Scattergories is a “creative-thinking category based game” in which “the objective… is to score points by uniquely naming objects within a set of categories, given an initial letter, within a time limit.” Using Scattegories, as a point of reference, seemed to be one of the most accurate games to pick for this analysis in order to discover what aspects of my team’s intended game and the gameplay will probably will work and will definitely not work. The theme is most clearly a game of creative thought which heavily aligns with the game of my team. As you are on a strict time limit (3 minutes), the challenge becomes harder especially with more obscure letters and even more obscure topics. The mechanics of the game are pretty straightforward and easy for players to catch up. Simply put, players have cards with all the categories that must be filled in, a die with all the letters of the alphabet, and a sand timer. The humor and fun comes into play as players go around sharing their answers and debate ensues regarding which answers will be accepted. The type of fun this leads to is fellowship and expression. This fun is reinforced through the continuous need to interact with other players and occasionally prove your case to why your response should be accepted.
Retrospectively, one of the big differences in this game and ours is the level of collaboration and input from players. In Scattegories, its simply write your answers & compare your answers. In our game, we create a more interactive environment through having players vote on winning responses. We found that this aspect really aided in the level of fun players experienced. I think that in a game like this, the overall takeaway is, the more collaboration, the more engaged players tend to be.
