Category: Serious Game Ideas

Dumb ways to die is a fun little game with a lot of interesting challenges, but it gets old quick and it’s not necessarily a varied experience.

Cards against calamity has a cool name that indicates it will be a parody of an established popular game, but it is quite boring. That said, it gets the point across and even easy difficulty is challenging.

Cast your vote is the epitome of shovelware. This game has barely any actual gameplay elements whatsoever. This is digitized voter preparation, and it is even less glamorous than people perceive the real thing to be.

1. Sinking feeling is a game about rising sea levels, where players have to collect cards to beat back the rising tides assaulting their homes
2. Coral grief is a game about the dying coral reefs in many parts of the world. This game has players take control of a group of scientists tasked with protecting a reef, but during their journey around the board, they will have to contend with all the obstacles and dangers involved in these delicately balanced ecosystems.
3. Mental Health Campaign: a literal campaign for a Pen and Paper RPG, meant to raise awareness of mental health and grief.
4. Hotter potato: a game where players have to take turns providing solutions to ever more difficult climate related problems as the clock runs down.
5. Just Write: A game that attempts to improve appreciation and quality of good writing from an objective standpoint.

As I said in my last post, I decided to test BrainyAct again today. I think it went very well and overall felt smoother. I had Mia and Luke play today to allow for another set of new people to experience it for the first time. On that note, I did contemplate if time allowed for it to test with Shane and Ben again to see how speed of play improves with familiarity, but unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to. However, Luke and Mia seemed to have fun and gave great feedback on my second test of BrainyAct.

I will upload separately their responses to my questionnaire, but here I will reflect and comment further on what I may change, what I did differently today, and why I think it went better today then last time.

In my opinion today’s test went better overall due to a couple of things: 1) my cleaner look to the cards as I mentioned earlier. I think this allowed for the system of the game to run as it should rather than people being stuck on the functionality of the playing cards. 2) prior knowledge. Today I overheard others testing their games, giving insight to their testers prior to playing the game. Even though I remember Ames advising us in Game Design 1 not to do this, I figured in my second test of the game it was valid to give my testers a little bit of background on the game so they aren’t totally lost playing. So, prior to starting I briefly explained the rule set and what the colors in my game denote. On top of this, I gave a comparison on what influenced my game design, referencing Trivial Pursuit and Taboo.

After taking pictures, looking over gameplay, and overall having a good time testing, I decided that a couple things may be helpful. I think that adding into the ruleset a tips category or a line somewhere in there that references time and the lack of it that you have is important. What I mean by this is that I found that even after reaching the target goal of 3 cards in a category, the testers were continuing to take part in questions in a certain category they had already completed.

I think the next step is to make these revisions and work on the ruleset video I was mentioning prior. I think it would be really cool to use a QR code engraved into the inside of the box that pulls up a video rule set rather than a lengthy written one. This would allow for users to feel engaged and actually understand the rules rather than feeling the need to read a whole bunch.

Today was productive as usual. I decided to test again, which I will discuss in an additional post, and made some improvements to the overall experience that comes with playing BrainyAct. I started by reviewing the last test and the first prototype of cards I used. My first version was very make-shift, using two pieces of paper and simply stapling them together to get something testable together. Today, since I wanted to revise, improve, and ultimately test a more clean looking game, I decided to type up the questions and answers directly onto the cards in Photoshop and print them to make them more legible and professional looking. Also, I printed onto the back the brain pattern so that they are slimmer and easier to shuffle rather than stapling, gluing, or attaching the two pieces of paper. I think this provided for better gameplay as well.

Objective

As a worker bee your objective is to collect as much pollen as you can for the queen bee to then turn into honey for your hive. Make the most honey as a bee, and you win the game!

Set Up

Place the board within easy reach of all players. Shuffle and place the objective cards in a pile next to the board. 

Each player gets all of their honeycomb tiles according to the color of their bee, and keeps them next to the board. They won’t be used until you make honey. 

Each player is then dealt 3 Objective cards, but keeps 2. Those will dictate how much pollen you need to collect to make honey. 

Place bees on either black half hexagon on the hive. Players may start on whichever side of the board they choose.

