What Mechanics would you like to use for a game with a theme that revolves around being the size of a nanometer?
I’m picturing some sort of game where you are a fruit fly (I feel they are the size of a nanometer). I think I’d add a regeneration element or mechanic because a fruit fly life is so short. It would be fun if you had the opportunity to “come back to life” but only if you had been able to lay eggs as a fruit fly.
Who are you making games for?
Personally, I create games for myself. A lot of times when I have an idea for a game it’s a way to make mechanics that exist more fun and with a theme I enjoy.
Who will be your play testers outside of class?
My playtesters outside of class include my wife, mother-in-law, parents, and my small DnD group who will try out new things I create.
Can you think of a game you were able to play without referring to the rules?
Battleship? Guess Who
How do you define what a game is?
A game is an interactive activity created to provide divertissement from the mundane.
What features can make your games more intuitive?
I think that color in a game lends a lot of intuition when playing. For example, if you had never played UNO but you picked up the game and looked at the cards you might assume that you’d need to keep similar colors together in some capacity. In Connect 4, Checkers, and Chess each side has different colored pieces. Sounds stupid, but it’s hard to play a game if you don’t know who’s pieces are who’s that’s why you need color.
What was your gateway game? What do you play to introduce others to gaming?
I’m honestly not very sure about this answer. I feel like I’ve been playing games my whole life. My family is a very game centric family. We have had “game rooms” in every house we’ve moved to.
I would say that what got me into more strategic card games was when my older brother finally let me play Euchre with him and his friends. It took a while of learning strategy with my brother, but we became pretty hard to beat.
I think for tabletop my gateway game was this random game produced in 1999 called Pokemon Master Trainer. It was a board game where your “Ash” token traveled all over the Kanto Region catching pokemon and even battling other players. Catching pokemon depended on your dice roll (higher level pokemon higher dice roll needed). As a 5 year old I thought this was the coolest game in the world. My brother played an “easier” version of it with me until I was old enough to understand all the rules. Since then he and I have always been trying new and more complex table top games.
What features do gateway games share?
Easy to learn, interesting theme, lack of complexity, an aspect of luck, short duration, and good replay value.
What are the 10 beautiful mechanics and what should you aim for with your own?
- Players are attracted to shiny objects – Kingmaker
- Forcing players to make hard choices -BattleTech’s Heat
- Set making games – Set
- The “tapping” of cards, the visual idea that cards are turned on and off – MTG
- Symmetry in a game is important – Battle Cow TDN
- Card Popping (making comparison more fun) – xXxenophile
- Hand Order Rule or using cards in the order you draw them – Bohnanza
- Moving and not knowing where you are going – Mississippi Queen’s Paddlewheels
- Communication Breakdown – Time’s Up!
- Constant Shuffling – Dominion
Well Mike Selinker said that these mechanics were the bar, so I should aim to clear it with my own game mechanics.
How does luck and strategy factor in to game play?
Luck in a game is something that occurs while playing that is beyond your control. It’s not necessarily good or bad it’s literally just chance. Strategy is when you are making active decisions about gameplay and plans given the information you have while playing the game.