Game log 3

REFLECTION

The feedback which we got from people was surprising but valuable. We did not expect that cards can create that much confusion. The story was unclear for them and not enough elements while playing did not let them enjoy the game to the fullest. On top of that the background of characters which we made was unclear and not relevant to the game itself.

Thanks to this feedback we know that the play itself will be more joyful if we add more cards with specific boots or elements for each character from the chosen ones. It will push players to follow certain character and backstory of them instead of jus focusing to win.

People were excited to play our game. They only did not like the visual aspects of the instruction and not enough cards to have possible different scenarios. Because it is a prototype, we are sure that in the future we will add more elements to create a fun environment where people can express themselves under the character.

The best description which clarified the purpose of the game was the sentence: “it is almost like devil and angel on both sides of your shoulders telling you what to do and control your choices”.

THE AESTHETIC

Our game was extremely simple. The design kept to minimalism with usage of paper and markers. We decided to focus more on the visually pleasing aspects rather than rich and confusing. In the end we did not expect that minimalism also can cause the confusion.

Here there is the whole instruction of the game:

BLUE CARDS- positive situations

RED CARDS- negative situations

GREY CARDS- facts and knowledge about mental health

Each blue and red card has a number on the bottom right side which leads to a grey card with the same number- educational part.

1.        Choose a character and the background which you want to base your game on.

2.        A character is starting with 100 points of sanity which is their mental health:

·      Red players’ goal is to create a conflict and situations causing mental health issues.

·      Blue players’ goal is to maintain balanced mental health despite certain difficulties caused by the red team.

3.        By adding certain cards sanity decreases or increases the amount written down on a card.

4.        The game finishes:

a)        When the sanity is 0= red team

b)        When teams run out of cards:

·      Sanity 100>= blue team

·      Sanity <100= red team

c)        When the sanity is 200= blue team

A VALUE BEHIND A GAME

The main point is to actually understand through what average people are going during their everyday life. Grey cards are showing the facts and explanation how certain situations are influencing on our mental health. Red and blue ones are showing our decisions which have consequences in the future of our life.

A VALUE WHICH PEOPLE SAW

They thought that the value behind is clear and straight-forward. They missed the storytelling part of the game but unusual way of looking at the mental health was appreciated. They also liked the inclusivity of character. We created a male person, female one and non-binary with different aspects of the character which created the freedom for participants.