Our team: Me, Arthur and Trini
Objective – create a non-digital video-chat game in 4 weeks
Research:
I decided to start my research from several examples provided for us during the session, so that we could analyze and get some ideas for our project.
Case 1: 20 questons
- Has answerer and questioners
- Answerer chooses subject/object
- Questionsers have 20 questions to guess
- Answers only yes or no
- If a questioner wins, they become an answerer for the next round
Variant: ‘Animal, plant, mineral’
- Answerer tells whether the subject belongs to the animal, vegetable or mineral kingdom.
I find this variant more as an option in terms of interest as such classification makes the game much more variable and fun. Because it adds player’s associations as an element of gameplay. I believe that having some odd (posibbly mixing) categories and contextualization is preferable for modern gaming styles as well as for our potential project. The element of creativity is introduces and allows the players to ‘break the ice’ and get to know each other’s way of thinking, what leads to creating bonds. One of the purposes of a social game.
Similar approach in terms of creativity is revealed in games like ‘Crocodile’, which is an example of an acted charade. Such genre is one of the best options for a video chat game so far as it includes action rather than just sitting, what is especially relevant for quarantine times.
Case 2: I spy…
Guessing game. Aim is to guess the object. “I spy with my little eyebsomething beginning with…” In some variants can be supported by various questions.
For such game type what I find the most perspective variant for a video chat game is I spy something that sounds like. As this element is easy to implement with disable video button and it’s something used relatively rare. So it is quite an element of novelty.
Also the article about the game introduced using photogrаphic cards for cheching cognitive functions, which might be interesting to develop. For example in the form of associative cards like in the game “Mysterium”, where they are used for guessing a killer, location and weapon. Thus our current project doesn’t allow using special equipment, potentially a video chat game using an associative card game set could be a nice ‘I spy’ variant.
Case 3: Six degrees of Kevin Bacon
Aims to find the shortest path between an orbitrary actor and prolific actor Kevin Bacon.
The reason why I wanted to point out this example is because it shows how various and unexpected things can be used as a game base. The game is based on the theory of 6 acquaintances which resulted in a non-guessing linking party game. I don’t think this particular gameplay is applicable in our situation, but encourages to research similar phenomena and adapt them for gameing processes.
Having analyzed these and several other examples, I came to the conclusion that our project should be approached from the point of adaptation. By that I mean using the core idea of some more-less classic party game that will be adapted and reworked, while adding a unique feature to make our game stand out. It is simolar with charater desing, where you must preserve some classic elements for viewers to still understand, what type of character they see (like kind or evil) and make the design unique at the same time. Let me illustrate that with the following example.
Above I mentioned the acted charade Crocodile. Aim is to guess the word, where a pleyer explains it via movements and gestures. A pretty much simple gameplay which was reworled and developed by another game “Honey mushrooms”. It uses the same gesture-guess principle, but takes it to another level by implementing a double-guess element. The game set up 3 role types: doctor, patien and hallucinations. Hallucinations know the word and category and show clues to the patient, who on their turn mustbexplain what he sees, so that the doctor must guess the category chosen by hallucinations. The doctor can’t see hallucinations. So we have 2 players guessing at the same time. Also, what the game does is introducing some kind of setting, allowing minimal role play.
(gameplay example)
Thus the game is not very applicable for video chat, the developed original concept and approach to develop classical show&guess game can be pretty much used as a reference for our project. The approach worth trying ang experimenting with.
To conclude, when discussing our ideas in the team, I’d be suggesting some outcomes from this research, such as:
- including odd or fun categories
- introducing elements of associations or personal creativity
- our game concept can start with reworking of a classical party game. It will provide us with more understandable rules, so that there’s less tike needed to get into the game for the majority of people. At the same time the element of novelty would make our game stand out and be unique (as in Honey muchrooms example)
- Some kind of overal concept or topic should be included instead of an abstract game. Can include role play element. This will make the game more fun and immersive.
Next we’re going to discuss the ideas with the team and brainstorm the working concept to achieve our weekly goal – come up with the final idea. Stay tuned!