To Begin

The player who is most allergic to bees goes first. Play then continues clockwise around the board. 

On your turn you may do one of the following: 

• Flying: If a player decides to fly in any direction they must first roll the weather dice. The weather affects your flight as a bee. Then roll the d12 to determine how many spaces you can move. You must move the entirety of your dice roll, and you can not return to the same flower your bee left from. You may move backward and forward (as well as use shortcuts) so long as the rolled number is reached. 

You must reach a flower by exact dice roll count in order to collect the pollen. 

• Make Honey: Once your bee has collected enough pollen to fulfill your Objective card you must travel back to the hive to convert your pollen to honey. After arrival at the hive by exact dice roll count (either black hexagon will do) a player must show their objective card fulfilled to the other players, and place their honeycomb in the hive. 

Only one objective card may be converted to honey at a time. If a player has fulfilled 2 objective cards, then they must spend their next turn making honey without moving. Discard all pollen. 

• Draw New Objective Cards: On your turn you may also draw 3 more objective cards, but you may only keep 2. The others should be put in the discard pile. A player may have 5 objectives at a time. 

Keep in mind some objective cards may be better than others.

Bee Bumping

If another bee lands on the same flower as you, then you must combine all the pollen both players have collected and split it evenly (rounding down). Bees are very good neighbors and helpers! 

Weather Dice

– Sunny Day: Perfect flying weather, move your normal dice roll

– Windy Day: Flying is a little rough, move your normal dice roll and then backward one space

– Rainy Day: Flying is making your wings damp and slow, move half your dice roll

Pollen Max Out

A single bee can only carry 35% of its body weight in pollen. Therefore, a player can only carry 2 objective cards worth of pollen before returning to the hive to exchange it for honey.    

Ending the Game

The game ends when the hive is completely filled with honey! The player with the most honey made wins the game. 

What questions did your players have?

Are all the flowers the same pollen? Can I make honey when I arrive at the hive? Can I collect pollen when I land on a flower or do I need to wait for my next turn? Did you know that flowers produce all different kinds of honey depending on their pollen? Do the honeycomb in the hive count as spaces?

How quickly did they learn?

Fairly quickly, Pollinator is not meant to be very complicated.

What kinds of interactions did the players have?

Generally lots of discussion revolving around left over pollen, bee dancing, movement, and pollen sharing from the bee bumping (needs fine tuned).

What confused the players?

Leftover pollen, how much pollen they could actually carry because of the mismatch of objectives with collected pollen. What was allowed to be part of turn actions. The usual.

What made the players excited?

The idea of needing to complete the movement of your dice roll instead of having it cut off because you get to a flower.

What did your players enjoy doing?

The players enjoyed breaking my game to the best of their abilities and did a fine job. Players enjoyed the general theme and objective of the game.

Did any aspects of the game frustrate players?

That all the pollen was different, and there was so much left over. There were some unanswered questions that needed addressed in the rule book. Ames didn’t like that he couldn’t double stack honey or get bonus points for having a bunch of leftover pollen when arriving back at the hive. Not having more than one entrance and exit to the hive was frustrating for players.

Objective

As a worker bee your objective is to collect as much pollen as you can for the queen bee to then turn into honey for your hive. Make the most honey as a bee, and you win the game!

Set Up

Place the board within easy reach of all players. Then keep each color of pollen balls in separate piles. Place the objective cards in a pile next to the board. 

Each player gets all of their honeycomb tiles according to the color of their bee, and keeps them next to the board. They won’t be used until you make honey. 

Each player is then dealt 3 Objective cards, but keeps 2. Those will dictate which flowers you visit as a bee.  

Place all worker bees on the START circle right outside the hive. 

To Begin

The player who is most allergic to bees goes first. Play then continues clockwise around the board. 

On your turn you may do one of the following: 

Begin Flying to a Flower: If a player decides to head for a flower they must first roll the weather dice. The weather affects your flight as a bee. Then roll the d10 to determine how many spaces you can move. *See weather effects*

Collect Pollen: If your bee is on a flower you may roll to collect pollen from the flower. The number on the dice determines how much pollen you gather from the flower. 

