, the harder the game gets—losing awareness of their surroundings, getting lost, and missing crucial survival tools.
  5. mirror heart – Players take on the role of someone navigating a complex relationship with a charming yet toxic partner. As time progresses, the dialogue choices and internal monologue change depending on how much emotional abuse the player tolerates. If they stay too long, their character begins mirroring the toxic behaviors, making it harder to recognize reality.

reading questions

  1. what advergames have you played? did they influence a purchase? I have never really played an advert game myself but the ones i have seen have never made me want to buy the product, if anything it has made me just laugh at the stupidity of the game.
  2. why do the advergames tooth protector and escape work? What makes chase the chuckwagon and shark bait fail? tooth protector and escape show a cause and effect, they aren’t just a game, they really show how their products can be used and how they work in real life. they make sense for the product and how people would realistically come in contact with them.
  3. what does Volvo’s drive for life accomplish?  this game accomplishes a way to show a real reason that safety features are important and how hey actually work. it also shows a more real life mundane aspect of driving and not the over the top depictions in other games about driving.
  4. what company used in-advergame advertising  stow and go challenge
  5. what was one if the first home-console advergames and what beverage was it for?  the Kool-Aid man on the Atari for the Kool aid beverage.
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Week One Questions 1/23/25 – Colin Kenny

What are the issues Ian Bogost raises about social games with Cow Clicker?

He raises concern over social existing not to provide entertainment solely, but to keep the user engaged and coming back. The enframing of friends and the perpetual compulsion to play every second you aren’t playing leads to mental health effects.

How do social games like FarmVille enframe friends?

Social games create the “features” of friends as resources for both the player and the developer. Players have to ask their friends for help not out of enjoyment for the game but to get something out of them. Developers use this tactic to become viral, ever spreading like an actual virus.

How do social games destroy time outside of the game?

Due to their endless nature, so much time is spent in the game that all time spent outside of the game is hijacked by thoughts and ideas about the game. Media like movies and TV shows are contained within a finite experience, but since these games have no defined end, players will feel compelled to play ad nauseam.

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Week 2

Pepsi man thoughts– wow the graphics suck but it reminds me of temple run where you have to jump over things and collect. Equating fun with Pepsi, -running after Pepsi- the repeating sounds get old quickly

Sneak King thoughts– the character looks like lord farquaad lol. The way he’s running around is super weird he looks like he’s in pain. His dance moves are funny. Not that recognizable as Burger King, theres not as much emphasis on the burger than there is on the character sneaking around. Any why is it set in a neighborhood?

Chex quest thoughts– I love the colors. It doesn’t immediately scream Chex mix though. The characters are really cute. Why is there a spoon involved? You don’t eat Chex mix with a spoon.

M&M kart racing thoughts– a lot of the class seemed to have played/known about this game but I have never seen it. This is TEMU version of Mario Kart. This floating eyebrows really make up for the horrible driving.

7up game– good vibes to start with the music. The characters shoes are so big I love it. You get smaller and blink when you get hurt like on super Mario. What does it have to do with 7 up other than the bottle being on the screen when you boot it. Whats the connection between Caribbean music with 7 up too?

Minion Rush– would the running game be considered a persuasive game?  Persuading you to watch the movies?

Americas Army Thoughts- serious/hardcore music. Enticing players. Fun game- okay now maybe the army would be fun too.

McDonald’s Game thoughts– Seems like its from farm to table- but that’s not how McDonald’s works.

Monopoly thoughts– the added role play with the new set of monopoly roles was fun. It was different for me compared to the other players because I was the 1% and had everything easy. I had no money issues and skated by with owing things.

Last weeks game idea with persuasion– The counter/ clicker game. I think to make this a persuasive game keep the counting up with the number of clicks you get, but you get rewards when you get to certain number milestones. For example, get extra get go fuel perks, or win a large fry at McDonald’s.

