module - vcu school of the arts...pac-manhattan is an urban game designed to use the streets of new...
Post on 09-Jul-2020
0 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
1
MODULENondigital Games
OBJECTIVES:• Studentswillreviewstrategiesandpurposesforcritiquingartwork,andcritiqueseveralnondigitalgamesasworksofart.
• Studentswillbeintroducedtoavarietyofnondigitalgamesbydiversehistoricalandcontemporaryartists,anddiscusshowtheartistsusedmechanicsandgamedesigntoallowaudiencestomovemeaningfullythroughcreatedspaces.
• Studentswilllookatgamesbyartistswhoreinvent,ornavigatereal-worldspaces,anddrawconnectionsbetweentheirpracticeandtraditionalpracticesofgamedesigners.
• Studentswilllookatgamesbyartistswhoreinvent,ornavigateeverydaylifeasgames,anddrawconnectionsbetweentheirpracticeandtraditionalpracticesofgamedesigners.
• Studentswillcreatenondigitalgameswhichallowstheplayertonavigatespaceoreverydaylifeinaninterestingway.
Thismoduleisdividedinto61-hourlessons.Lessonscanbereadilycombinedforlongerclassperiods,takingfewersessions.Ifclasstimeisshort,theplayingandcritiqueofgamescouldbedoneashomework.Thismodulealsoincludesworksheetsforstructuringideagenerationandcritiqueforthisunit.
CONTENTSDAY1:PLAYINGANDCRITIQUINGNONDIGITALGAMES 2
DAY2:PLAYING,CRITIQUINGANDMODIFYINGCOMMERCIALGAMES 3
DAY3:HOWARTISTSLOOKATSPACESFORNONDIGITALGAMES 5
DAY4:ARTISTSMAKINGGAMESOFTHEEVERYDAY 9
DAY5:CREATEANORIGINALNONDIGITALGAME 7
DAY6:CRITIQUE 8
APPENDIXA:WORKSHEETS 9
APPENDIXB:GAMECARDS 11
NATIONAL ARTS SOLs:NA-VA.5-8.2Studentsgeneralizeabouttheeffectsofvisualstruc-turesandfunctionsandreflectupontheseeffectsintheirownwork.
NA-VA.5-8.5 Studentsanalyzecontemporaryandhistoricmeaningsinspecificartworksthroughculturalandaestheticinquiry.
NA-VA.9-12.2 Studentscreateartworksthatuseorganizationalprin-ciplesandfunctionstosolvespecificvisualartsproblems.
VA ARTS SOLs:5.9, 7.4, AI.6, AII.5 Thestudentwillusecontemporarymediatocre-ateworksofart.
5.20, 7.15, 8.18, AI.15, AII.17Thestudentwillusespecificcriteriaandcriticismprocessestoevaluatetheirs&others’work.
6.19 Thestudentwillexplainthemeansbywhichworksofartevokepersonalsensory,emotional,andaestheticresponses.
2
DAY 1: PLAYING AND CRITIQUING NONDIGITAL GAMES• Our projects in this unit will be nondigital games. What are the similarities between digital games and nondigital
games? What are the differences?
• ReviewCRITIQUE
• Whatiscritique?Whenyoutalkaboutwhatanartworkdoeswell,andwhatitcandobetter.• Whydowecritique?Tohelptheartist,andourselves,tomakebetterart.
• Inthisclasswe’regoingtocritiquesomenondigitalgamesafterplayingthem.We’llbeusingthesequestions:
• What is fun/interesting in each game?• What is boring/frustrating in each game? How would we improve those parts?
GAME EXEMPLAR: Fluxus Ping Pong by George Maciunas (1964)Watchthevideoofthegameinstallationon YouTube(orwatchtheincludedvideofileintheModulematerials).
Maciunaswasinterestedincreatingexperiencesthatcriti-callyapproachthesocialmechanismsinlife.InFluxusPingPongMaciunasmodifiedtheplayingequipmentresultinginagamethatismuchharderthanitoughttobe.
QUESTIONS:Howdoestheshapeofthepingpongtablechangethewaypeopleplaythegame?Howdoeachofthepaddleschangethegamedifferently?
