One game that shares a similar concept with my group’s Dynamite Duos is Password. Although Password is a popular boardgame that can be bought from a variety of online and in-person retail stores, it originally started off as a game show in 1961 before it started being printed and sold in 1962. The show was created by Bob Stewart and usually featured a pair of celebrity guests that each played with a “civilian” player. For this reason, the game show was probably intended for an older audience that would be able to identify celebrities, root for specific teams, and play along with the game. On the other hand, the boardgame is recommended for players that are aged 10 years and up. Still, since the game deals with word association, it would most likely be more enjoyable for older players that have a broader vocabulary or have more life experience.
I think the weakest part of Password is its branding. The game lacks a theme and its graphic designs are not eye-catching. Since it would be sitting in the shelves with other boardgames, which often have unique themes or loud and engaging designs, it could easily be overlooked by customers. I would recommend that it incorporates a theme that suggests breaking into a vault or retrieving a secret code. This could be emphasized with images of locks and keys, spies, etc.
Luckily, the gameplay itself is a lot more intriguing and would keep players entertained for many rounds. The main premise of the game involves teams of two taking turns to try and guess a secret word. Only one-word clues can be given. If a team uses a clue that’s more than one word, then an opposing team can challenge them to potentially earn points, which helps counter abuse. Each time the password is guessed incorrectly, the next team gives another one-word clue to have their teammate guess the password. Even though all clues are can be used to figure out the secret word, the amount of points that a team can earn goes down by one each time the password is guessed incorrectly. Thus, the points and clues serve as a valuable resources that work against each other. Thus, this creates a dynamic where players want to say clues that give as much information as possible to their teammates but very little to other players. This requires that team members have an adequate understanding of each other’s experiences and associations.
Since Password requires players to work in teams, the game mostly encourages fun that is based on fellowship. However, it also somewhat encourages challenge and expression since players must guess a secret word and they can use vocal inflections and facial expressions as they give their one-word clues. The game that most resembles Password’s format is Codenames. The main difference is that each team has their own set of words that they must figure out from one-word clue associations. This contradicts with Password’s gameplay of all teams trying to solve the same secret word. By doing so, Password creates a clue versus point dynamic as mentioned earlier, which adds added pressure and fun for its players.