Game ideas that explore changing players minds-

  • A game that makes you choose one or the other. The pictures will be of aftermaths of climate change and the player will blindly pick which they would rather have in the world. (Ex, severe after maths of storms, heat waves etc.) This will raise awareness and have facts at the end of the game on climate change.
  • A game that you go to college, and don’t go. You pick change cards that tell you what you will be doing in your life time. I think this will change people’s views on how it’s okay not to want to go to college or conform to society’s norms of going to college.

What advergames have you played? did they influence a purchase? I have never played an advergame, or seen one until this class. I think if I was introduced to something like this it would have influenced a purchase in my younger years.

Why do the advergames tooth protector and escape work? Taking care of your teeth= fun. It’s the psychology of equating fun with cleaning your teeth.

What does volvo’s drive for life accomplish? It gets the name out there and it is being recognized for having a simulation game attached to it

What company used in-advergame advertising Bed Bath & Beyond

What was one if the first home-console advergames and what beverage was it for? General Foods made Kool-Aid Man for the Atari 2600

What makes the toilet training game sophisticated and do you agree? He says its about “tempering the very lifestyle of alcoholic overindulgence”. Its sophisticated that the game can portray drunkenness

What do advergames and anti-advergames have in common, and what principles do they share? Influencing, Persuading, having a clear opinion of something.

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Week 2 Game Ideas – Persuasion

  1. The Wonderful Life of a Carnival Fish – This is a game trying to persuade people that fish, such as gold or beta fish, should not be given out as prizes at carnivals. The player will experience the game through the point of view of the carnival fish and must try to survive as long as possible (a difficult task). Some of the trials that the fish will go through are residing in a too small environment (both in the plastic bag and when taken home), potentially placed with some other fish that are hostile, with unsafe aquarium decorations, unclean water, not acclimated to new water, etc. 
  2. Well, What Was She Wearing? – This game is based on CAPSEA’s “What Were You Wearing?” Exhibit that displayed the clothing that people were wearing when they were SA’ed. This challenges the expectations that people are “asking for it” if they dress a certain way. It also shows that people could be wearing anything and it would still happen to them. The game adaptation of this would have different clothing options and people are to try to “guess”. This is to persuade people that it doesn’t matter the clothing that people wear, people get SA’ed just for existing and it is not their fault, especially in regards to their fashion choices. I think that this game would be difficult to pull off because of how sensitive this topic is, but I think that it would help give a little bit more awareness to victims.
  3. Fast Fashion Game (needs a better name) – At the beginning of every turn, a fashion micro trend is determined (could be determined by a spinner or cards). This trend determines the clothing items that you want to have in your wardrobe. Anything clothing that you have that is not relevant to the trend (potentially excluding some staple clothing items), goes to the landfill. Eventually the landfill will just pile up with a lot of clothing items and it will represent some of the environmental implications of fast fashion. More of the ethics of fast fashion could also be implemented into the game play. This game is to persuade people not to fall victim to fast fashion microtrends and try not to support companies like Shein.
  4. Toxic Friends – A game about toxic friends where you are in toxic relationships where it is impacting your ability to thrive in the game. You have to recognize these bad relationships and you have to cut them off in order to be able 2 succeed further in the game however there may be some implications when you cut these friends off for instance they might blackmail you but in the end cutting them off is probably going to be more of a benefit then something hurting. The persuasion element of this is for players to assess the relationships IRL and not to stay with the people that are harming you more than benefiting you. 
  5. Art Activism – A game to persuade people that art can be a powerful tool for social causes and activism. This could be a board game where you must fight for a particular social cause and strategically use artwork to do that. The game could include real examples of art with a social purpose like Picasso’s Guernica, the Mexican Muralist movement, some of Banksy’s work, etc. Some of the mechanics could include conducting research and collecting art materials.
  6. Golf Course Game – This game would be to persuade people that golf courses are environmentally taxing in numerous ways. The game could include elements of real golf where players have to putt a golf ball, but the longer you take to get the ball in the hole, the more your character begins to take note of some of the destruction around you (deforestation, water/fertilizer/pesticide runoff, etc.). 
  7. Earth Day – A game for younger children about Earth Day and teaching them the importance of caring about the Earth and taking care of it. This could be based on my children’s book that I wrote. 
  8. Mindful Energy Consumption (idea from last semester) – Game to conserve the most energy on campus – Chatham University did a game like this a few years back, promoting sustainability and energy conservation. It was a competition between floors in a dorm building to see who could conserve the most energy per floor. Because of the way the buildings were set up, they could go in and see per floor how much energy was being consumed. There was also some incentive like a prize for the floor to win. I also believe they had social media accounts or an online tracker set up so that the floors could see their progress and communicate with other floors. One issue with this was that some students, especially those who didn’t like their CA, would try to sabotage the results of other floors, constantly turning on lights. One benefit of this was that the school was able to recognize that students weren’t using their ovens (I believe) enough and they were removed from the dorms. This also helps eliminate unnecessary energy consumption and makes students realize the difference turning off and unplugging certain things can make.
    1. For RMU to employ this, I think that it would need to be a competition between the different residence buildings and not particular floors. I think that would help to eliminate people sabotaging other floors in the same building. This would also have to have a time limit; for instance, 1 week (A good week would maybe be the week of Earth Day??). Unfortunately, I don’t know enough about how to measure energy consumption to say for certain how the results would be tracked, especially in RMU’s system. There would, however, need to be a really good prize to encourage students to actually participate. 
    2. New idea – Maybe have this be a digital game where online users compete to have lowest energy consumption. It would likely require a lot of honesty as people would have to manually report how much energy they are consuming. It could also just be roughly calculated by people reporting how much they use a certain thing in their house. 

