Serious games are those with purposes other than pure entertainment. Serious games are powerful because they leave a message or teach something and the player has fun while getting the messagre. This makes getting the message easier. These games often deal with real-life events or situations.
I think some of these games are interesting cause they help you understand an event or situation while you're being entertained with them.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
My new game is a simple one, but one that makes reference to the dangers of drug use.
The objective is to avoid all the different drugs within a time limit to go to the next room.
You control a teen who is in the withdrawal stage of drug abuse. He has to avid all different kinds of drugs on his way home or he will suffer the effects of an overdose. If he succeeds, he will finish the withdrawal stage and have a normal life again.
You control the character with the direction keys.
There are three different types of drugs: painkillers, hallucinogens, and inhalants.
If a painkiller hits you, you will lose 10 health points.
If a hallucinogen hits you, you will lose 7 health points and you will move slower.
If an inhalant hits you, you will lose 20 health points.
With each level there will be more drugs of each type.
The objective is to avoid all the different drugs within a time limit to go to the next room.
You control a teen who is in the withdrawal stage of drug abuse. He has to avid all different kinds of drugs on his way home or he will suffer the effects of an overdose. If he succeeds, he will finish the withdrawal stage and have a normal life again.
You control the character with the direction keys.
There are three different types of drugs: painkillers, hallucinogens, and inhalants.
If a painkiller hits you, you will lose 10 health points.
If a hallucinogen hits you, you will lose 7 health points and you will move slower.
If an inhalant hits you, you will lose 20 health points.
With each level there will be more drugs of each type.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
I learned that creativity is required to design a game. You have to think about the rules, give advantages and disadvantages to certain choices the players would make, and also about the challenges that the players will have to beat in order to win.
Board game design and computer game design are similar in very aspects. Both things involve creativity. You have to make the rules, the challenges, etc. The main difference is how you make the games. Board games are made from materials such as tokens, boards, dice, etc. A comkpuiter game is made by usijng certain computer programs and you have to pay a lot more attention to the details here than when designing board games.
I liked the design of all of them, but the ones I likeed the most were the ones of Omicron and Conquest. The rules made sense, what one player did affected the other, and every choice had its pros and cons.
Each game was fun, had challenges, and the rules were very well made. These characteristics are some that made them good games.
Board game design and computer game design are similar in very aspects. Both things involve creativity. You have to make the rules, the challenges, etc. The main difference is how you make the games. Board games are made from materials such as tokens, boards, dice, etc. A comkpuiter game is made by usijng certain computer programs and you have to pay a lot more attention to the details here than when designing board games.
I liked the design of all of them, but the ones I likeed the most were the ones of Omicron and Conquest. The rules made sense, what one player did affected the other, and every choice had its pros and cons.
Each game was fun, had challenges, and the rules were very well made. These characteristics are some that made them good games.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The whole game design thing was so cool. It was great thinking about the theme, the objective, the challenges and how some of the player's actions affect the other players.
Designing a game takes creativity. The most challenging thing about designing the game was thinking about the rules and how to make it fun.
Designing a game takes creativity. The most challenging thing about designing the game was thinking about the rules and how to make it fun.
Objective. To be the one to reach the witch's castle with the magical sword while in human form.
Spaces
Each player must roll the die and moves forward the number of spaces indicated unless affected by certain transformations.
Standard spaces: these spaces don't produce any effects on the player.
Positive spaces: these are the spaces with a positive number on them. If the player lands on these spaces, he or she must advance forward the number indicated on the space.
Negative spaces: these are the spaces with a negative number on them. If the palyer lands on these spaces, he or she must move backwards the number indicated on the space.
Change spaces: these are the spaces with a circle on them. (See Changing)
Card spaces. these are the spaces with a C on them. When you land or pass these spaces, you must grab a card from the deck and follow its directions. The cards can move a player back or forward several spaces or turn him, her or other players into certain animals.
Changing
When a player passes or lands on a change space, he or she must roll the die. He or she will say "high" or "low". "High" means that the player is betting that the dice will land on a 4,5 or a 6. "Low" means that the player is betting that the dice will land on a 1,2 or a 3. If the dice rolls and the number is according to what the player said, he or she has the option to stay in the current form or change. If not, the player's character must change form.
To change form the player must roll the die to select the new transformation. 1 is for human, 2 is for rabbit, 3 is for hawk, 4 is for owl, 5 is for bear, and if it lands on a six, the player must roll the die again.
Transformations
The player can get turned into certain animals.
-Bear: the slowest of all the animals. The bear trasnsformation moves one space less than those on the die. The bear doesnt't have to move back when it lands on the negative spaces.
-Rabbit: the rabbit can take shortcuts through burrows across the board.
-Owl: the owl moves two spaces more than those on the die and can fly over certain obstacles such as fences.
-Hawk: moves one space more than the number indicated on the die and can fly over certain obstacles such as fences. The hawk transformation can prevent the player from following card directions.
The sword
The sword is the item that's necessary to defeat the witch and can be found near her castle. The sword can only be picked by humans. If a human carrying the sword gets turned into an animal, the sword is dropped in the same space the human was standing.
