The game I played for this assignment was “Stop Disasters!”, developed by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. This game is about natural disasters (like hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.) and its goal is to inform players about what a community can do to prepare for the inevitable arrival of such disasters. “Stop Disasters!” utilizes challenge and narrative as its main kinds of play. There is also an element of expression involved.
The game starts by allowing the player to select an area of interest that is at risk for a specific natural disaster. Once the player selects the game mode and level of play, the player is introduced to the main narrative and the mission of the game. The player’s goal is to protect the community from a natural disaster by upgrading buildings, building protective structures, and constructing more housing for the citizens of the town.
The mechanics of the game are the ability to scan and see the risk level of each area of the map, the clicking on each tile, ability to upgrade each tile with certain preventative measures, clicking on Start Disaster to begin the disaster simulation once the player is finished with making upgrades and changes.
The dynamics of the game are the monetary budget allotted to the player, the time limit (marked by a probability of disaster meter), the housed/unhoused population counter, the varying levels of risk across the tiles of the map that force the player to decide on prioritizing some areas over others.
The aesthetic goals of the game are challenge, narrative, and some expression. The challenge is a by-product of the monetary budget, mission goals, and time limit. The narrative is provided by the storyline that follows the game. Expression comes from the user’s ability to choose what to purchase, build, and design. Also the ability to choose the community and level of difficulty contributes to the expression aspect of the game.
The outcome of the game is to inform players about the various preventative measures that can be taken to protect a community from a natural disaster and the consequences that might arise from the lack of measures taken. The game also works to cause an attitude change for players about the importance of preventive measures for such disasters and how we advocate for these measures to be taken to protect communities at risk.
While playing this game, I became overwhelmed by the amount of risk in certain areas and the large number of upgrades necessary to get closer to the mission’s goals. It took me multiple tries to achieve a desired result and each time I had to try a different approach to my efforts to protect the community. This game is able to evoke strong emotions for a player as they try to protect the community they are in charge of helping. The death toll meter at the end and the visualization of the damage caused by the disaster were especially impactful. In the end, I can see the game successfully leading the player to its intended outcomes.