• Elicitresponsesfromclassbasedontheabovecritiquequestionsandrecordtolargepaperforfuturereference.
Differences Similarities(Usually)gamesareplayedphysicallydifferent:(Physicalgamesusethewholebody,tabletopgamesusepartofthebody,videogamesuseonlythehands).
Games(often)havewinnersandlosers.
Physicalgamesoftenareskill-based/fewerelementsofchance.
Gameshaverules.
Playerscan(often)restartavideogameinthemiddleofplay.Physicalgamesandtabletopgames,playersusuallyhavetofinishbeforerestarting.
Gameshavemovement.
Intabletopgamesplayersoftentaketurns–inphysicalandvideogamesoftendon’ttaketurns.
Gameshavesomeformofmeasurementofhowwellplayersaredoing(score,placeinthegame,fouls,etc).
Physicalgamesareaffectedbythespaceyouplayin(weath-er,sizeoftheplayspace,theaudience).
Somesuggestedobservations:
3
CRITIQUE & PLAY: The Exquisite Corpse by various Surrealists (1925-1930)Basedonanoldparlorgame,theExquisiteCorpseisacol-lagegroupwritingordrawingmethod.Startingaphraseordrawing,aplayerfoldsoverthepapertoconcealmostofwhatwascreated,andthenpassesthepapertothenextpersonwhocontinueswritingordrawingfromtheexposedwordorimage.
• Play1-2roundsoftheExquisiteCorpseinclass(seeAppendixB,page11fortheExquisiteCorpsegameinstructions),
• Task:usingthegameanalysisworksheet(seeAppendixA,page9)toanalyzethecomponentsofthegame(dependingontime,givestudentsafewminutestodothisingroupsoryoucandoittogetheraclass).
• Elicitresponsesfromclassbasedontheabovecritiquequestionsandrecordtolargepaperforfuturereference.
• FromthestudentsgameanalysisworksheetsandclasscritiqueoftheExquisiteCorpsegame,havestudents:
• Determineifthegamerequiresstrategyandhowthegamerequiresit.• Determineifthegamerequiresphysicalskillandhowthegamerequiresit.• Determineifthegamehaselementsofchanceandhowthegamerequiresit.
Activity:INGROUPSOF3-Usingthegameanalysisworksheets,focusonthe“howdoyouplay?”question,notingwhichele-mentsofthegamearechanceandskill.Havethestudentschangeoneelementofskilltochanceandreplaythegame.Reporttheresultstotheclassofhowthechangeaffectedthegame.
DAY 2: PLAYING, CRITIQUING, AND MODIFYING COMMERCIAL GAMES
• Activity:Setupseveraltypesofnondigitalgamesaroundtheclassroom(card gameslikeUNO,Hearts,Yugio/Magic,etc;physical games likeTwister,SimonSays,MusicalChairs,etc;board gameslikeRisk,Checkers,Uno,Scrabble,etc;andtable-top gameslikeHungryHippos,Jenga,PingPong,etc).Remindstudentsofthecritiquequestionsbeforeplaying:
• What is fun/interesting in the game?• What is boring/frustrating in the game? How would we improve those parts?
• Afterstudentsplay3-5nondigitalgamesfor5-10minuteseach,elicitresponsesfromclassbasedonthecritiquequestionsandrecordtolargepaper.
• Elicit/recordtoanotherlargesheet:What actions does the player take to move through the game space?
• e.g.Run,jump,rolldice,strategicallyplaceitems,drawandlaycards,etc.
• Task:(Dependingontime,givestudentsafewminutestodothisingroupsateachgame,oryoucandoittogetheraclass),usingthegameanalysisworksheettostudythecomponentsofthegame(seeAppendixA,page9),
GAME EXEMPLAR: Melodrama and Other Games by Pedro Reyes (2012) Thiscollectionofgamesincludespostersthatserveasgameinstructions(seevideooftheprojectonVimeoortheCur-rentlabWebsite).Theaimofthesepostersaretoremindpeopleofgamesthathavebeenpasseddownthroughchil-drenoverthecenturies.Postersaregivenawaywhenpeopleplayagamefromthecollection.Theseactivitiesaredesignedtoreconnectpeoplewiththestreetandthecourtyardasplacesforhumanengagement.