Game about Green Final Disposition – In this game, you own and operate a funeral home and service place that is trying it’s hardest to be eco-friendly. You will have multiple options for final disposition for the deceased and must convince their living relatives to opt for more eco friendly options. It becomes even more tricky because you don’t want to disrespect someone’s dying wishes or disrespect the family’s processing of death. There could be a CO2 tracker to show how much with each deceased person as well as other key environmental factors. Some of the methods that would be included would be green burial, traditional burial, alkaline hydrolysis, human composting, and cremation. This would be to persuade people that environmental factors should be considered when making a decision about what you want to happen to your body when you’re gone.

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Mind-changing Game Ideas

  1. Helper’s Hand – A game to encourage volunteering. Players would gather resources and support to target a cause (hunger, elderly, homelessness). Each cause has puzzle-like requirements to tackle it. Once you have tackled the problem, you get a helpers hand badge. There is no winner based on money, resources, etc.
  2. An attention span game. It would be a mobile game that would have daily challenges that would successively challenge the users attention span. The goal of the game is to lengthen user’s attention spans and offering an alternative to doom scrolling.
  3. FOMO: a travel game that sets makes a list of destinations and experiences on your trip that are not as well known. The purpose of this game would be to encourage people experience travel genuinely and show the beauty in locations that aren’t viral or trending.
  4. Algorithm game: a game where players get to control what is on a npc’s phone. There goal is to gradually shift them from their original feed to goal product. They would do this by choosing what posts or reels the sim sees without losing their attention. If the next post is too much of a jump or has information that insults the sim, the player loses and does their product does not get onto the feed.
  5. Recycling day: a game to bring attention to the different types of toxins in everyday materials. Users would essentially “collect” toxins on their app by scanning in something they encounter (tupperware, trash can, tin foil) and the app would give them info on it and a toxin to collect.
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HW

