1. I decided to choose the game “Scrabble.” The actions are placing letters on a wooden or plastic board and replacing the used letter tiles with new ones. Players get points based on how much each letter in the final crafted word is worth. Every player takes turns doing this.
The goal is to form the most words with the most letter points (scoring the most points overall). The rules are that each word should exist in a dictionary. Words are also read left to right and top to bottom. The first letter/word must be placed on the star in the center of the board. All words must be connected to each other. The objects include letter tiles, racks, and the game board. The playspace is the Scrabble game board. There can be 2 to 4 players.
2. I decided to swap the actions in golf and Tetris. The experience in Tetris would be that the players would have to swing their golf clubs to hit the falling blocks into their locations. The experience in golf would be that players would rotate and move their golf balls to the hole.
Here, Tetris shifts from a digital and passive game to a much more engaging, physical one. This adds a layer of physical skill and coordination to the game. Precision and timing becomes even more crucial to hit the falling blocks. Players also need to consider the force and direction of their swing so the blocks land to the desired position (spacial awareness becomes crucial as well).
Golf now becomes more of a cognitive game than a physical one; the game will prioritize calculation and planning the best path to the hole. Golf becomes almost like a puzzle solving game because players need to think a few steps ahead. The game also becomes more accessible to a broader audience because players don’t need to perform the physical act of swinging a golf club.
4. Pick a real-time game and a turn-based game. Observe people playing each. Make a log of all the game states for each game. After you have created the game state logs, review them to see how they show the game’s space of possibility and how the basic elements interact.
For the real-time game, I watched a soccer game online. Here is my game state log:
- Team A kicks off
- Team A attacks Team B
- Team B defends Team A
- Team B steals the ball and attacks Team A
- Team A defends Team B
- Team B scores a goal
- …
For soccer, game states include kickoff, attacking, defending, stealing the ball, scoring a goal, and half-time.
Based on the game states, soccer seems to have a more continuous and dynamic flow, with no big pauses between states. This shows that soccer has a real-time nature. Soccer also depends on rapid responding and adaptability because teams quickly switch roles.
For the turn-based game, I observed a chess game online. Here is my game state log:
- Player A moves the pawn from e2 to e4
- Player B moves the pawn from e7 to e5
- Player A moves the knight from g1 to f3
etc.
For chess, game states change per move made by the chess players.
Based on the game states, chess is a lot more sequential and structured. The game progresses one distinct move or state at a time. Players also are able to take time to predict and strategically plan for future game states.