4
• Determineifthegamerequiresstrategyandhowthegamerequiresit.• Determineifthegamerequiresphysicalskillandhowthegamerequiresit.• Determineifthegamehaselementsofchanceandhowthegamerequiresit.
• Howmanydifferentkindsofgamepiecesareineachgame?Howcouldthosegamepiecesbereplacedbyothergameelements(dice,chips,cards,balls,etc.)andhowwouldthatchangethegame?Dothosenewelementschangetheamountsofstrategy,skill,orchanceinvolvedinthegame?
GAME EXEMPLAR: Fluxchess Sets by Takako Saito (1965-1975)Saito’sdisruptivechesssetsusethenormalrulesofchess,butreplacesthetraditionalpieceswithobjectsthatmakeplayersrelyonsensesotherthansighttoplay(smell,taste,touch,weight,etc.).
• Activity:Usingthegameanalysisworksheet(seeAppendixA,page9),focusonthe“whatdoyouneedtoplaythegame?”question.Havethestudentschange1-3gameelementsandreplaythegame.Reporttheresultstotheclassofhowthechangeaffectedthegame.
GAME EXEMPLAR: Stadium by Maurizio Cattelan (1991) Stadiumisafoosballtableaccommodating11playersoneachside.Theoriginalworkanddocumentationsuggestedseriousgeopoliticalmessages.NowStadiumisusedtoshowcommunalplaywithseveralfoosballsonthetabletobeplayedatonce.
5
DAY 3: HOW ARTISTS LOOK AT SPACES FOR NONDIGITAL GAMES
• What is different about the everyday experience of traveling in your hometown and The Big Urban Game and Pac-Manhattan? • TheBigUrbanGameusesoversizedgamepiecesandthegamewasarace.Pac-Manhattanwasagameoftagin
NewYorkCity.• What materials did the game designers use in these games?
• TheBigUrbanGame:Oversizedinflatablegamepieces,apump,ropestoholdthegamepiecedown.Pac-Manhat-tan:Pac-ManCostumes,mapsofthegamespace,walkie-talkies/cellphones.
• Would thinking about your hometown as a gamespace change how you move around it? How could you make your hometown a playspace? What would you need to do that?
GAME EXEMPLAR: Letterboxing (1854)Agameofsearchingforweatherproofboxesinpubliclyac-cessibleplaces(likeparks).Cluestofindthebox,areusuallyfoundonwebsites,orbywordofmouth.Letterboxescontainanotebookandarubberstamp(preferablycustommade).Peoplewhofindaletterboxputastampintheirpersonalnotebookwiththeletterbox’sstampandleaveastamponthe“visi-tors’book”or“logbook”—asproofofhavingfoundtheboxandlettingotherletterboxersknowwhohasvisited.Therearemanyvariationsofthisgame.
GAME EXEMPLAR: You Are Not Here
by Thomas Duc, Kati London, Dan Phiffer, Andrew
Schneider, Ran Tao and Mushon Zer-Aviv (2006)
YouAreNotHereisan“urbantourism”gameprovidingpeopleinNewYorkameta-tourofthecityofBaghdad.YouAreNotHerelinksNewYorktoBaghdadthoughmaps,street-signs,andaudio-guidedtouristhotlinetocreateapsychologicalattachmenttotheMiddleEastcity.
GAME EXEMPLAR: The Big Urban Game by Katie Salen, Nick Fortugno, & Frank Lantz (2003) WatchthevideoofthegameonYouTube(orwatchtheincludedvideofileintheModulematerials).
TheBigUrbanGame(B.U.G.)isaracebetweenthreeteams,eachattemptingtomovea25-foothighinflatablegamepiecethroughaseriesofTwinCities’checkpointsintheshortestamountoftime.ThegoalwastoencouragetheresidentsofMin-neapolisandSt.Paultoseetheirsurroundingsinanewway,andthinkaboutthedesignofurbanspace.
GAME EXEMPLAR: Pac-Manhattan by
NYU Interactive Telecommunications (2004)WatchthevideoofthegameonYouTube(orwatchtheincludedvideofileintheModulematerials).