Winning the game
To win the game the player must reach the witch's castle while in human form and with the sword found near the castle.
Spaces
Each player must roll the die and moves forward the number of spaces indicated unless affected by certain transformations.
Standard spaces: these spaces don't produce any effects on the player.
Positive spaces: these are the spaces with a positive number on them. If the player lands on these spaces, he or she must advance forward the number indicated on the space.
Negative spaces: these are the spaces with a negative number on them. If the palyer lands on these spaces, he or she must move backwards the number indicated on the space.
Change spaces: these are the spaces with a circle on them. (See Changing)
Card spaces. these are the spaces with a C on them. When you land or pass these spaces, you must grab a card from the deck and follow its directions. The cards can move a player back or forward several spaces or turn him, her or other players into certain animals.
Changing
When a player passes or lands on a change space, he or she must roll the die. He or she will say "high" or "low". "High" means that the player is betting that the dice will land on a 4,5 or a 6. "Low" means that the player is betting that the dice will land on a 1,2 or a 3. If the dice rolls and the number is according to what the player said, he or she has the option to stay in the current form or change. If not, the player's character must change form.
To change form the player must roll the die to select the new transformation. 1 is for human, 2 is for rabbit, 3 is for hawk, 4 is for owl, 5 is for bear, and if it lands on a six, the player must roll the die again.
Transformations
The player can get turned into certain animals.
-Bear: the slowest of all the animals. The bear trasnsformation moves one space less than those on the die. The bear doesnt't have to move back when it lands on the negative spaces.
-Rabbit: the rabbit can take shortcuts through burrows across the board.
-Owl: the owl moves two spaces more than those on the die and can fly over certain obstacles such as fences.
-Hawk: moves one space more than the number indicated on the die and can fly over certain obstacles such as fences. The hawk transformation can prevent the player from following card directions.
The sword
The sword is the item that's necessary to defeat the witch and can be found near her castle. The sword can only be picked by humans. If a human carrying the sword gets turned into an animal, the sword is dropped in the same space the human was standing.
Winning the game
To win the game the player must reach the witch's castle while in human form and with the sword found near the castle.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
My definition of a game
I think a game can be defined as an interactive activity with rules and is mainly used for enjoyment and/or educational purposes.
The board game is about a group of humans that set out to destroy an evil sorceress, who can transform them at any time. The goal for the players is to be the one who destroys the witch, which can only be done while the character is in human form.
The player rolls the die and moves the character in any direction except diagonally. When the player finishes moving, he or she must pick a card. If the card says the sorceress turned the player's character into a certain animal, the player has to change his character's piece for an animal piece. Sometimes the card will say that the sorceress simply missed.
When the player's character gets turned into an animal, he or she has to roll a different die anbd is available to certain paths unavailable to human character. Those paths may be shortcuts. Along the way the player will find certain itmes which can tranform the character back into a human or make him or her immune to another transformation.
The board is divided in five areas: the field, the forest, the dark forest, the outside of the castle, and the castle.
There are various kinds of animals the characters can get transformed into, such as wolf, deer, owl, rabbit and bear.
-The owl can advance the fastest. It advances twice the number of spaces as shown on the die. This transformation lasts only three turns.
-The wolf can drive the rabbits and deers to the start of the area.
-The deer can take certain paths unaccessible to humans.
-The rabbit can take paths in burrows, which are very frequent on the board.
-The bear can drive any animal and human to the start of the area. It's the only animal that can drive a humkan to the star of the area.
There are also some items along the way that have certain effects.
-Wands: these transform animal characters back into humans.
-A magic sword: this is the item necessary to kill the witch and can only be picked up by humans.
-A potion, this will make the players immune to any transformation made by the witch.
The player rolls the die and moves the character in any direction except diagonally. When the player finishes moving, he or she must pick a card. If the card says the sorceress turned the player's character into a certain animal, the player has to change his character's piece for an animal piece. Sometimes the card will say that the sorceress simply missed.
When the player's character gets turned into an animal, he or she has to roll a different die anbd is available to certain paths unavailable to human character. Those paths may be shortcuts. Along the way the player will find certain itmes which can tranform the character back into a human or make him or her immune to another transformation.
The board is divided in five areas: the field, the forest, the dark forest, the outside of the castle, and the castle.
There are various kinds of animals the characters can get transformed into, such as wolf, deer, owl, rabbit and bear.
-The owl can advance the fastest. It advances twice the number of spaces as shown on the die. This transformation lasts only three turns.
-The wolf can drive the rabbits and deers to the start of the area.
-The deer can take certain paths unaccessible to humans.
-The rabbit can take paths in burrows, which are very frequent on the board.
-The bear can drive any animal and human to the start of the area. It's the only animal that can drive a humkan to the star of the area.
There are also some items along the way that have certain effects.
-Wands: these transform animal characters back into humans.
-A magic sword: this is the item necessary to kill the witch and can only be picked up by humans.
-A potion, this will make the players immune to any transformation made by the witch.
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