Experimental Game Design

peart.c

Diez: Uno Flipped on its Head!

by | Oct 22, 2024 |

Materials needed:

  • Uno cards (of course)

Basic Rules:

  • Each player starts with zero cards
  • For each round, one player takes their turn as the drawer and places two cards from the shuffled deck on the table.
  • The first player to touch a card gets to keep it in their hand
  • Any card that is not picked is added face-up to the discard pile
  • After the turn is over, the next player in the rotation takes their turn and draws the next two card

Duplicate Cards:

  • If a player gets a card with a number they already have, then they have to choose to give up at most 3 cards and add them face-up into the discard pile.
  • If a player gets a card with a number and the same color they already have, then they have to give up all of their cards and add them face-up into the discard pile.

Special Cards:

  • Reverse Card – If the player gets a reverse card, they can switch hands with a player of choice
  • Skip Card – If the player gets a skip card, then they can’t pick a card the next turn
  • Draw Card – If the player gets a draw 4 or a draw 2 card, they can choose to pick 2 cards or 4 cards for free respectively from the shuffled deck or do nothing  
  • Wild Card – If the player gets a wild card, they can pick one card of a chosen color from a chosen player

Win Condition: The first player to get the number cards 0-9 wins

Special Rules:

  • If two Special cards are in effect, then the player who’s turn to draw comes first plays their special card first.
  • One player can only grab one card during a round
  • If you use a draw card and get another draw card, you can choose to draw more cards based on the type of draw card drawn on top of the cards already being drawn
  • If you use a draw card and get a reverse, you can choose to use the reverse after you have drawn all of your cards.
  • If you use a draw card and get a skip, then you can no longer continue drawing cards. Additionally, you will not be able to pick a card next round
  • If you use a draw card and get a wild, you can choose to use the wild after you have drawn all of your cards
  • If the game runs out of cards in the shuffled deck, take the cards from the discard pile and flip them over to make in the new shuffled deck

Playtest Notes:

  • Playtest #1:
    • Problem – The player who drew the card for the round had too much of an advantage, as they could immediately go from drawing to picking a card. 
    • Solution – The drawer for the round now draws 2 cards instead of one, allowing for everyone to have a chance picking a card and increasing the choices available for players
  • Playtest #2:
    • Problem: The discard pile was made with cards being face down, potentially allowing for a player to cheat by lying about what cards they put down
    • Solution: The discard pile is now specifically face-up so that other players know what cards a player is putting down.
  • Pictures:

   

Inspiration:

Takako Saito’s chess series inspired me, and how it changed small elements of chess to completely change the meaning of the game. I wanted to achieve this same effect with one of my favorite childhood games: Uno. Additionally, I was also inspired by the Dada movement, as I wanted to challenge what a Uno type of game could be just like how the movement challenged what art could be. While my game and the original are completely different, they both revolve around the same core idea of managing the cards in your hand and using luck to your advantage in a way that is simple enough so that all ages can understand the flow of the game. I really wanted to emphasize this in my game’s design, so I made sure to achieve a good balance between skill and luck.

Following Your Past Through Pictures

by | Sep 26, 2024 | ,

Instruction

Take a picture of you. Then find a picture or video of you that was taken at least a year ago. Compare how you look today with how you looked back then. Then go back another year and repeat the process. Keep going back until you’ve reached 3 years or ran out of pictures. After you’re done, talk to a partner about the differences you noticed.

Materials Required

phone(provided by the participants)

Artist Statement

For this project, I wanted to create a score that focused heavily and specifically on self-reflection and soul searching. I believe it is an important and meaningful practice that should be done by someone every once and a while to remember where they’ve come from and who they are now.

The project is inspired by books read in class, such as Grapefruit by Yoko Ono. This book contained simplistic directions and instructions that were clear enough to understand but allowed for the reader to interpret them in their own way. This created thought-provoking and meaningful experiences that were unique to each and every reader but similar enough that they could be compared. After reading this book, I knew that I wanted to at least attempt to construct a score that achieved a similar effect.

At first, my score involved taking a series of pictures that represented different points in life, such as pursuing marriage, graduating from college, and having children, and arranging them in way that fit the life the player had in the past and the life they want to have in the future. However, I ran into a simple but devastating problem. What is considered a “meaningful” point in life? Owning your first pet? Getting your first house? Getting your first real job? What about something as small as achieving a savings goal? Fostering Self-love and self-appreciation? The problem that I uncovered was that there are simply too many experiences that are important for the human being to be condensed into 15 or 20 simple images. This in turn complicated my process, and I had to pursue the project from a different angle.

Consequently, I turned my attention to how a person views themselves, and how that self-image changes drastically even in a small amount of time. I focused on the pictures provided by the player themselves rather than by the project, and how the change of those pictures over time represents the change in the player’s sense of self, thus leading to the final iteration of my project.

Through the playtest, I received overall positive feedback from participants. They found the score very enjoyable and insightful, as it gave them a chance to reflect on how much they’ve grown as a person and appreciate what they’ve become. As a result, I would describe my project as a complete success.