Pac-ManhattanisanurbangamedesignedtousethestreetsofNewYorkCitytorecreatethevideogamePac-Man,puttingitintothe“realworld”.Pac-Manhastogetallofthedotsalongthestreetswhileghostschasethe1980’sicon.
6
DAY 4: ARTISTS MAKING GAMES OF THE EVERYDAY
FINE ARTS LINK: Subway Yearbook Photos by Improv Everywhere (2009) WatchthevideooftheeventonYouTube(orwatchtheincludedvideofileintheModulematerials).
ImprovEverywhereinstalledaphotographystudioonaran-domNewYorkCitysubwaycar,invitingthoseonthetraintobephotographed.Theresultingdocumentationshowsthediversecommunityofsubwayriders.
GAME EXEMPLAR: Cruel 2 B Kind by Jane McGonigal & Ian Bogost (2006)ThegameCruel2BKind(website)hasplayersroamingcitystreetsandpayingcomplimentstoothergameplayers.Toonlookers,thecomplimentsseemlikearandomactofkindness,buttoopposingplayers,thepolitegesturesaremaneuverstowinthegame.
GAME EXEMPLAR: Slow Bicycle Race by George Maciunas (1961)DrawingfromDada,MarcelDuchamp,Surrealism,andJohnCage,FluxusgameslikeSlowBicycleRaceunderminedtheseriousnessofarttocelebrateeverydayexperiences.
VIDEO LINK: Games We Play by Ian Bennett (2012)WatchthevideobyIanBennetton YouTube(orwatchtheincludedvideofileintheModulematerials).
WhatthingsdidBennettdescribeasgamesinthisvideo?HaveyoueverplayedormadegamessimilartoBennett’s?Hasafriendevermadeagameofaneverydaysituationyouneverthoughtabout?
Whyisplayingwiththeeverydayenjoyable?Aretheresituationsbettersuitedforplaythanothers?
• Both of the games “You Are Not Here” and “Letterboxing” consider specific spaces in their design. How?• YouAreNotHeremapsthecityofBaghdadwiththecityofNewYork.Streetsigns,maps,andstickerslettheplayers
inNewYorkknowwheretheyareinrelationshiptoBaghdad.InLetterboxingpeoplemark,promote,anddocumenthiddentreasuresthatareprimarilyfoundbypeoplewhoarepartoftheLetterboxingcommunity.
• How could your everyday space be marked or represented in ways that would be considered gamelike?
• Activity:Createalocation-basedgameusingthegameanalysisworksheet(seeAppendixA,page9).Beginbyusingcom-monphysicalgameelements(tag,scavengerhunts,races,building,elimination,etc)orthelistofcooperativegames(seeAppendixB,pages12-13).Determinehowtheuniquenessofthespaceisimportanttothegameplay.Havestudentstesttheirgame,writedowntherules,andhaveanothergroupplaytestit.Reporttheresultstotheclass.
7
• The games “Slow Bicycle Race,” “Cruel 2 B Kind,” “Before the Storm” and the artworks “Subway Yearbook Photos” and “75 Watt” consider specific daily activities in their design. How?• SlowBicycleRacesubvertshowwenormallythinkabouttravelandraces(movingquickly).Cruel2BKindmake
theactofgivingacomplimentagameactivity.BeforetheStormaskspeopletoplanoutwhattheywoulddointhechanceofanaturaldisaster.SubwayYearbookPhotostransformsthedailycommuteintoaspecialevent.75Wattcreatesadanceoutoftheprocessofassemblylinemanufacturing.
• How could your everyday activity be changed or represented in ways that would be considered gamelike?
• Activity:Createagamebasedoneverydayexperiencesusingthegameanalysisworksheet(seeAppendixA,page9).Beginbyusingcommongameelements(time,movement,pattern-making,score,elimination,etc).Determinehowtheeverydayactivityisimportanttothegameplay.Havestudentstesttheirgame,writedowntherules,andhaveanothergroupplaytestit.Reporttheresultstotheclass.
