


design courses, syllabi, schedules, resources and policies
I played this game I believe two weeks ago and the executions where done right but I feel like if you wanted to you could add the actual pictures of the sharks with the typed out fun facts(and yes I understand that this was a first draft of the game) or possibly adding a diverse selection of sharks that are more obscure species for those who know more about the marine life so they can also test themselves and see what they know about that specific species of shark. I would love to see an updated version of this!!!
BEAN GAME
I played this game (I forget how to spell it but it was the bean game)
Was it fun?
It was 100% fun after we learned how to play it haha
What were the player interactions?
the trading aspect was the main one and we all added accents and made it even more fun to play.
How long did it take to learn?
the initial game more than likely took us about 10 min to fully understand
Would you play it again?
Yes now that I have the knowledge to play it effectively I feel I can truly embrace the full effect of the game.
(I believe the game was dominion)
“Word Relay” is a team-based or single-player team word association game where players take turns saying words related to a specific category. The goal is to keep the relay going without repeating words or taking too long to respond.🏁
Here’s a comprehensive point system for both groups and individuals:
This way, both group dynamics and individual contributions are rewarded!
Enjoy playing “Word Relay” 🏎️
what was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
Not being able to plant more as well as having a way to possibly have a green house option.
what was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
I love the market phase concept and that you can trade the different cards as well as the buff tokens. very well thought out!
was there anything you wanted to do that you could not?
Maybe just more ways to plant or making it hader to plant out of season plants.
if you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?
For me personally I would add more plots and more cards in the initial hand but other than that nothing else.
What should be improved for the next version?
Maybe more space to plant new stuff and more taxation for certain actions.
Describe the game in 3 words.
Fun, Calming, informative
Game designers create concepts of games, while developers actually fully develop them.
Game creating, Prototyping, testing, repeat
It is hard to balance a game because while doing so you must keep the game fair and fun. You have to manage expectations, keeping everything working well.
Every player of my game should believe that they are a struggling person getting by by scratching lottery tickets.
Clear rules, easy mechanics, and intuitive to play.
No intermediary technology, no jargon, dont over complicate, add flavor, don’t write text smarter than your players, keep sentences short, make things visually pleasing, test games, mistakes aren’t the end of the world.
Play testing has helped me develop my game to a different level, since everyone sees my game differently with different issues.
Brayden and Owen
17+
My fraternity brothers on a Saturday night.
In Jam Sesh, players collect musical notes and build chords to create a unique song. The player with the best song at the end of the game wins!
Starting the Round: Players take turns rolling the six-sided die and follow these actions based on the roll:
After drawing cards, players can add notes to their Song Sheet. Each note can only be added once per song. Players can also build chords using the notes they’ve collected by referring to the Chord Reference Cards.
Chord Building Example:
After all rounds are complete, players create their songs using the collected notes and chords. They can write a title and describe the song’s theme or mood.
At the end of the game, players share their songs. Scoring is based on:
The game ends when all of the note cards have been drawn!
The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!
Enjoy making music with Jam Sesh! 🎶
“Word Relay” is a team-based or single-player team word association game where players take turns saying words related to a specific category. The goal is to keep the relay going without repeating words or taking too long to respond.🏁
Enjoy playing “Word Relay” 🏎️
Was it fun?
Personally, I thought this game was a lot of fun. It had a lot of strategy involved, which to me is fun.
What were the player interactions?
The player interactions includes us bartering to place pieces in certain spots if we needed them, and placing pieces in spots to make the opponent have a disadvantage.
How long did it take to learn?
This one was pretty easy to learn, but it took a while to understand how the point system worked. The farmers, roads, etc all have different values so I did not understand how bad I was doing at first.
Would you play it again?
No, simply due to the games length.
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.
In the beginning, you start by placing your first cards and slowly start to build small structures. In the middle, you start to place bigger structures all while screwing other people over. In the end, you finish your structures and the game ends. Once you count your points, the one with the most wins.
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?
There aren’t really any ways to collaborate other than working together with another player to finish a structure. For the competitive aspects, it is basically the same in reverse by working with players in order for someone not to finish what they were trying to build.
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?
The metaphor that I think of is that it is a game of life, and each tile you place represents your future. But each tile you look back on is the past, and it cannot be changed.
