Create 7 non-digital games, ideally at least one every day.
They have to be playable with no props or few commonly available object.
They must be described by a concise ruleset (100 words or less).
They must have a title.
Try to make at least:
One game that can be played in class in a couple of minutes (it will be critiqued).
One game that must be played every day or for a long time.
One game that uses an existing technological system (phone, app, messaging, social media).
One game that plays with a specific element of the environment.
One game that is (almost?) impossible to play but interesting to think about.
Post them on discord as individual posts, at least one each day over the course of the week.
React and comment on your classmates’ games.
Exercise: System Safari
Games are almost always inspired by real world systems, objects, activities.
In groups of three, armed with notepads and phones for documentation, walk around the College of Fine Arts hunting for behaviors, objects, environments with game-like affordances.
> What are everyday things and activities that can be gamified?
Think of the children game “Don’t step on the cracks”, a gamified version of walking.
The cracks on the sidewalk or the space between tiles are suggesting rules.
The parents rushing the child/player/designer around add an element of challenge.
> Choose a trivial action, activity, or goal, and add an unnecessary obstacle or constraint that makes it compelling and gamelike.
Games are “The voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles”
-Bernard Suits (1978)
Think about most sports and physical games like golf.
You have to put the ball in the hole BUT only by hitting it with the club.
> Does the obstacle or “gamification” make the activity more compelling or just more annoying?
Does it produce a dynamic that is interesting aesthetically?
Can player get better at it or compete with each other?
Does it make the player see the object, behavior, or space in a different way?Â