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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.

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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:

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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.

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• 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.

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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.

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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.

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• 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.

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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?

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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)?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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