Week 2: Folk Games

We were divided into groups to collaborate and develop a general folk game idea in class. My group came up with the idea of a Human Battle Ship. When planning this game, we decided it would be best to have three main roles: The enemy, the torpedo, and the ship commander. The enemy is to face the opposite direction of the designated "sea" area. They can then command the torpedo to take a certain amount of steps forward and then a certain amount of steps to the left or right. The ship commander is in charge of arranging the other players into their ships and positions at sea. The ship commander then can join a ship in the play area once all ships are set. We found it best that there are multiple people involved in the game. There should be at least eight players. Three are assigned the main roles, and the rest are assigned as shipmates. "Games, Design, and Play" says, "Players take an active role that has an impact on the substance and quality of the play experience." This is true for this game because it requires many players.  When acting this game out with my original group of three, it was difficult to see how the game would play out.  The game space or "sea" is essential and needs to be quite large. When practicing this game, we found it easier for the enemy to call out steps if the torpedo mapped out the maximum number of steps they could take in each direction. The reading also stated, "Thinking of games as machines is a system dynamics approach to game design--considering how the elements in the game come together to create different dynamics." When we practiced this game with a larger number of people, we ran into slight issues with the game's mechanics. We decided it would be easier for the players who have been hit to sit down in their spots to delay the torpedo. We also found that if the enemy could yell out "sonar" at any given time, and the shipmates would make beeping noises, it could be used as an advantage to the enemy when estimating where to send the torpedo. We also agreed that the torpedo should extend its arms and spin in a circle once it reaches its destination to give it a better chance of hitting a ship or shipmate.  The readings also said, "Systems are made up of objects, which have relationships to one another, all of which are driven by a function or goal." This was clear when we decided to add props to the game. The torpedo would hold a balloon or ball to hit the shipmates. Once a shipmate was hit, they would receive a cone or "peg" to mark that they had been hit. Once all shipmates in a ship have been hit, they yell, "You sunk our battleship." It is also essential for the ship commander to yell out "Miss" or "Hit" whenever the torpedo does or does not make a hit. Planning out this game was much easier when we had more volunteers. It was fun listening to suggestions and feedback from the other students about how our game could work best. I am excited to test this game out again with even more players.