Game Theme

With the rapid development of AI and the rise of AI chat, AI chatting has started to become popular among today’s youth. Recently, there have been increasing incidents where AI has misled young people, drawing them into AI-created virtual worlds that disconnect them from reality, which could ultimately lead to self-harm or even suicide. So, I designed this game to test how long it would take for people in a group chat to realize they are talking to an AI.

Game Detail:

Post in a chat group: “I’m inviting a friend who shares our interests to join.” Then, concealing the group members, let the new friend participate solely through AI-generated responses. Record the overall time taken for them to find out they are talking to AI.

Repeat this in three different groups: Group already about AI, Random online Friend group, Random group of friends who you actually know in reality. 

Test Record

Group 1 existed group speciality to AI & AI supplement

Overall time taken(to find out they are talking to AI): 5 minutes

In fact, you could even say it only took two minutes. When the AI friend joined the chat and got to the fourth message, someone already pointed out that this “friend” seemed really off and jokingly asked if he was “playing an AI for Halloween” (since it was Halloween). By the five-minute mark, four people were already suspicious, so I revealed to everyone that this friend was actually using chat AI to generate responses.

Reaction 1: “He sounded so much like chat AI that I thought it was just part of the act.”

Group 2 random and casual chat group of mine( with my school friends)

Overall time taken: still haven’t find out until now

The results for this reference group were unexpected yet unsurprising. I think it might be because the original group chat itself was already quite casual, with everyone throwing out completely random topics. When the AI was only given the instruction to “keep it chill,” it did so well that people found it hard to notice. Another possibility is that this group doesn’t pay too much attention to online chats, so even if something felt off, they didn’t bring it up.

Group3 random and casual chat group of mine( with my online game friends)

Overall time taken: 1.5 days

Sample dialogue Screenshots

Sample translation(translated into English from original language):

A

Black motorcycle. Ducati’s cool, but it’s red.  

Just don’t go with Harley.  

Trying to keep it classy.  

Which brand of motorcycle do you guys think fits desu?  

To be honest, Ducati feels a bit young for this. The character riding the bike is 35.

B

[image]  

Racing style. If you don’t like it, there are street and retro options too.  

A

Sick. Which model is it?  

But yeah, it might look a bit too young and flashy. 

B

Hold on…

dude, u r up damn early today

C

You need a stylish, high-end motorcycle as a reference for your design, right? Then I will suggest some sleek and high-priced black motorcycles.  

A

Lol, why so formal?  

Got class in a bit. (Reply B)

C 

Harley-Davidson Night Rod Special, BMW R NineT, Ducati Diavel 1260, Kawasaki Ninja H2.  

Haha, sorry for the formal tone! I’ll keep it more chill from now on.  

A

*Keeping it more chill*  

StickPin is a casual mobile game that focuses on quick reflexes and precision. The gameplay involves a mechanic known as literally “stick the pin in the gap”, where players must strategically place pins onto a rotating circle without letting them touch other pins. The challenge intensifies as the circle speeds up, testing the player’s reaction time and accuracy.

My game is based on the traditional *StickPin* game design, where the gameplay and mechanics are similar. The player clicks the left mouse button to stick a pin into a rotating circle, and the objective is to avoid sticking the pin onto an already placed pin. However, in my version, the central circle has been replaced with a whale, and the pins are now harpoons. After the player throws five harpoons, the previously stationary whale starts to struggle, and as more harpoons are thrown, the whale struggles even more. I hope that at this point, the player realizes they are no longer playing a simple relaxing game. With technological advancement, human hunting of whales has become as easy as a player clicking the mouse to throw a harpoon, but the immense suffering inflicted on these intelligent and spiritual creatures is overwhelming. The cost of hunting is far outweighed by the damage it causes, and this is what I want players to take away from the game.

Playtest & Iteration

Playtest 1

At first, I designed the game as a Mario version of *StickPin*. While it looked novel and didn’t align with traditional expectations for a Mario series game, I didn’t feel that it had any meaning beyond being “fun,” which wasn’t what I wanted. So, I redesigned the game’s elements and initially replaced the Mario theme with whales and harpoons. The logos for the whale and harpoon, as well as the ocean background, all came from the *China Whale and Dolphin Conservation Association*.

Playtest 2  

I received a lot of constructive feedback, such as the message I wanted to convey about whale conservation wasn’t effectively communicated. So, I reflected on this and considered several possible ways to enhance the impact of the game.

Playtest 3  

In this test, I added a new animation effect: after the player throws five harpoons, the previously stationary whale starts to struggle, and the more harpoons thrown, the more violently the whale struggles. This mechanism added a stronger hint toward the game’s message, and it received the best feedback from players, who thought it was the most effective version.

This version effectively merges gameplay with a deeper message about whale conservation, making it a meaningful experience for the player.