  • Discuss:
    • generate 5 new game ideas that explore changing players minds about … (climate change, energy, politics, etc.)
    • 5 game ideas for climate change, energy, politics, etc.):
    • 1. steal the election: A board game in which players compete as candidates in an election. Each player has to commit as many fraudulent acts as they can in order to win the election (collect fake votes, skew ballets, or push un fact-checked ads to be publicized)
    • 2. Fire Starters: Each player plays as different people involved in the California fires. (Ex. Rich Millionares, the US government, as well as campers. (The Millionares must stop the fires before it burns their expensive houses, the US Government can choose to aid in the support against the fires or aid in the support for more fires to start. The richer you are, then you can bribe the US Government to save your sector of the map, but sabatoge other rich players that you don’t like. The campers can choose to vote for which rich person they want to be in office, depending on if they want to let the forests live or burn to the ground)
    • 3. Extinction Mania: Attempt to make as many animals extinct as possible with the help of global warming and unethical practices. (Kill all the polar bears by opening factories in the arctic circle. Drain the water holes in Africa to open a spa. Get rid of the lemurs by leveling out all of the trees in madagascar to make one giant golf course. Raise the temperatures of the oceans to bleach the coral reefs and destroy the entire aquatic ecosystem. Kidnap as many penguins as possible to sell in the wet markets)
    • 4. Energy Tycoon: Use whatever methods you can through completing side quests and mini games within the game that allow you to gain total control over the electric industry (like monopoly but based on energy)
    • 5. What Musk I do? Players play as Elon Musk as they attempt to buy out as many companies as possible, so that they can own pre existing branches and firms that they never started up themselves. Then you can then use your money to buy your way into the government, all so that you can defeat the final boss: gaining access to the treasury department’s payment system.
    • Post thoughts on what we played in class
  • Play:
    • The McDonalds Game: Good cometary on how crazy a corporation can get just to sell a cheap burger and make a buck. I think the graphics and game play is high quality for what they are trying to accomplish and would for sure recommend this game to someone who enjoys satire as well as real world issues.
    • Monopoly: with the new set of rules, not only was this game impossible for anyone other than the wealthier people, but sadly enough it gave quite a real world outlook on how monopolistic culture in our society truly works. I think this is good commentary on capitalism and consumerism.
  • Homework:
  • Read: Advergames from Bogost, Ian. Persuasive Games: The expressive power of videogames
    • what advergames have you played? did they influence a purchase?
    • Although I personally haven’t played any advergames, I’ve witnessed countless advergame walkthroughs. Such as Pepsiman, or Burger King’s Sneak King. These games reinforce brand identity but don’t really influence direct purchases. Overall, they can increase brand awareness and affinity for that said brand.
    • why do the advergames tooth protector and escape work? What makes chase the chuckwagon and shark bait fail?
    • Tooth Protector works because it integrates the push for dental hygiene into its gameplay, reinforcing the brand’s goals at the end of the day. It also allows the player to miss a day brushing their teeth, which makes it more real life. Escape works due to it’s target audience that it is pushing for already. The other games fail, however, as they lack engaging gameplay, making them feel like a weak promotional gimmick rather than a compelling game that makes the player want to come back, or engage more with that brand in general.
    • what does volvo’s drive for life accomplish? 
    • It accomplishes a positive message, as it urges the players to drive safely, utilizing safety features in the game as well that are a part of their cars.
    • what company used in-advergame advertising 
    • Burger King effectively used in-game advertising with its Sneak King advergame
    • what was one if the first home-console advergames and what beverage was it for?
    • Kool-Aid Man- promoting (You guessed it)….Drum roll please…. *Kool Aid* 
    • what makes the toilet training game sophisticated and do you agree?
    • because it uses interactivity to reinforce behavior patterns. The game cleverly incorporates play into an everyday task, making it an engaging way to teach children. I think its not that crazy though.
    • what do advergames and anti-advergames have in common, and what principles do they share?
    • Both communicate messages through gameplay. However Advergames typically attempt to get the player to buy more than just the game, as the game is simply a bridge to that consumer buying other products by that said brand.
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Intergroup Monopoly

If you love Monopoly you will probably dislike this game, but the point of the game isn’t to be good, but rather to be an example.

In the game, there are 4 different classes (White Male, Females, Minorities, and 1%). Each class has different rules they must follow. The game is basically rigged towards the 1% to win, but that’s the point since it’s how the US functions.

I enjoyed playing this game just because it’s another Monopoly game but isn’t like the rest because there are rules specific towards players. You will get mad playing the game, but you’ll also have plenty of laughs and that’s what the game is about. Definitely plan on playing this one again with my friends.