FINE ART EXEMPLAR: 75 Watt by COHEN VAN BALEN (2013) WatchthevideoonVimeo(orwatchtheincludedvideofileintheModulematerials).
Inthisprojectanobjectisbeingmadeonanassemblyline.Themovementstomaketheproductarechoreographed.Themanufacturedobjectitselfhasnopurposeotherthanareasonfortheworkerstoperformthisdanceroutine.
DAY 5: CREATE AN ORIGINAL NONDIGITAL GAMEHavestudentscreateanoriginalnondigitalgame.Ifstudentsneedideas,theycanfurtherdevelopagametheystartedinthisunit.ThereisanadditionallistofgamedesignchallegesthatstudentscanworkfromintheAppendixBpages12-17.
GAME EXEMPLAR: Before the Storm by PETLab (2009) WatchthevideoonVimeo(orwatchtheincludedvideofileintheModulematerials).
BeforetheStormisadecision-makinggamedesignedtointroduceweatherforecastsandpossibleactionstotakeagainstnaturaldisastersthroughdifferentroles.
8
DAY 6: CRITIQUE• Thisisaplanforthefinalcritiqueoftheproject.Ifyouhavetimeinyourschedule,itwouldalsobehelpfultodooneof
theseearlierasa“processcritique”whilethestudents’gamesarestillinprogress,
• Reviewwithstudentsthepurpose of critique
• Tohelp the artistmaketheirworkstrongerbytalkingabout:• Whattheirartisalreadydoingwell.• Partsthattheycanimprove-and how to improve it.
• Isithelpfultotheartistifyoujustcomplainabouttheirgame? NO.
• Wouldyoulikeitifsomeonejustcomplainedaboutyourgame?NO.
• Critique is not a place to bash other people’s work - the point is to be helpful.
• Rememberourtwocritiquequestions(rephrasedheretoencouragemorepositivecriticism):
• What is fun/interesting in the game?• How could the artist improve parts of the game that aren’t fun/interesting?
• Critique:
• Giveeachstudentacritiquesheet(includedinAppendixA,page10ofthismodule).• Thesheethastwocolumnsreflectingthetwocritiquequestions,andthreerowsrepresentingthreegamestheywill
play.• Askthestudentstorotate,playeachgameforfiveminutes.• Thengivethestudentsfiveminutestorecordtheircritiqueoftheirpeer’sgame.
• Writtencritiquesareagood,concreteartifacttoassess/gradestudents’understandingsoftheunderlyingconcepts.Tellingthestudentstheywillbegradedontheirwrittencritiquesalsohelpsensurethattheywillinvestsomeeffortinthem.
• Repeatthisprocessfortwomorerotations.• Afterward,discussasaclass:Whatwerethingsingeneralthatworkedreallywellingamesweplayedinclass?What
thingscouldhavebeenimproved?Arethereanyproblems/issuesthatseemedtocomeupinalotofgames?
9
NAME:__________________________
GAME ANALYSIS
APPENDIXA:WORKSHEETS GAME ANALYSIS SHEET
Game Example Your GameWhatarethegoals/objectives?
Howdoyouplay?(Describethegameactivities/rules)
Howisthegamechallenging?
Whatdoyouneedtoplaythegame(equip-ment,people,etc)?
Wherecanyouplaythegame(onatable,outside,onanelec-tronicdevice,etc)?
10
NAME:__________________________
GAME CRITIQUE
APPENDIXA:WORKSHEETS
What is fun or interesting about the game?
How would you fix the things that aren’t fun or interesting about the game?
GAME #1Title:__________________
Artist:_________________
GAME #2Title:__________________
Artist:_________________
GAME #3Title:__________________
Artist:_________________
GAME CRITIQUE SHEET
11
EXQUISITE CORPSE INSTRUCTIONSMATERIALS:
• Asheetofpaperforeverystudent
• Drawingutensils(pencils,pens,markers,crayons,etc.)
