My Text-based Game (draft made with cards)

After having read out my story to my classmate, he said that the gameplay was smooth, fluent and there was no dramatic jumping around the narrative. He also mentioned that he found it easy to follow the story which was helpful. He thought that there were no places that needed more choices added, however there is not real big decision that changed the story dramatically which he thought was a good thing. However there was one action that I had forgotten to continue with so I must add in that choice. He thought that within Twine, the timer would be helpful for the more action packed events towards the end, also sound effects would help create a nice atmosphere.

Text based games

Queers in love at the End of the World

When playing this game I felt pretty stressed out because of the time limit, but once I had completed a few endings I really liked it. It's short, but cute and carries a nice message that made me think. I wouldn't usually class this kind of thing as a game, but because it's all about choice and how they impact the next web page options, therefore I would call it a game even if it is really simple.

With Those With Love Alive

During my first play through of this game, I was really confused and felt super repetitive, but it looked nice with all the coloured text. Then the second time I tried it, I realised that there is lot more than meets the eye and it really has some powerful meanings, it was also a little strange when it asked the player to draw on their body as games don't usually impact a person physically. Again, like the first game it is not what comes to mind when thinking of video games, but this I would say is even more so due to it's trial and error navigation.

Cat Petting Simulator 2014

This game felt a little too long and tedious, but it was funny at times and did make it feel very realistic. This one feels much more like a game because there is a definite ending and you receive scores at the end.

Depression Quest

The combination of the music and subject matter me feel very emotional during this one, but I also felt like I was learning about depression and what it is like having to live with it. It did feel more like an online interactive novel than a game' due to its themes.

Cry$tal Warrior Ke$ha

Whilst playing this game I was a little puzzled as to what the aim was or what it was about (apart from Ke$ha lyrics). It was also difficult to concentrate and read because of the song playing in the background. This one felt more like a tribute to Ke$ha rather than a video game.

Daymare 1: ritual

This game is the most intense of them all, the descriptive language made me feel a little uneasy at times and created vivid images in my head. The themes are very dark and morbid which actually helped draw me into the story as I enjoy horror fiction. This does feel like a game to me as there is a main goal and the concept of collecting objects felt rewarding as it does in traditional video games.

The Uncle Who Works For Nintendo

This game creeped me out because of the sound effects and dark images, also throughout the game it always felt like something was wrong even if something positive happened. The end screen shocked and confused me as it showed a computer screen as though it had been hacked which could imply multiple things. This one is much like Depression Quest, with the sound effects and images, however this was a little more upbeat and felt a little more like a ghost story.

The Domovoi

This game had a nice atmosphere provided with sound effects and beautiful illustrations but because of the large amounts of text I did begin to grow a little bored. You would think graphics would make it seem like a game but it even states that it is a "tale" so to me it just feels like a fairy tale taken from a children's book.

The two games that had the biggest impact on me would have to be Queers in love at the End of the World because it is different to anything I've ever come across and it really made me stop and think about what I really would do if everything I knew was about to end. I also liked the variety of endings and events that could take place and the ambiguity of the story. My second choice is With Those With Love Alive, although I didn't actually finish the entire game, I really enjoyed what I did play, I loved the soundtrack and idea of clicking text to change it to your liking. I also thought the idea of actually physically interacting with the story was really interesting and unlike anything I've ever experienced.

Board Game 2 (Arachnophobia)

For the second board game we worked in teams of 4 to produce a much higher quality game, combining ideas we already had and seeing what worked and what didn't with out other game.

Ratings:

Playability - 4/5
Visual aesthetics - 4/5
Enjoyment - 3/5
Overall - 4/5

Comments:

• Mazes can be traced
• You can see the tracks left behind by other players on mazes
• Good game
• Mazes are easy
• Very childish
• Take visual guide off of back of board
• Good for children
• Colours could stand out more

It seemed most people loved the look and feel of the game and it was fairly easy to understand and then play, but it was maybe a little childish and the mazes were not very successful. Also having the visual guide on the other side of the board proved a little frustrating and awkward for some players.

Board Game (second edition & what have I learnt)

 If I were to make my game again, I would be sure to add images into the rule book to make them as clear as possible. Also because it is a timed game I would add in a small egg timer, in case neither player had any other way of timing e.g a phone. Also to prevent any confusion with the cards I would make several (around 50) for each of the 6 subjects (300 in total) and each card has 6 numbered objects so the other player doesn't have to think of one themselves. I would also change the image die to 6 easier topics, such as TV/Movies or Animals and to change the premise completely I would have the player pick up their own card and have to rant about something without saying the name of the object so the other person would have to guess what it was.

 Throughout the week i have learnt a lot about board games and why it is such a significant starting point when thinking about game development. I have released just how difficult it is to make a fun and entertaining game without over complicating the rules. It is also hard to come up with a completely original idea since there are so many card and board games out there already. It was also really interesting to observe how other people managed with my own game and see where there went wrong and to see what they would do to overcome things they didn't understand. I liked playing another pairs game just to see how different it was to ours and to see how well they incorporated the image die they were given, which was a lot more difficult than it first seemed.

Board Game (observation & summary)

 When observing the two players, they seemed fairly frustrated at first and wanted to rush in, meaning they did not read the instructions thoroughly so missed an important step. Once they had begun to play they laughed a lot and seemed to be having fun and would joke when the other person failed. Having not read the rules they didn't role the numbered die again so instead of one option, the player spoke for 30 seconds about all 6 items on the card each time.

After speaking to the players about what they found fun and what was confusing they said "the instructions were pretty clear (if we had read them properly)." They also pointed out a spelling mistake on one of the cards. One player said that it's "annoying because you might not be a confident speaker" and he said his family would probably make fun of him. One player said that the best part of the game was watching the other person fail and overall they said that it was a good idea.