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Reflect on Analog Design Process

 Reflection

  • Reflect on your process for designing the mechanics for your mentor games.
    • It was extremely helpful to look at other existing games and their instructions to be able to tell what was written well and what wasn't. 
    • The peer feedback was a big help in furthering my development and to point out things I might have overlooked.
    • I also found it helpful to read others designs. 
  • Document your re-envisioned idea (this should be after you get feedback from your peers)
    • Mentor Game Details 
      • Zoombinis
      • Subject area & learning domain: Math and problem solving.
      • Learning goal/objective: To develop problem solving skills and deductive reasoning skills by successfully completing the levels of Zoombinis
      • Game goal: To reach the safety of Zoombiniville with 625 Zoombinis 
      • Core dynamic: Solution and Matching
      • Main mechanics: Puzzle solving, pattern recognition, deductive reasoning.

      • Learning Factory
      • Subject area & learning domain: Math/Engineering, and design
      • Learning goal/objective: To learn about machinery and use that knowledge to make the factory more efficient to keep the cats happy as well as establish Catopia in the feline society. 
      • Game goal: To rebuild the ancient monument to establish Catopia on Mars. 
      • Core dynamic: Construct and matching 
      • Main mechanic: Technology and research, problem solving, exploration.  

    • Re-envisioned Game Details:
      • Catopia Detective
      • Subject area & learning domain: Deductive reasoning, problem solving and design.
      • Learning objective: Analyze scenarios given amongst characters in the game and evaluate which characters statement will fix the problem/machinery.
      • Game goal: To determine the correct solution to the problem (from two given options of solutions), and successfully rebuild the machinery that will ultimately help to rebuild the ancient monument to establish Catopia on Mars. 
      • Core dynamic: Solution and matching
    • Describe your idea briefly including the following:
      • What form and materials will this game take? 
        • This game will require cards, a board, dice, and detective figures. The player figures will be people and 9 game characters (who do not move, they stay at the same spot on the board the whole time) will be cats. All the players will begin at the center of the board (a factory), where there are many different paths to take to reach each game character. Each roll, you will get to move in whichever direction of your choosing, closer to one of the 9 game characters you want to interview. Each game character will have certain cards laying on top of them (depending on which problem card was chosen at the beginning of the game). Once you reach the game characters, on top of them on the board game will be two cards. The first card is a problem card where you will have to solve a mini puzzle for the game character before you can then turn over the clue card. The player will read the card independently and record down what the game board character shared with you. Game characters:
          • The mechanist- They provide you with information regarding how the machinery runs. In example, this machine requires feathers, bells, string, etc. and a diagram of the machinery with labels.  
          • The supplier- They provide you with the materials needed to create the product for the machinery. 
          • The custodian- They provide you with a clue as to what went wrong with the machinery. For example, “When I was cleaning the vending machine, I found a bolt laying in the coin deposit.” 
          • The shift manager- They provide you with another clue as to what went wrong with the machinery. 
          • The town gossip- They provide you with what they have overhead from the workers as to what went wrong with the machinery.
          • The sleuth- They never tell a lie; they will tell you if anyone else is lying. 
          • The worker- They provide you with their theory of how to fix the machinery.
          • The disgruntled consumer- They provide you with their theory of how to fix the machinery. 
        • Once you have visited all of the game characters, you will want to make your way back to the factory where you began the game. This is where you are able to make a statement regarding what went wrong, and the solution that you feel would work best for that problem in the machinery. To determine whether you were correct, you will have to pull the matching solution card for the problem card that was chosen at the beginning. If your statement was correct, you win that round; if it was incorrect, you lose that round. The goal is to be the first to complete all of the interviews and to be able to make the statement, so you have a chance at winning that round.

    • Peer responses
      • I received great feedback, one pointing out what they thought my core dynamic was (which was opposite of what I had put). This helped me to rethink my design and what my core dynamic really was. 

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