Timeneeded(12-30minutespergame)
EXQUISITE CORPSE INSTRUCTION SHEETAPPENDIXB:INSTRUCTIONS
STEPONE
Foldthepaperintothirds(likefoldingaletterforastandardenvelope).Everyonedrawssomethingfromtheheadtoshouldersonthetopthirdofthepaper(about3-5minutes).Twoguidelinesfortheshouldersareextendedbelowthefoldsothenextartistcanseewheretoattachthenextpartofthebody.Beforefoldingthepaperandpass-ingthedrawingtothenextartist,thefirstartistwritestheline“somebodydidsomething”(IE:Thedragonblewsmoke).
STEPTWO
Thepaperispassedtotheartistontheright.Thesecondartistdoesnotlookatthefirstdraw-ingandcontinuesdrawingfromtheshoulderstothewaist(about3-5minutes).Thetextforthissectionis“anddidsomethingelse”(IEAndateapieceofpizza).Thebodylinesforthewaistareextendedpassedthefoldforthethirdartist,thepaperisfolded,andthedrawingispassedtotheright.
STEPTHREE
Thethirdartistaddsthebottompartofthebodyandthetext“whiledoingsomethingelse”(IEWhilefloatingdowntheriver).
Nowthedrawingsareunveiledandreadaloud!
ExquisiteCorpseimagebythemediacollective.org,2009
12
APPENDIXB:WORKSHEETS GAME - CREATE CHALLENGE CARDS
Game - CreateChallenge
Game - CreateChallenge
Game - CreateChallenge
Game - CreateChallenge
Game - CreateChallenge
Game - CreateChallenge
Game - CreateChallenge
Game - CreateChallenge
Game - CreateChallenge
Game - CreateChallenge
13
APPENDIXB:WORKSHEETS GAME - CREATE CHALLENGE CARDS
Your Game Must Include:
STACKINGYour Game Needs:
To UtilizeSpeed, Time or Timers
Your Game Must Include:
Physical BodyMovement
Your Game Must:
Uti l ize Cards(minimum of 20)
A Game WIth:
CollectingYour Game Must Utilize:
Matching
Your Game Must Include:
Co o p e r a t i o nYour Game Must Util ize:
Rolling a
10-sided Dice
A Game With:
No StrategyYour Game Must Util ize:
Catch-PhrasesOr Verbal Elements
14
COOPERATIVE GAME INSTRUCTIONS
*Linkstothegamesoriginalsourcetextcanbefoundinthegametitles.
AMEOBE RACES
Dividetheclassintotwoequalteams.Havehalfofeachteamformacirclefacingoutward,withhandsjoined.Instructtherestofeachteamtogetinsidethecircle.Bothteamshavenowformedtheiramoe-ba.Ontheinstructorssignal,theamoebaswilltrytoracetoadesignatedareawithoutcomingapart.Thefirstteamtoreachthefinishlinewins.Teamsthatcomeapartmustrepairthemselvesbeforecontinuing.
TeachingTip:Winningisnotstressedduringthisgame.Emphasizethatstudentsshouldnotfallonpur-pose,safetyisveryimportant.
CROSSING THE GREAT DIVIDE
Dividetheclassintosmallgroups.Thefirsttimeyoutrythisgame,itisrecommendedyoutestitwithasmallgroupof2-5,dependingongradelevel.Youcanthenadjustthegroupsasnecessary.
Theobjectofthegameistogetyourgroupacrossthegreatdivide(anareayouselect,40ftorso)with-outanyone’sfeetlosingcontactwiththefeetoftheplayersnexttothem.Whentoplayerslosecontact,thegroupmustreturntothestartinglinebeforestartingtheirnextattempt.Soinshort,alltheteamhastodoiscrossthedesignatedareawithoutcomingapart(anyonelosingfootcontactwiththeirneighbor).
TeachingTip:Theobviouswaytoadjustthedifficultyofthisgameistoaddorsubtractthenumberofplayersinagroup.
BARNYARD
Randomlygivethreechildrenthesameanimalnameuntilallofthechildrenhaveanimalnames.Nooneisallowedtotellanotherwhichanimalheis.Atthesignaleachchildmakesthenoiseoftheanimalthatshehasbeengiven.Thefirstgroupofthreeanimalstofindeachotherandsitdownarethewinners.
