Sara Estus – Week 2 Questions

Question Set One:

• If I made a game where the theme was around size, some mechanics I’d implement would be challenges through areas that normal-sized people could not go, such as adventuring through a mouse hole, or attempting to pass through a garden that feels like a jungle very ‘Honey I shrunk the kids’ – I know, but I think making it more of a journey like the “secret life of Arrietty would be fun”. Though these are usual and expected mechanics, more unexpected would be the implementation of being practically invisible and harmed by the elements easier.

• I am making games for my friends and family. I enjoy the competition between people I know, but I also enjoy playing and picking on them without them thinking I mean harm. It’s so fun to tease and taunt!

• Friends and Family.

Question Set Two:

• I feel like games that are often made in a series like Animal Crossing are ones I have never really referred to the rules for, I have played all the games since the first one was made, and the mechanics have only improved, but are always common sense, so I would often skip the tutorials and figure it out. In physical games, I would say as a child it was the game memory, cause, duh.

• How I define a game is by its ability to captivate a player or audience for some time, to convey a message or a task to the player(s).

• I think the feature that would make my games more intuitive would be to make my games look more attractive and pleasing to look at. I have not had a lot of time to create art for my games, hopefully, I will be able to.

Question Set Three:

• My gateway game was Animal Crossing on the GameCube (2001). I grew up always watching my older sister play video games, and one day I grew tired of being player 2, so Animal Crossing allowed me to be player 1 with no questions asked.

• Gateway games are games that are easy to get into without any hassle of needing extra time and preparation to become skilled at the game. They are games that can be played and learned quickly and can be enjoyed regardless of the pace the player chooses to play in.