18 replies to this topic

[DakaSha]

If you were a Professor for game design which game (board, card computer...whatever) would you discuss the most with your students and why?

I've been saying "Magic the Gathering" for years now... and it seems like its going to stay. First time they enter the room id give all my students a deck of cards and tell them to learn and play the game by the next class.

Reason:

First off its just great for teaching. (which is actually beside the point)

The real reason i see Magic as the game of games is because of the complex gaming mechanisms/strategies that occur even though the game is actually very simple. Cards can have more then one use (and sometimes its not that obvious)

Simple Example:

Immolation... Gives +2/-2... meaning it makes your "summonings" stronger on attack but weaker on defense. It can also be used to just kill any creature with a toughness of 2 or less.

The truly complex nature of the game lies in the way one combines cards.

I can have:

1. a card that destroys ALL lands
2. a card that makes all players lose 1 life whenver a land of thiers is destroyed

ok i have 3 lands he has 10... obvious thing to do is destroy all the lands (if my current hand and life total allowes this). I can also have:

3. a card that gives me 1 life everytime a land is destroyed

so id even get a net gain of 7 while he loses 10. and the examples are almost endless. the game has very basic rules that cannot be broken UNLESS a card says otherwise. also the cards themselves just rock

I'm not even saying that Magic is really my faveroute game of all time... but its a true game. I cant really explain what i mean with that but if we take Doom for instance... wonderfull great game... but its not really a game... (ok mabye somebody understands it and can get my point across better )


Anyways for those who kinda get my drift what game would it be for you? I hope a couple of you can even see a reason/use for this thread  

[Stroggy]

Hangman, simple rules and playable virtually everywhere.

[BeefontheBone]

Ah, Dingus Eggs. Nasty things those

I think I get what you mean with Doom - it's a great piece of entertainment but doesn't really allow you to pit your wits against other players (beyond simple deathmatch, more a test of twitchiness and memory than higher intellect - no bad thing, but an entirely different kettle of fish), whereas Magic has a great depth and so many different strategies available that you'll see entirely new combinations every time you play, especially at tournaments and similar.
The only problem with it is that it's so bloody expensive (and tends to be played mainly by incredibly geeky teenagers and slightly smelly middle-aged men).

[DakaSha]

haha true

one thing i was gonna mention and forgot: A big downfall of Magic is the luck factor... but a professional will still keep his win/loss ratio way in the positive if he creates good decks.

and your right about the doom thing... its also a matter of having true rules and not just simulated physics.

(and dingus eggs take off 2 i just made up those cards for the example... didnt feel like thinking about one of the 350million possibilities )

[A. J. Raffles]

ADOM, of course
The students hear a thundering voice in their heads *Mark my words: you are going to FAIL if you can't show me evidence of at least one - legitimate -  win by the end of your first year. All attempts at cheating will result in a fail, obviously. And if you want a good grade, do try to be a bit more original than to give me the same boring old trollish healers and grey elven wizards. You wouldn't believe how many of those I've seen over the past twenty years.* The students feel really bad.

[Tulac]

If games would be thought in school, I mean how to play them and you would have to learn it's rules by heart, it would be boring just like any other subject in school...

[DakaSha]

A. J. Raffles, on Jan 16 2006, 06:28 PM, said:

ADOM, of course
The students hear a thundering voice in their heads *Mark my words: you are going to FAIL if you can't show me evidence of at least one - legitimate -  win by the end of your first year. All attempts at cheating will result in a fail, obviously. And if you want a good grade, do try to be a bit more original than to give me the same boring old trollish healers and grey elven wizards. You wouldn't believe how many of those I've seen over the past twenty years.* The students feel really bad.

and ADoM is one of the only if not the only RPG id put into that game category



@tulac

im speaking about a professor for game design there are plenty of schools that teach game design by the way

[Tulac]

We're talking about design but you all are talking about teaching about games that exist?

[DakaSha]

its not that hard tulac.
if i was a professor for game design OF COURSE i am going to talk about games that exist...

its just a great way to get ones point across and to teach something... besides the thread isnt about how id teach students...(although we can discuss that too) its about the games that have that special something that would deserve to be used in an educational way. (and that could be used to demonstrate the mechanics of certain types of games)

did you read the first post?  

[Sean]

Hm. I can't really think of a game I'd want to discuss with 'others'. Perhaps something like Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic and Chronicles Of Riddick Escape From Butcher bay. Both are movie tie-ins so would allow for disscussion not only on the games themselves (Mechanics,design,fun,etc) we could also discuss the Film Industry the films themselves the general quality of the Film to Movie 'port' aswell as the actors,settings etc. If we then started to talk of a setting in a particular scene of the movie that is common with the game we would bring forth another large mass of topics. Basically, I'd have lots to discuss and would be able to adapt according to what interests my students. Just seems logical to me.

[DeathDude]

Hmm well some games that come to mind are obvious ones that could be talked about like the popularity of games like the sims. But other choices could be adventure games like Curse of Monkey Island or other lucasarts and sierra games from the 90's and examining such things as character development, story and the like of some of the deepness that some of these games possessed and still do.

[Juni Ori]

Max Payne I & II. The storyline is unique, characters are best I've seen this far in games, slow-motion in combat and it all is combined with easy-to-use controls. Not to forget film noir spirit and well done atmosphere. What more can man say? Except one name: Mona Sax. Hottest chick in game world ever!

[Bobbin Threadbare]

LOOM and other adventures

[DakaSha]

ive never played loom but from what i know about it seems like a great example for adventure games

[A. J. Raffles]

*cough* I remember finding it a little boring, actually.