HOGCALL
Randomlydividetheclassintopairs.Oncetogether,thepartnerswilleachselectawordthatisrelatedinsomeway,totheirpartnersword.Someexamplesmaybe:Foot-Ball,Peanut-Butter,pop-corn.Haveeachpairsharetheirbuzzwordswiththeclass.Thiswillinsurenoduplicatesandtheclasswillhavefunshar-ing.Now,separatethepairs,eachplayertooppositesidesoftheplayingarea.Eachplayerwillnowclosetheireyesorplayblindfolded(makesurebeforeplayinganyblindfoldedgame,thatyouteachtheplayerstomoveslowlyandkeeptheirhandsupatshoulderlevel,andoutfromtheirbody,toactasbumpers).Theobjectofthegameistomoveacrosstheplayingareaandfindyourpartner.Havetheplayersmovearoundforafewsecondstobesuretheyarenotlinedupwiththeirpartner,thenstartthegame.Theplayerswillbeginannouncing(shouting)thewordofthepersontheyarelookingfor.Forexample,ifIamPop,Iwouldmovearoundyellingtheword“Corn”.Ofcoursemypartnerwillbeyelling“Pop”.Whenwedofindeachother,wemaytakeofourblindfoldsandenjoywatchingtheremainingplayers,doexercises,orchatwitheachotherifusedasanicebreaker.
TeachingTip:Stresssafetywiththisactivity.Stressbumpersupandslowmovements.
COOPERATIVE GAME INSTRUCTIONSAPPENDIXB:INSTRUCTIONS
15
COOPERATIVE GAME INSTRUCTIONS
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
Onepersonisselectedtoleavetheroomandshouldbeoutofearshot.Therestofthegroupchoosessomeactionitwouldliketheabsentpersontoperform.Whenready,thegroupcallsthepersonbackin.Themeansofreinforcementisclapping.Byclappinglouderorsofter,thegroupinfluencesthesubjecttodowhateveractionthegroupwants.
LOOK MA, NO HANDS!
Studentstrytopassadesignatedobject(Frisbee,stuffedanimal,etc.)aroundthecirclewithoutusingtheirhandsandwithoutlettingtheobjecttouchthefloor.
TeachingTip:Beginwithsmallergroupsof8-10studentseach,sothat“waittimes”arenottoolongforyoungerchildren.Also,tryaddingadditionalobjects(ofdifferentshapesorsizes)tobepassed,sothatmorechildrenareactivelyinvolved.
CATCHING THE DRAGON’S TAIL
Adragonisformedbygroupingtheplayersintoalonglineeachwiththeirhandsontheshouldersoftheoneinfrontofhim.Thefirstintherowisthedragon’shead.Thelastintherowisthedragon’stail,eagertolashtotherightandleftinordertoescapethehead.UntilthesignalGOisgiven,thedragonmustbeastraightline.Someoneinthegroupcounts“One,two,three,go!”OnthesignalGOtheheadrunsaroundtowardthetailandtriestocatchit.Thewholebodymustmovewiththeheadandremainunbroken.Iftheheadsucceedsintouchingthetail,theymaycontinuetobethehead.Ifthebodybreaksbeforehecatchesthetailtheheadbecomesthetailandthenextinlineistheheadandsoonuntileachhasachancetobetheheadandthetail.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
Theultimatenon-taggame,astheobjectisnottocomeintocontactwithanyoftheotherplayers.Pickanyobjectinaroomorplayingarea.Theobjectistohaveeachplayertouchthatobjectwithouttouchingeachother.
COOPERATIVE GAME INSTRUCTIONSAPPENDIXB:INSTRUCTIONS
16
FromthebookChallengesforGameDesigners(2009)byBrendaBrathwaiteandIanScheiber(p.38-39)
CHALLENGE4—PICKITUP
Walkingoveranobjecttopickitupisaphenomenallycommonmechanicinvideogames,andleadstothecollectiondynamic.Thereare,ofcourse,otherwaystocollectsomething.ConsiderhowcollectingcomesintoplayintheMariogames,Poker,orBejeweled.
