My group is working on a game similar to Cards Against Humanity, where a player draws a card with a prompt on it that others must respond to with a photo from their camera roll. For our game, we are considering having users choose from a randomly selected subset of photos as opposed to their entire photo album.
How much time is needed for players to choose their photos?
This question is important to answer because it will greatly inform the nature of the gameplay. Answering this question will provide clarity on how long rounds should last, whether or not players require nudges to choose photos quickly, etc.
We can prototype this question in a variety of ways. For example, we can have players play with no limitation on time or the number of photos that they have to choose from and assess how long it takes for players to choose their photos. Similarly, we can prototype with timed rounds in which players must choose a photo after a set period of time. In this case, we can assess whether players felt like the timer added to or took away from the experience.
I think that adding a timer to the game may make players feel rushed, but on the other hand I feel as if this sort of pressure can make the game more exciting. I also think that limiting the amount of time that players have to choose their photos will add more structure to the game. Without this, rounds might last a long time and the game won’t have any real pacing to it.
Are players comfortable with their photos being randomly selected?
This question is important to answer because it informs whether players will even be interested in playing the game or not. If players feel as if having their photos randomly selected is invasive, they will likely not enjoy playing the game.
We can prototype this question by testing out a variety of photo selection methods. For example, we can have users choose their own photos from their entire camera roll and compare the experience to having players choose photos for one another. In addition to this, we can also seek answers to this question by prototyping a version in which users have access to their entire camera roll.
I think that players may have a slight aversion to others filtering through their camera roll for them. Given that individuals may have personal content in their camera roll, they might feel uncomfortable if others are selecting photos for them. This could in turn set a negative tone for the gameplay itself.
Are players able to effectively connect and learn more about one another?
This question is important because it informs whether our party game is achieving the goal of fellowship. It may be the case that players do not actually learn much about each other through photos or that randomly selected photos may result in “boring” content. I think the answer to this question also relies on the prompts that players receive. If the prompts are not entertaining or do not foster connection, then players will not get much out of the game.
In order to answer this question, we can ask players what, if anything, they learned about their fellow players throughout gameplay. We can prototype with different sorts of prompts, ranging from intimate to non-personal, and humorous to serious — seeing which kind of prompts seem to spark the most connection between players.
