Unfortunately, I have no image of the board game (yet), as it's been handed in for marking (found out I got a first!). It was by far the hardest of the assignments yet. Not because the work was hard, but just because the workload I already had put me under a lot of time pressure. Therefore, even though I got a first, I'm not overly pleased with the final game. Either way, here are my justifications for the game Jack's Asylum.
SECTION ONE: GAME OVERVIEW
Jack’s Asylum is a horrific, timed, game or survival and co-operation, where solving puzzles and collecting keys are your only means of escape from the twisted house of Jack the Killer. Through the anxiety inducing Illusion Spinner and the panic ridden Cells, players are dictated as to which room they enter to solve the puzzles dictating their life. If players survive the timed Cells, they collect a key. If players collect enough keys, they can escape – if you can at all.
To enter Paradise, players need six keys, for six locks, from 12 rooms. Jack gives players no freedom, no choice, but plenty of fear. On each turn, player must spin the Illusion Spinner, enter the chosen room, solve the puzzle, collect the key and start the horror all over again, all whilst their timed death approaches – there is no rest, there is no safety. Whoever can unlock the door, enters Paradise, whoever fails to solve a puzzle, spends an eternity in Jack the Killer’s prison.
Borrowing ideas and inspirations ‘Crystal Maze’ and ‘Hellraiser’ iconized, Jack’s Asylum borrows and combined anxiety fuelled concepts and generates a timed, panic induced game or survival and co-operation
Jack’s Asylum has five defining elements:
ILLUSION SPINNER – On each turn, “Subjects” must roll the die and turn the Illusion Spinner the corresponding amount to determine which cell number the player must enter. Once turned, the “Subject” must enter that room, to tackle the puzzle. This mechanic is repeated consistently with each “Subject” turn, consistently throughout the game.
THE CELLS – 12 horrific “The Cells” make up Jack’s Asylum. Each room holds 2 puzzles and a “Blood Stained Key”. Once a “Subject” enters the cell, they are trapped and a 2 minute timer starts counting down, prompting Jack’s arrival. “Subjects” are forced to complete a puzzle to win their life, and the “Blood Stained Key”. If subjects run out of time, they’re out of the game. If they complete the puzzle, they take the key and escape the cell.
TIMER – Two timers determine a “Subjects” death or life - one global timer that determines the games length and four cell timers (one for each player) that determines the time limit for the puzzles. When either run out, the “Subject” or “Subjects” die.
OWENERSHIP – 6 keys are needed to unlock the door to “Paradise”, collecting through successful puzzle solving. When a “Blood Stained Key” is collected, the puzzle solver owns that key and can possibly lose it (them) to another “Cell”.
SUBJECTS – Before each game, players can choose one of 6 “Subjects”. Similar to Cluedo, each have different names, stories, appearances and personalities to make the “Jack’s Asylum” personal and add to the theme.
Jack the Killer is an inspired, turn based, timed, co-operative, anxiety inducing board game experience that will requires player co-operation. Replicating core trends in modern indie horror games, and borrowing themes from iconic horror experiences, Jack the Killer is a uniquely twisted horror experience. There are only so many “Subjects” and only so many keys. Can you survive long enough to earn your freedom, or will your lacking co-operation doom you to an eternity of Jack the Killer’s disturbed reality.
SECTION TWO: JACK’S ASYLUM MECHANICS
“The Walking Dead — an adventure game that could rightly be interpreted as a casual game with its very approachable point-and-click interface” (Forbes, 2013) – a recent statement by Forbes.com Jason Evangelho. It’s 2012’s game of the year that has all the aspects of a hardcore game for the hardcore gamers (the story, the theme, the tones), but a game that is driven through common aspects of a casual game for casual gamers (minimal interface, intuitive mechanics). Its award and reception supports the idea of a casual horror game and thus, prompted and supports the idea behind Jack’s Asylum – a 16+ four player, horror puzzle board game, with hardcore themes, but repetitive, casual mechanics.
There are six mechanics in Jack’s Asylum, each simple and intuitive whilst all adopting an overlaid hardcore horror theme – The Illusion Spinner, the Cell Puzzles, the Timers, the Blood Stained Keys, Ownership and the Subjects. Taking the logical route, the first mechanic, Subjects, will be discussed and justified foremost.
Subjects are Jack’s Asylum’s answer to Monopoly characters. They determine no game metrics, offer no attributes and provide no variance in gameplay - they simply offer a method of basic interaction within the “world” and add personalisation to immerse players into the game’s theme, as Scott Rogers supports “Customisation will increase player attachment” (Level Up!, 2010) – Subjects simply place the players in the game world. This initial mechanic presents players with 6 characters cards, each adopting a stereotype - the blonde, the geek, the brute, the leader, the lover, the introvert. With this selection, players can choose a character that suits their personality, further adding to personal experience, but instantly enforcing a sense of ownership, prompting player co-operation, as Dan Ariely supports “Ownership increases perceived value to us”. As it turns out, co-operation is the games driving force.
Now the players have chosen their subjects, are immersed in the ‘world’, and have a sense of ownerships. Players now read the rules and begin the game. Players place their Subjects on the corner podiums with no free movement - there are no spaces and no paths. This was done for two reasons, the make the player feel trapped (hardcore horror element) but also, to minimise interaction (casual element). Flow psychology justifies this the first goal with a direct quote supporting “…it is our assumption we should be in control of our life and move in any direction we want…the trap is a clear message we are not in control or have free will” (2009) and Train2Game supporting the second point, stating “a casual game has simple goals and rules…” (2010). These two quotes relate to every decision made within Jack’s Asylum.
