SLD 1 – 02 /2017 – The interface

This will be a variation on Rock Paper Scissors, which fits in with some of the design principles already laid out by Salen and Zimmerman in Rules of play and references Mary Flanagan and her idea of reskining.

The concept is that you can change or add game components to move something from being a game and towards being an artwork. I think PRS is good for this, because the game components are nouns, so it is not that hard I believe to find different variables to play with and that will express an artwork more.

The game design element is to be expanded, I will need to develop some kind of physical signs for whatever new noun components or elements that I develop. I will need some kind of scheme to allow a measurement of the way the sign is created to also affect and influence the outcome of each round. So even if your choice is the winning choice, it will matter how good you make the sign for that object. So am also hoping it will have some aspects of DeKoven and ‘The Well played game. The way you make the components, the visual aesthetic, is rewarded.

So a bit of a breakthrough in the research I think, though the idea of reworking the game was ok, I think it maybe didn’t have enough of an edge to entice people in, to play. I wasn’t sure about the idea of grading people on how they do it, as that can cause an unhappiness with the game system as it can hint at unfairness. I begain to feel unsatisfied with the aesthetic as felt the whole action thing was a bit small and lacked a visual impact, which is something I want from playing the game in a public space as it is how I am developing Huzinga’s Magic Circle. Anyway I was in Waterstones and saw a large extended hand in the science toys bit.

This is a apparatus that you put your hand in, but fingers still visible and then you can manipulate the larger hand by pulling strings inside. This led me to the internet and to examine augmented extended hands, which are very popular in cosplay circles. I am thinking to make some of these hands.

I think this is a real breakthrough. As this will mean that it will have an interface to connect the player to the game. I feel this could be something to encourage people into the Magic Circle of the experience. The larger hands creates a visible aesthetic, I think it reinforces that people are plunged into an experience other than that around them, which is almost a definition of the Circle. It is a much stronger aesthetic.

I got in touch with Chris Folwell who I work with and he seems up for making the hands.

Development of the hands: have thought through a number of materials, like plastics or even card. Have been thinking about 3d printing the parts. though felt the idea of plastic, made it seem too much like a bought toy or artifact, too mass produced. I want a craft aspect to them. So you know they are made. In conclusion have decided to do them in wood, as it has a more toy like aesthetic, conjures up ideas around wooden toys that are more intimate, or can be made for children to use, the handmade. This makes the hands seem more individual for this game alone. I also looked into maybe using silicone to cover them and to going a more cosplay role play direction with them, making them actually some alien or monster hand, but feel that would lead the imagination of the players in to strict a direction. This way they do look more like toys and retain the playful element.

We made giant hands from anton hecht on Vimeo.

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MARCH 2017 Developing new Game components.

Reading through Mary Flanagan I see she wrote on pervasive gaming and seems interested in paper scissors stone as a structure. Researching online I found a version where you have to use your whole body, that is a popular ice breaker,

ICEBREAKER – Full Body Rock, Paper, Scissors from Compassion HR Learning Services on Vimeo.

so could fit with the way I am going with it.
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Some other existing elements in folk tradition I have come upon are:

supernatural fox called a kitsune (狐) defeats the village head, the village head (庄屋) defeats the hunter, and the hunter (猟師) defeats the fox
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In “Mushi-ken” the “frog” (represented by the thumb) is superseded by the “slug” (represented by the little finger), which, in turn is superseded by the “snake” (represented by the index finger), which is superseded by the “frog”
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cavalry being strong against archers, archers being strong against pikemen, and pikemen being strong against cavalry
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In Malaysia, “scissors” becomes “bird, and then there is water an still a stone. Bird beats water (by drinking it); stone beats bird (by hitting it); and stone loses to water (because it sinks in it).
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Bear, Hunter, Ninja”.[77] here participants stand back-to-back and at the count of three (or ro-sham-bo) turn around facing each other using their arms Hunter shoots bear; Bear eats ninja; Ninja kills hunter
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Bull drinks the well Dry – Bull is pierced by the Matador – The Matador falls into the well
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APRIL
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Came across a version online that has 100 different elements that you can choose from in the game to use. It is a bit of a mathematical marvel, and an interesting artwork. But reminds me about the balance between the visual artwork of the action and the apparatus and the playability. This is unplayable in some sense, and want to keep the immediacy of the game. So will keep it to 3 elements, but to give me a chance to expand the repertoire will perhaps have a number of rounds each 3 but different in nature that people can progress though when playing.
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I have tried a few new elements, but finding them unsatisfactory, at moment just working on the nouns, the components without moves as feel worried about the movement side.
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Felt like I finally have got somewhere after today with Chris. I felt the paper stones variation was a weak concept and that you didn’t get much knowledge from playing it and my variations didn’t come too much. Anyway I had been thinking to use some existing movement structure so it has some kind of meaningful gamefulness outside of the game. So a notion of gamification. I started first with Ti Chi moves, but then thought sign language. I had thought this before but this time it seemed right. Maybe the giant hands is a bit like shouting the words. I would have to find one handed ones to do, and the hand makes it harder to do some, so they act as part of the obstacle. With sign language gestures, it gives us a context to measure how well they do it, and how it is perceived. So now will research sign language. Today came up with Elephant – mouse – bird.
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