The game mechanics that stick out most to me are the builder pieces, which is a nice addition that makes it easier to finish structures. But also, I find it interesting how once the game is coming to an end, everyone is looking for that one specific piece they need, basically gambling on whether or not they will ever find it.
Battle Cups
Battle Cups is a game Owen and I worked on last year, and I still believe that it is flawed and needs a revisit. The concept of the game is that you are playing battleship, but instead of trying to guess exact spots, you are shooting a ping pong ball into the cups. It adds a sense of skill to battleship, which others and I seemed to enjoy last year.
Cup Darts
This game is a teammate game in which you switch positions every turn, while also playing against another team. In this game, it starts by having a dartboard on the ground like a cornhole board, and you have to throw a red solo cup with a dart attached to the bottom at the board. It behaves much like normal darts, but your teammate that did not throw the dart has the chance to throw a ping pong ball at the cup. If the hit the cup, it is a 2x multiplier, and if you make it inside the cup it is a 3x multiplier. You can play this with any traditional dart game, such as cricket or 301.
Structural Integrity
In this game, you are given a deck of cards that are custom made for the game. On each card, is a different structure that you have to attempt to make out of red solo cups. In a separate deck of cards, there is a required weight that your structure has to hold. (EX: One pound, 1/2 pound, etc.). The way you win the round is by your structure being able to withstand the weight you have drawn. First player to 3 rounds won wins. To wrap this game up, why not add a classic sand timer as well.
Towers
In this game, you are given a large stack of red solo cups. The objective of this game is to create the largest or most creative structure out of red solo cups possible. You have 5 minutes in order to make your structure. At the end of the 5 minutes, the person with the largest or most creative structure wins.
Flip Cup Race
In this game, it is much like a normal game of flip cup. But instead, you will line 10 cups on the edge of the table and be on teams of 2. You will start about 10 feet away from the table and when the buzzer sounds, you run to the table and attempt to flip your first cup. If you do not land the cup, you must try again until you do so. If you do land the cup, you must run back and tag your teammates hand to let him go flip a cup. You keep alternating turns until the other team finishes first, or you finish your cups first.
King of Tokyo Response
Was it fun? It was, but not my favorite.
What were the player interactions? It always felt like we were attacking each other no matter what.
How long did it take to learn? 10 minutes
Would you play it again? Yes
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. Start of the game we decided whether to go for points or taking out other players. Then people started to be killed and it became a battle between just two people and then one eventually came out on top.
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? It was purely competitive, but it was quick enough to make you want to try again
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? I guess there was no real metaphor except for giant monsters trying to kill each other. The dice rolling mechanic for points, healing, or attacking combinations was the main focal point and a fun alternative to always just drawing cards.
Bonanza Response
Was it fun? Not really
What were the player interactions? We spent so much f*cking time trading and talking that we only got through the deck once and had to end the game.
How long did it take to learn? 10 minutes, with help from Ames
Would you play it again? Nah
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. 1. Figuring out how the game works and the best bean combinations, 2. Getting the hang of the order of operations and beginning to trade better. 3. Realizing the game is too close to call and finding out who has the most coins
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? Trading was a key element and as I said we spent much more time than we probably should have trying to trade and team up.
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The metaphor I got from it was “Don’t play games with the theme of f*cking dumb*ss beans.”
5 Game Ideas
You’re a Geologist! – Players take rocks from a limited selection and try to keep the other players from stealing them.
Ooh Shiny- Players must avoid being distracted by shiny objects and get out of the treasure cave alive.
Swap Meet- Players buy and sell good to and from each other to get the best collection sets for the most points.
Tooth Fairies- Players draw card sets and compete to try to collect an entire set of teeth.
Knick Knack Tower- Players play card in their hand to build their knick knack tower the highest or with the most pieces.
Forest Guardians: Players take turns drawing event cards that introduce threats to the forest, like wildfires or invasive species. They can use their unique abilities to counter these threats and collaborate to restore balance. The game could also include a resource management aspect, where players gather materials to build defenses or heal the forest.
Nature’s Balance: Players represent different elements and have unique abilities that can help or hinder the ecosystem. The game progresses through rounds where players draw event cards that can disrupt the balance. Players must strategize together to mitigate these disruptions while achieving their individual goals. The game ends when the ecosystem is either saved or irreparably damaged.