Make Honey: Once your bee has collected enough pollen to fulfill your Objective card you must travel back to the hive (START) to convert your pollen to honey. Once on the START a player may show their objective card fulfilled to the other players, and place their honeycomb in the hive. 

Draw New Objective Cards: On your turn you may also draw 3 more objective cards, but you may only keep 2. The others should be put in the discard pile. A player may only hold 3 objective cards at a time. 

Each action is a turn. FOR EXAMPLE if you land on a flower when your bee moves, you must wait till your next turn to then collect pollen. 

Bee Bumping

If another bee lands on the same flower as you, and you have collected pollen you must split the pollen equally between you. Bees are good neighbors, and often bump into each other to help share resources. 

Pollen Max Out

A single bee can only carry 35% of its body weight in pollen. Therefore, a player can only carry 2 objective cards worth of pollen.    

Weather Effects

• 1 – Sunny Day: Perfect flying weather, move your normal dice roll
• 2 – Windy Day: Flying is a little rough, move your normal dice roll and then backward one space
• 3 – Rainy Day: Flying is making your wings damp and slow, move half your dice roll
• 4 – Sunny Day: Perfect flying weather, move your normal dice roll

Ending the Game

The game ends when the hive is completely filled with honey! The player with the most honey made wins the game. 

Description: Road Paver is a game in which players plot out a system of roads to grow and evolve their cities all while juggling the happiness of their citizens and the well-being of the environment.

How to Play:

• Each player will have their own independent City that they want to build up. Each Player will start with a single Dirt Road Tile as a foundation for their City.
• The Player who got their Driver’s License first gets to go first, go clockwise from there.
• When it is a Player’s turn, they will pick a single Road Tile or Building Tile and attach it to their City. If there are no Road Tiles from the Current Era remaining or you have no space to attach a Building Tile to your roads, you must skip your turn.
• Players will repeat this process until all Tiles from the Current Era are gone. Once all Tiles from the Current Era have been used, Players can move to the next Era of Tiles.
• The game will end once all Tiles from all Eras have been placed.
• To determine a final score, add together all of your Happiness Values and Environmental Values. The Player with the highest combined total of Happiness and Environment Value is the winner.

Game Mechanics:

• Happiness Value (HV): Happiness Value is one of the two scores Players must keep track of. Building Tiles will have varying levels of HV attached to them, some positive and some negative. Players should aim to keep as high of a HV as possible.
• Environmental Value (EV): Environmental Value is the other score Players must keep track of. Building Tiles will have varying levels of EV attached to them, some positive and some negative. Players should aim to keep as high of an EV as possible.
• Road Tiles: Road Tiles are the building blocks of the game. Road Tiles can only be placed next to another Road Tile and the paths on the Tiles must match up. Road Tiles from separate Eras are allowed to connect.
• Building Tiles: Building Tiles are how players will gain their HV and EV. Building Tiles each have a set amount of HV and EV attached to them. Building Tiles must be touching a Road Tile from the same Era to be placed.
• Current Era: As Players place Tiles, their Cities will progress through different Eras. Cities will start in the Stone Era with simple Dirt Paths and Wooden Huts, but will eventually progress to the Modern Era with Highways and Skyscrapers. In order to progress to a new Era, players must place every available Tile from the Current Era, Players cannot advance to the next Era until all Tiles from the Current Era are used. Building Tiles from each Era can only be placed on Road Tiles from the same Era.

• Game about doing everything right as a black astronaut and still not being allowed to go to space
• Game where you’re a beloved politician, but no matter how right or informed one of your decisions seems, you only see the worst outcomes
• Game that makes you dissect the mice used to test common medicines (this is not a statement against common medicine I just went out with a girl who does that as a research job and thought it was insane how frequently and mercilessly they kill mice)
• Game that simulates short term memory loss symptoms by dropping the player into high-context conversations – without the necessary context (maybe you can tattoo yourself like in Memento)
• Game that puts you in the position of an American Defense Planner after being notified of an unprecedented nuclear attack. There are no rules.

