Session 6: Analysis of Card & board Games

Analysis of Card & Board Games

I chose to play the game Life in both digital and non-digital form. I enjoy the game Life and find it an easy game to incorporate into the classes that I teach and well, I just like it! I find the game Life to be a beneficial game in which you are provided with scenarios that you will encounter down the road, if you are a child/student playing this game, or if you are an adult maybe add humor to the life you live. The game is traditionally played on a game board and players navigate their way across the game board and along the way encounter a sequence of events. I think most find it fun because it is almost what some would call a simulation in which they are “pretending” or being someone else throughout the game.

If you would have asked me this question prior to this lesson I probably would have said no. After playing both versions and playing the digital format on my iPad I have to lean toward the fact that yes the format does matter. I feel that through the digital format the player becomes more engaged because of the presentation of the game, colors, movement, and music – it’s an experience in itself. What the player misses out on though is the fun and excitement of playing with others like the board game presents. As stated above and based on the components of my definition I feel that fun is a strong component in the digital format. In the non-digital format I feel that the component of engagement is very strong because there is something irreplaceable about being gathered around a game board playing a game with friends. I believe that the game Life itself meets a lot of my components that are involved in what a game should be some of them are as follows: rules, fun, interaction, organization, goal oriented, conflict, luck, and chance. To give a better picture of where I am coming from here is my definition of a game: A game is made up of an established set of organized rules in which people seek enjoyment or fun while playing. A game consists of interaction to some extent whether it is interacting in the game or with others through the game. Most generally games are goal oriented and seek some sort of final outcome, somewhere along the way the players of the game must encounter certain degrees of conflict or luck in order to determine the winner which is left to chance.

I found it to be best to answer the Comparison 2 by responding under each of the questions for easier flow of reading my responses. They are as follows:

-          Communication between/among players during the game play

Yes, a difference in format does make changes in the communication between/among players during the game play. The digital format you are able to play by yourself and with others where the non-digital format is most fun when interacting and communicating with those playing with you. Due to this fact a weak component based on my definition of the digital format is the fact that the interaction with others is very little.

-          Cooperation between/among players

This response ties directly to my response above in the fact that the digital format you are not working with others because you can play it by yourself. When playing the board game you gain the skill and ability to work and cooperate with others.

-          Engagement to the games

I believe that both of the games are engaging for the player but in two different ways. A player might engage in the digital game because of the colors, graphics, images and sounds that they are engaged in when playing the game. A player might engage in the non-digital game because they are seeking interaction with friend are family and are internally driven by that component.

-          Motivation to play the games

I feel that between the digital and non-digital games motivation to play them comes to play better with the non-digital format because the drive and motivation to play against someone else, physically, and beat them is a large motivator.