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7Up Game

This game is an example of a game that is simply not good. I found it very hard to defeat the enemies due to the elevation change in the map and only being able to shoot side to side or down. If you are on a hill, it is very hard to kill an enemy without jumping above it and shooting down, but if you miss you die since you are falling right on top of it. 4/10 would play again if someone had it plugged in, but wouldn’t go out of my way.

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Game Review M&M Kart Racing

In this game, it is basically a knock off of Mario Kart but with M&Ms. The graphics are overall pretty bad, but not terrible considering the time period. The physics are also super unrealistic. But overall, the game is awesome just because it is that bad of a game. Sometimes there isn’t a good reason to play a game other than it being a bad game, but that’s what makes it so fun.

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5 new game ideas that explore changing players minds about … (climate change, energy, politics, etc.)

Pollution Simulator

In this game, your goal is to either pollute the earth or to fight pollution. On the Pollution side of the game, you get to see which products cause the most pollution. On the fighting pollution side of the game, you get to fight it in ways that you think might help but do just as much damage (cough cough electric cars).

Presidential Race

In this game, you basically have to build a plot to beat the other political party. You do this by researching weak / strong points in the others argument. But in the process of doing this, you may end up realizing that you don’t support certain aspects of a political party and could end up fighting on the other side by the end of it.

Electric Racing

In this game, it’s a simple racing game that would be similar to Forza, NFS, etc. But in this game, all the cars are electric rather than a traditional combustion engine. There is barely any sound in the game due to no engines, the cars understeer like crazy due to the weight of the battery, and the wrecks are boring because no gasoline is exploding. This changes the players mind about electric vs. gas cars since they realize how boring they are.

Deepfake

Players work as detectives by analyzing news, social media, and videos to find out what news is fake. As players uncover tactics that are used to fake media, they gain tools they can use to recognize fake news. This can help encourage skepticism of misinformation so people are not as gullible as they are now.

ICE Simulator

In this game, you play as an ICE officer and do what they do best. But during this, you have to determine which immigrants should and should not be deported. This may seem like a controversial game, but the catch is that the people you are trying to find can either be really good or really bad people. So you may either have a civilized conversation and come to an agreement, or you might be in a gun fight. The aim of this game is to spread awareness on what is going on and to simply make the player change their attitude for good or worse.

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Week 2 Question Set

  • what advergames have you played? did they influence a purchase?
  • Skate 3 may be a far reach, but for those who don’t know it is one of the largest and most popular skate games ever made. It can be considered and advergame though due to the large amount of brands incorporated into the game. You can wear Vans, Converse, Nike, etc. This did influence me into buying a specific skateboard I had in the game.
  • why do the advergames tooth protector and escape work? What makes chase the chuckwagon and shark bait fail?
  • Tooth protector works since it makes learning about dental hygiene fun. Escape is fun because it gives a sense of adventure and urgency, keeping you playing. Chase and Shark Bait fail due to possible lack of engagement, if the product placement or gimmicks of the game are too obvious is can shy players away.
  • what does volvo’s drive for life accomplish? 
  • They incorporated their safety features into the gameplay narrative, and by doing so it positions itself as a leader in safety for their cars. It also implants into your head that you like Volvos due to the game which can cause you to lean towards one in your next car purchase without even realizing.
  • what company used in-advergame advertising 
  • In the case of Skate 3 which is the game I played, there was plenty of advertising for Dr. Pepper as well as Miracle Whip. In the game, you can even play as a Dr. Pepper can as part of a promotion closer to the games release.
  • what was one if the first home-console advergames and what beverage was it for? 
  • Kool-Aid Man on the Atari was very early, with Pepsi Man later coming to the Playstation.
  • what makes the toilet training game sophisticated and do you agree?
  •  Ian Boogost argues that the toilet training game is sophisticated because of its ability to portray drunkenness by having to relieve yourself. The game directly relates to the product by incorporating the “solution” as the product.
  • what do advergames and anti-advergames have in common, and what principles do they share?
  • They are both trying to convince you of something. But, advergames are meant to be in favor of one thing and anti-advergames are the opposite. But at the end of the day, they are both promoting a product, and there is no such thing as bad publicity.