(Note: this is the card-less party game—I did not use the version that has a physical deck of cards)
For my critical play, I played the “Getting to Know You” party game Hot Seat. Since the iteration I played doesn’t require any resources and is normally transmitted via word-of-mouth, its exact origins are unclear. I’m also sure there have been many iterations that are undocumented and vary from each time it’s played—but the core mechanics are all probably the same.
The game requires almost 0 resources. Since the entire game consists of players asking each other questions, it only requires 2+ players and some sort of time-keeping device, whether that be a phone timer, watch timer, or an hourglass. The mechanics of the game are basically that players pick somebody to be put on the “hot seat.” where they have to answer questions truthfully for a specified amount of time. There is no specified configuration either, just that players have to be able to hear each other.
(Pictured: team 25 getting ready to play Hot Seat)
This mechanic then leads to the dynamic of other players asking the person on the “hot seat” rapid-fire questions, and depending on the given answers, these questions can sometimes increase in intimacy and specificity. Once time is up, the player leaves the “hot seat” and another player takes his place, and so on until everyone in the group has been in the “hot seat” once. Since these are the only listed procedures and the only rule is that the player on the “hot seat” is required to answer truthfully, the game itself does not have any core frameworks in place to protect from questions that are potentially hurtful or overly hurtful, but players can choose to implement their own regulation allowing for them to pass on certain questions if they do not wish to answer.
Again, since this game is generally passed around by word-of-mouth, there is no explicit target audience or demographic, though being able to convey thought verbally is important, and I’m not sure what interesting questions could be asked of a young child so I would suggest the game be played with people ages 10+. However, I would also advise that players use their discretion when asking questions, and to be cognizant of the age of other players and the relevance/appropriateness of their questions. As such, though it is technically possible for the game to be played with people of all ages, the vague nature of the game makes it the players own responsibility to judge whether or not the question they are asking is appropriate for all of the surrounding players, not just the player on the “hot seat.”
(Pictured: Serena deep in thought on the “hot seat” after Sharon asked her a deep question)
There are no specific actions that players take other than asking and answering questions, but the fact that the dynamic created between people is “getting to know each other” in a rapid-fire fashion makes it very clear what aesthetic the game creates—one of fellowship, since it heavily based in learning more about your peers and provides a social framework for that objective.
I think while this game is fun, it has the potential to go sour very quickly. As aforementioned, there are no explicit frameworks in place to protect against abuse, and even if a player passes, it is possible for other players to feel snubbed by the lack of an answer, and result in them not having fun because their question was avoided. It also has the potential to be used in an unkind way, especially if players want to play the game with the purpose of getting a specific kind of information from a different player rather than with the wholesome objective of just getting to know someone. Additionally, because this game is generally passed around by word-of-mouth, modifications are far too easy to make, and everything ends up only being moderated by self-regulation. Lastly, the fact that players can literally ask any question also makes it difficult, as the vast number of possible questions actually leads to there being long lulls in question-asking and someone could end up being asked 0-1 questions on the “hot seat” just because other players can’t think of anything.
As far as “getting to know you” games are concerned, it does has the potential to be fun, but the overall mechanics and broad possibilities of the game make it far too volatile to be consistently considered fun and a stand-out game in this gaming genre.