I wanted to be unique with my feedback and create a questionnaire myself with my own questions that I was wondering specifically, on top of the questionnaire that Ames already provides to everyone during a play test. I asked everyone:

1. What did you think of the colors/aesthetic? Would you change anything? Were the colors denoting the type of question properly?
2. Would you be open to experiencing a video as a ruleset instead of a written, lengthy ruleset? Why or why not?
3. Was the 2-minute sand timer enough time? If not, what do you think it should be?
4. Did you enjoy the red bolt category (actions)? Do you have any recommendations for actions to add or ones to adjust? Why?
5. Would you recommend this to a friend? Would you play the finished version/play again?

Shane’s Answers

1. I like the idea of having categories/colors. I think stating the color of the card could make the game more interesting/add more strategy.
2. A video ruleset would be nice. Seeing the game played out is always easier than reading.
3. I think the time was good. It never felt too short and never felt too long either.
4. I thought having actions was a fun way to spice things up. Having more active ones could be fun and make managing your time more interesting.
5. I would recommend this. I had a fun time and it felt competitive the whole time. It was a good mix of fun and educational.

Ben’s Answers

1. I think a various color boxes (red, yellow, green) for correct answer to fill and a reward of a meaningful object(s) (like Beatstar).
2. I think both are fine since I saw the written rules are organized; video is a bonus for fun exploration.
3. I think it’s a fair amount.
4. I enjoy it since it’s a mission trivia for fulfill the level of striking signs.
5. I would recommend for video game designer field and students since this mechanics are very towards the video game reward system.

Shane Ames’s Questionnaire

1. What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? Some questions I had zero idea on the topic, but I’m not sure anything could be done to help that.
2. What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? The competitive aspect of trying to get enough cards was a lot of fun.
3. Was there anything that you wanted to do that you couldn’t? I would have liked to know the color of the card I was being asked.
4. If you had a magic wand, and you could change, add , or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Know the colors easier for more strategy
5. How was the play experience changed since the first play test? n/a
6. Is this a game you would play again? Why? Yes, mentioned on other sheet.

My response to user feedback

I think a lot of what Shane and Ben said is valid. I was already thinking about a lot of their concerns and questions such as the color of the cards and potentially playing around with the concept of changing the back of the color to whatever color the bolt is on the front of the card. Given that the user answering doesn’t get to see the question/answer side, it makes sense to change this so they have an idea of at least what kind of question they are going to be asked. Also, I’m glad that both of them thought the time given (2 minutes) was good because that was one of my main concerns given the variety of questions/actions on the card.

Clay added some insight as well. He was talking to me about explaining the answer to the person answering if they answer incorrectly. In the play test I left that open ended to see what the users would do when answering incorrectly. Would they be curious and ask what the answer was? Or would they simply fall into a cycle of confusion? Unfortunately it was the latter. This wasn’t the end of the world, but I edited the ruleset to explain that and even added in the house rules section an optional hint section.

Ames talked to me about my blue bolt section. Some of the questions weren’t necessarily “general knowledge”, so I changed this section to be classified as “Pop Culture” to give me some leeway in that regard.

Lastly, from just observing, I found that I wasn’t specific enough about who was flipping the tube and who was picking the card. In most card games, if it is your turn you are the one picking the card. However, in this game, since the answer is on the card, the person not actively answering (the person who’s turn it is NOT) is the one picking the card from the deck to read to the other. That means that the player that is actively answering is the one flipping the sand timer.

Class today was productive. I worked more on color theory and the overall aesthetic for BrainyAct. I found that the best look is to go with a black and white color scheme and have the colorful aspect of the game be associated with the types of challenges that come with the game. I originally experimented with primary colors (red, blue, yellow) with the addition of a bright green. However, after looking at the concept art and mockups, I decided to go against the brighter colors and instead chose a pastel color scheme for the same colors. This gave the look a more unique feel and made the game feel better art-wise.

Next week I plan on elaborating on the experimentation I did and begin to test the game mechanics. Until then I will be working on making at least 5 challenges per color category and do some user research/testing while doing so. I think this would be a good addition to the portfolio as well.