Youmustcreateagamefortwotofourplayers(moreifit’saphysicalgame)inwhichplayers“walk”overobjectsandpickthemup.Whatplayersneedtocollect(threeofakind,similarcolor,andsoon)andhowmuchtheyneedtocollectisuptoyou.Me-chanicsthatmodifytheprimarymechanicareacceptable.Forinstance,youcouldhaveplayerspicksomethingupwhentheylandonit,orhaveawheelbarrowthattheyfirstmustacquireinordertopickuptheobjects.
Youmustchoosethetheme,components,andtokens,ifapplicable.Youmayalsoaddadditionalmechanics,asneeded.Inpar-ticular,playattentiontothenarrative.Itwillhelpasyoubrainstorm.Thinkofthisasagardeninggame,thenasuperherogame,andthenacar-racinggame.Eachthemebringsdifferentpossibilitiesintoplay.
• Components Required
• Materialstocreateprototype
• Deliverable
• Board-gameprototypeor• Card-gameprototypeor• Tile-based–gameprototypeor• Physical-gameprototype
• Suggested Process
Theobjectofthegameis...Ifyoucan’tthinkofhowtobegin,onewayistostartbynamingthegoalorobjectivethatendsthegame.Thiswillsuggestadditionalmechanicsanddynamicsforyou.Forexample,iftheobjectofthegameistohavethemostpointswhentimerunsout,itimmediatelygivesyoutwomorequestions:howdoplayersreceivepoints,andhowistimehandledinthegame?Theobjectmaybeconnectedtoatheme,soyoumayfinditeasiertodevelopanarrativeandobjectiveconcurrently,orstartwiththethemefirstandthenfindtheobjective.Forexample,ifyouaregangstersreturningfromabankheist,maybetheobjectistokeepasmuchmoneyforyourselfandgetoutbeforethecopsshowup.
• Identifymechanicsanddynamics.Fromthethemeandgoal,youprobablyalreadyhaveallkindsofideasformechanicsanddynamicsinthegametosupportthecorepick-upaction.Ifnothingoccurstoyou,comeupwithanewthemeandgoalandtryagain.
• Identifytheconflictbetweenplayers.• Playtest.• Createdeliverable.
• Variants:
• Thinkofanothercommonmechanicinvideogames,suchashittingatarget,avoidingcollisions,orlevelingupacharac-ter.Repeatthischallengeusingthismechanicinsteadofpickingup.
GAME DESIGN CHALLENGE SHEETAPPENDIXB:INSTRUCTIONS
17
FromthebookRulesofPlay:GameDesignFundamentals(2003)byKatieSalenandEricZimmerman(p.38-39)
“TheExquisiteCorpseGame”Game
Description:Thisformaldesignexerciseworksbestwithgroupsofthree.Thefirstpersonineachgroupsecretlywritesdowntwogamerulesforagamethatcouldbeplayedintheclassroom,eachruleonaseparatelineofpaper.Thetopruleiscoveredupandthesecondisleftvisible.Thesecondpersonlooksatthesecondruleandwritestwomore,leavingthelastrulevisibleforthethirdpersontowritedownonemoreruleandawinningcondition.Therulesarethenrevealedandthegrouphastofashionagameoutofthetotalsetofrules.Thegoaloftheexerciseistoseehowrulesinteractwitheachotherwithinthesys-temofagame,andtoexplorethelimitsofambiguityandspecificityinrules.Withmorepeopleineachgroup,studentsmightwriteonlyasinglerule,tokeeptherule-setfrombecomingtoocomplex.
GamesasthePlayofExperience
Studentsaregivenparameterstolimitandfocustheirgamedesign(IEshortamountoftime,emphasizingspecificsenses,certainemotions,etc).
OpenSourceGameSystems-DesignFocus:GamesasOpenCulture
Createasetofgamematerials(orgamesystem)thatcouldbeusedasthebasisforavarietyofgames.Designtherulesofasinglegameusingthegamesystem.Givethegamesystemofanothergroupandaskedtodesignagameusingthenewsystem.Groupsthentakethegamesystemstheyoriginallycreated,alongwiththetwosetsofgamerules,andcreateathirdgamethatisasynthesisofthetwo.
GAME DESIGN CHALLENGE SHEETAPPENDIXB:INSTRUCTIONS
top related