Our P1 game, Assault on Arrillaga, seamlessly blended fun with strategic play, balancing competitive elements and educational goals. The core mechanics—drawing food and action cards—were designed to engage players in the process of creating nutritionally balanced meals, while subtly teaching the importance of dietary balance. The action cards, such as “Swap” and “Steal,” introduced layers of unpredictability, allowing players to block, trade, or disrupt each other’s progress. This added tension and required strategic decision-making, making each turn exciting and dynamic. The interplay between food and action cards created a fast-paced, competitive structure where players raced to complete their meals by meeting specific nutrient requirements before their opponents. The unpredictable nature of the action cards kept the game fluid, fostering both cooperation and rivalry, which elevated the overall engagement and entertainment.
At its core, the game’s learning mechanics encouraged taking a strategic view of planning their nutrition, as if they were planning their meals in everyday lives. Players had to consider how best to balance calories and nutrients through repeated interactions, making the educational experience both implicit and enjoyable.
I learned the most from the process of noticing the gameplay. Watching others play the game provided valuable insights into how the mechanics came together. Players adapted their strategies over time, becoming more mindful of their nutritional choices, which was reflected in the pre & post-game survey results. For example, some players were surprised to learn how much more carbohydrates are required daily.
This was also related to the most important things I learned from this experience – the power of iteration and feedback. Throughout the development of Assault on Arrillaga, multiple rounds of playtesting helped us refine the game. In early playtests, for instance, players found tracking calories and servings too complex, leading us to simplify the mechanics by introducing visual symbols to represent nutrients. Another round of feedback showed that the game length was an issue, prompting us to change the win condition from completing three meals to just one, speeding up the gameplay. These iterations not only improved the mechanics but also made the game more enjoyable and accessible, emphasizing how essential user feedback is in game design.
