Tag: reading questions

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Week 3 Reading Questions

Reading questions:

  • 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?
    • She focuses on the idea that games can be a work of art and a piece of constructive content. Games can be used tyo learn something instead of just playing a game.
  • what is an activist game?
    • Games that are used to express social or other ethical issues, not just to play a game. There is more benefit to learning the purpose and reasoning of the game rather then just playing.
  • go and chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information”, what other games share that feature?
    • Uno, Candyland, and Monopoly would count, as all of their info is always available and on the game board.
  • why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures?
    • Life is also a gamble,so having games be a part of that is still a fact of life, or it could be used as a way to express risk and danger without the same issues.
  • when was the earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games? What modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized?
    • I know Cards Against Humanity has had some issues, but really any game thats considered too vulgar or graphic can get banned
  • what is a fox game, and what would be a modern example?
    • Games that have unequal opponents, D&D can count as this, as one player always has the answers and the other doesnt
  • what was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness?
    • To encourage people to have these good ideas and dewsries in their hearts, which would encourage them to move on both in life and in the game
  • Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surealist movements play games? Why did Surealists believe games might help everyone?
    • They feel that games can help people open their eyes to new ideas and opportunities
  • Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WW2?
    • Changes in life, war, and anything that affects the world can change how games work. Pinball games were made to look like you were shooting and attacking the enemy, with racist images and slurs on it that reflected the US’s opinion during the war
  • What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like monopoly and ping pong?
    • They commented that world issues can be “played” and made aware of by the people using these games.
  • How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco and Ruth Catlowusing war games?
    • They make art that challenges and critiques current events, making their art feel war-like
  • Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game?
    • Then they can undsertand the game and its purpose, to see how these things are affecting others and how to fix it
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Week 1 Questions: Game Design 2_MB

-Ian Bogost comments on how these games are essentially meaningless, repetitive, and have nothing to them. The point of these games is simply to have something to do, which makes them less engaging than they should be and gives other games bad names.

-“Friends” on these social games are tools for advancing and getting money. They allow you to trade currency and items in order to make yourself better, without having any real connection to these people.

-If a social game tells you “3 hours till next reward”, then the player is constantly waiting and anticipating those next three hours, causing a cycle of dependency on these games, which is very unhealthy. It can destory meaniningfdul moments by having the time be focused on a game.

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(9/4/2025 Meredith_B) Reading/Homework Questions

Question Set 1

  1. What Mechanics would you like to use for a game with a theme that revolves around being the size of a nanometer?
    • I think having a jumping or shrinking system would be cool. Jumping in context of jumping over/around household objects, or shrinking to open the opportunities to have a tall and tiny version of the game (Like Antman)
  2. Who are you making games for?
    • I want to make fun for ages 12+ as that is a good range to have some somewhat complex mechanics, but also to keep the game easy to understand, allowing for my game to reach wider audiences and be a generally family friendly game.
  3. Who will be your play testers outside of class?
    • Mostly friends/peers, since I am too far away from home to test board games on younger family

Question Set 2

  1. Can you think of a game you were able to play without referring to the rules?
    • Uno,Life,Cards Against Humanity, Blackjack
  2. How do you define what a game is?
    • A game is something that has a set of rules to push players into a state of mind for some kind of goal to be completed in some way.
  3. What features can make your games more intuitive?
    • Keep point values/ important information is placed on cards or game pieces so they are always visible and can be easily referenced.

Question Set 3

  1. What was your gateway game? What do you play to introduce others to gaming?
    • It depends on if its for tabletop or video games. For tabletop games my gateway game was Candyland, and Minecraft was for videogames. To introduce people to games, I would offer them UNO and MInecraft or Roblox, since they are easy to understand and can be adjusted and there are multiple versions and ways to branch out, and starts a good foundation for other games.
  2. What features do gateway games share?
    • Easy to pick up, simple concept and rules, and can be understood by 99% of the population.
  3. What are the 10 beautiful mechanics and what should you aim for with your own?
    • Kingmaker’s Noblesse Oblige,  BattleTech’s Heat, Set’s Set-making, Magic Card Tapping, Battle Cattle Cow tipping rule, xXxenophile’s Popping, Bohnanaza’s hand order rule, Mississippi Queen Paddlewheels, Times Up Communication breakdown, Dominions constant shuffling. As a gamemaker, you should aim to understand and use these guidelines as a bar to go above in order to make your game successful.
  4. How does luck and strategy factor in to game play?
    • It adds a factor that the game can always keep changing until the final moment and keeps the player engaged. It’s no fun when one person is always winning, so luck can help anyone win, and strategy can be used to push the factors of luck more to help someone win.

Homework: 

  1. Game similar to uno, but its collecting cards instead of getting rid of them
  2. Card game version of battleship?
  3. Dress up based card game, score points based on outfits
  4. Zombie apocalypse card game, have to pick teams
  5. Interior decorator card game, based on locations of decor gives points