Currentcy: Players act as traders navigating a river, aiming to gather and trade natural resources like fish, wood, and herbs. Each turn, players move their boats along the river, encountering different trading posts and natural obstacles. They can trade resources for points or upgrades to their boats. The goal is to amass the most wealth by the end of the game.
Summit: Players are climbers attempting to summit a mountain. Each player has a unique set of skills, such as navigation or endurance. They must plan their route, manage supplies, and face challenges like avalanches or wildlife encounters. The game includes a weather mechanic that changes conditions on the mountain, affecting movement and safety. The first player to reach the summit and return safely wins.
Castle Clash: Players compete to build the most impressive sandcastle before the tide comes in. They must gather sand, water, and shells to create their structures. Players can also use tools to enhance their designs. However, they have to be strategic, as waves can wash away parts of their castles. Players can also splash water onto their opponents’ sandcastles to weaken them. The player with the most intact and elaborate sandcastle when the tide reaches the shore wins.
Was it fun? It was long but it was fun strategizing.
What were the player interactions? There weren’t really any direct player interactions because everyone was only capable of controlling their own actions. Some effects caused some players strategies to fall through but that’s about it.
How long did it take to learn? It took about 20 or so minutes to learn.
Would you play it again? I think I would consider trying it again if there weren’t many options. but to me it wasn’t that compelling.
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. Act one I would say would be us starting to build the bamboo garden and trying to understand how to achieve the goal cards. Act 2 we started to achieve the goal cards and set up ways to get and achieve more goal cards. The game still felt close as Amber and I were each at 3 or 4 goals met. Then Act 3 I made a push to meet a couple more goals and although everyone got one more round of actions, it was kinda clear I was going to win.
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? Weirdly, although this was a competitive game, we ended up helping each other at times to follow the rules and make the best possible moves. The overall experience was very casual and though we had some disagreements about the rules at times, we still remained respectful and tried to enjoy the experience for what it was.
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? I think one of the game’s main metaphors was that forces outside of our control and other people can mess with our plans, but we just have to redirect and not get distraught by our downfalls. One mechanic I found really fun was the giant panda running around the garden to eat pieces of bamboo, and when a storm came the panda would run away scared and you could move the panda to any space on the board.
Game Theme: Art
5 game ideas that involve collaboration use the following formate : [Game name] is a [category of] game in which [the players or their avatars] [do or compete or collaborate for some goal] by [using tools the game provides them].
Socialism Monopoly is a cooperative board game in which the players work together in order to make a certain amount of money in a certain amount of years (turns). The catch is that any money made by anyone is divided up evenly among players. In order to make the game more difficult, there are more fines and taxes than normal monopoly.
Hide and Creep is a moving game that is similar to hide and seek in which the players have to take turns hiding each other, trying to keep their teammates hidden from the seeker in a room. In this game though, the seeker is blind folded so your goal is to put your teammate where it is very hard for them to be found without looking. Once you are placed in a spot by your teammate, you cannot move. After 5 minutes of the game, everyone must move 5 feet in any direction, no closer or farther. This indicates the creep aspect of the game. If the game goes to 10 minutes, the hiders win and the seekers lose.
AI Pictionary is a drawing game in which partners have to work together in order to find out what the teammate is drawing. It is much like normal pictionary, but rather you have to use an AI Image generator instead of drawing, and you are not allowed to use the word you are describing in the generation description. Your team wins if they guess it in the shortest amount of time compared to the other team, and first team to 5 wins.
Bomb Squad is a cooperative card game in which players have to work together in order to “diffuse the bomb”. In each round of the game, there is one teammate who reads you the instructions off a card, and the other teammate (diffuser) has to follow the instructions and make the specific pattern out of the cards. The diffuser is not allowed to look at the instructions. The cards that the diffuser has are different color wires that have to be organized in a certain way. I’m still scratching my brain in order to figure out a unique way for the instructor to tell the diffuser the instructions, but this concept has me interested so it is going in the list. Also, can’t forget a classic timer that has the clock ticking.
Maze Runner is a cooperative “maze” / puzzle game in which the team has to ask each other trivia questions in order to move through the maze. The maze will be complex enough to make mistakes, but not too hard as to make the game impossible. The teammates must use the honor system and play fair when asking questions from the stack of cards, each having an “Easy, Medium, and Hard” question. Depending on the difficulty of the question and if it is answered right, that’s how far you will move forward. But if you get a question wrong you will move backwards.