Our group is making On Display, an art-themed judging game where players create drawings based on prompts and challenges drawn from 2 decks of cards. Here are some questions I hope to explore as we design our prototype:
Will this game intimidate those who don’t consider themselves ‘artists’?
- It is important for our prototype to address this question since we intend for our game to be played across many different skill levels. However, it is possible that artists will have the upper hand in these situations, making others feel intimidated or reluctant to play against them.
- The main aspect of our prototype that will address these questions is the deck of ‘challenge cards’, which will contain specific restrictions that all players must follow while creating their drawings. Examples of challenge cards could include only using your non-dominant hand or creating the drawing using a single line.
- I predict that these sorts of challenges will help level the playing field across skill levels, alleviating the pressure to create something ‘good’. Since players are now drawing under time pressure and with some extra difficulty or new situation imposed, they will not be as in their heads about creating a masterpiece that they are proud of. I hope this leads to a more lighthearted and unserious gameplay overall.
How will players ‘win’ the game?
- This question is key because it determines what the gameplay and strategy of the players will be. In order for the game to be cohesive and build across rounds, there needs to be a clear ultimate objective for the players to work towards.
- We are still deciding on an exact method for this, but we hope to use a budget system where the curator can pay certain amounts of money to ‘buy’ their favorite paintings for the gallery. In this model, the users would earn coins if the curator chooses to buy their artwork, and the first artist to accumulate a certain number of coins wins the game.
- I predict that this strategy will add an incentive for players beyond inciting reactions from their peers. It also makes the objective of each round less binary, for maybe the curator can award 3 coins to their favorite drawing but still give 1 coin to a drawing that made them laugh. It opens up the door for mini-wins in each round that can then compound into a final victory at the end.
How do we ensure the curator is engaged throughout the game and doesn’t feel alienated from the other players?
- The role of the curator is inherently separated from the rest of the players, as their purpose is to judge the creations of the artists. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the curator still feels like an active participant throughout the game and doesn’t feel sidelined due to lack of participation in the drawing.
- One way we are considering mitigating feelings of alienation is by having a rotating curator system. Through this method, the role of the curator will transfer to a different player each time, ensuring that everyone has the chance to play in both roles. This way, no single player is separated from the group for an entire playing period, as they swap in and out of the judging role.
- I predict that this will help players develop more of a sense of what their peers will be receptive to during their turns as curator. I think it will add more interesting social dynamics to the game as well, as people will have experiences on both sides of the judging interaction. It also raises a concern for me that maybe people will try to game the system by not voting for drawings they really like if they think the person is close to winning the game. I hope that playing with the prototype can shed some light on whether this is likely to occur.
