Homework 8

   After racking my brain for a while, I decided that a non-computer game I really enjoy is Scattergories. For any of you who have never heard of Scattergories, it's basically a word game during which you come up with words that fall under a certain category, yet all start with the same letter.

   The technology provided includes category cards; special paper used to record your answers; a piece of specially formed cardboard that is used not only to hold your paper and category cards but also to keep your answers hidden; a timer that counts down one, two, or three minutes; a die with around 20 letters of the alphabet; a board to roll the die on; and a writing utensil. 

   The mechanics are relatively simple. You have a predetermined amount of time to come up with twelve words that fall under a certain category, which are listed on the category cards. For example, one category could be "Book Titles" or "Presidents of the United States." One of the catches is that they all must start with the same letter. This is where the die comes in. One player rolls the die, and whatever letter it lands on is the letter used. There are three rounds, and the letter changes for each round. At the end of each round, every players' answers are revealed and points are rewarded. Points are rewarded based on the uniqueness of the player's answer. For example, the category is "Book Titles" and two players come up with "War and Peace." Neither of those players get a point. At the end of three rounds, the players add up all the points from the previous three rounds, and whoever has the most points is the winner. 

   It's a word game, so there's not really much of a story, if any. As far as aesthetics, the print outs are nice and easy to read and follow, so you don't have to think too much about where to put your words. Columns are well organized as well. Pretty much everything has 'Scattergories' printed on it, so it's hard to forget you're playing. XD

   As far as our game goes, the mechanics are basically that of a regular puzzle shooter. You have an overall task, which is to find the missing teddy bear, but you also have to keep yourself alive by shooting your enemies and navigating through many puzzles. Aesthetics are hopefully going to include some nice textures and immersive sounds, such as eerie music and haunted house sounds. The storyline is that your sister's bear was accidentally sold at a yard sale, and now it's involved in the teddy bear human trafficking syndicate and you have to rescue it. Technology is Blender.

   From my point of view, a strong theme in our game is perseverance and sibling love. The player is on this quest solely because of his sister. He loves his sister so much that he's willing to go through all this crap to save her precious teddy. He's also persevering through all of these trials and tribulations. So sibling love and perseverance. These are shown through the story because it's a known fact. Also, the player has to go through these challenges, so it's made apparent that it's really only because of his sister.