This inability to move focuses players on three things, the Illusion Spinner, the Cells and the Blood Stained Keys – the Illusion Spinner is the focal point. With one die each, players take turn to role and enter a room. When a number is rolled, that player must turn the spinner, a spinner that dictates the room the player must enter. In Jack’s Asylum, players need keys to escape. Keys are found in cells behind puzzles, and cells are opened using the Illusion Spinner. Every turn, a player enters a room thus every turn the player must use the Illusion Spinner. It’s a common, understandable, and obviously tactile mechanic, which players will understand. Its relation to the chance of a die roll only further indicates their lack of control. This lack of control only has puzzles as a savour – the only place the player determines the outcome.
Once in the room, the player is trapped and an egg timer is activated, giving players 2 minutes as they’re presented with one of two randomised types of puzzles – a themed Tangram or a riddle. These two puzzles are relatively simple and easy to understand, ensuring the player always knows what to do to obtain the key. However, the 2 minute timer (limited although lenient) pressures players, with Michael DeDonno of case western university stating "If you feel you don't have enough time to do something, it's going to affect you." (ScienceDaily, 2009). It is at this point that players feel out of control even though they are in fact, in control. This constant excitement persists. The win lose scenario is determined by whether or not they can complete the puzzle and obtain the key in time. This leads onto the next mechanic – Blood Stained Keys.
Named to fit with the themed and give a nod to the Resident Evil franchise, the player would take these keys back to their podium, where they claim ownerships. The twist is that every time players enter a cell, they take all of their keys (a maximum of three). If they already have three, then they are granted safety by Jack the Killer. If they do not, then failing a puzzle knocks players out of the game and traps the keys, along with the pending key, until other players can retrieve them. This twist is where the game generates player co-operation and player motivation. Do they leave the keys because the puzzle is too hard? Or do they risk there life and keys and bring back two? These are the questions players will ask themselves, considering scenarios involving other player’s abilities. Do they risk their life if the other player has no keys? It’s a double edged dynamic that has benefits on either end, but the goal is still simple and the keys may still be in high quantity. These are simple goals, simple rules but pose a possibly hard decision depending on the type of player making the choice. One more mechanic enforces player dynamics, motivations and co-operation – the global timer.
Along with the cell timers, the game itself will have a deadline – 30 minutes. This ensures the game isn’t too long, as casual gamers “…aren’t interested in grinding away at a game for hours.” (Scott Rogers, 2010). But once again, the timer does two things, it reflect the idea the player is never in control and two, it applies time pressure and prompts player dynamics. Once 6 keys in total are collected (or more) the surviving player can use them to unlock the sanctuary door, of which offers them freedom until the next time they play, with new puzzles.
In all, Jack’s Asylum has a simple goal, with simple rules and simple challenges. It’s the theme itself and the player dynamics generating through the passive and repetitive timers that cause the real challenges. It all comes down to co-operation when tackling simple puzzles - an ability people of all ages can handle.
SECTION THREE: PATTERN IDENTIFICATION
The game has been discussed and justified as a casual game (primarily), with overlaid hardcore horror themes. However, the task here was to design a casual game based on a consistently repeating pattern – Jack’s Asylum needed to be simple, accessible and understandable. “Puzzle games are based on logic and pattern completion” – a statement by Scott Rogers that indicates using puzzles as a main mechanic, suits the goal of this task. Along with this, the game has to be casual (even with the hardcore theme), and with puzzles on the most part being targeted at casual gamers, as Train2Game supports “These games appeal to a wider-reaching audience; they are intimately connected to the casual market.” (2010), then you have a basis for a game that is both entertaining as it is suitable for the goals of this task. The success however, lies within how well the player identifies the pattern. Where would they identify with it? How will they identify with it? These are questions that will be discussed in this section.
The player spins the Illusion Dial, enters the cell, completes the puzzle, and takes the key – the pattern of Jack’s Asylum. As discussed quondam, three crucial elements make up the repeating pattern in Jack’s Asylum – The Illusion Spinner, the Cell Puzzles and the Keys. In no more than two player turns, players would understand the pattern (a simple thematic one at that) consistent throughout the game (it’s the dynamics that make the game so varied). Once reading the instructions and rules, player should understand the concept, but in developing the game, three aspects where considered, they are core to the games design – meaningful sequences, ordered information and recognisable objects, all enforced through the interface.
The first and most important, is how the immediately evident sequence of collecting the keys has an evident outcome. It’s important in any game for the player to know why they are doing it, otherwise any clear goals don’t make sense and seemingly, have no meaning. The quote “goals are a representation of your inner desires; desires which motivate you in life.” (Celes, Personal Excellence, 2009) is a statement of life, but relates to games. As Scott Rogers, lead designer of the Maximo series puts it, “Games offer player a chance to be someone they’re not and experience something they can’t”. So, the rule applies to games, if there is no clear outcome and meaning towards the action, there is no motivation. When extrapolated to the idea of patterns, if the sequence of patterns that leads toward the goal isn’t clear, then the motivation towards the goal wanes. In order to ensure the goal of Jack’s Asylum was understandable, only a couple of aspects are used independent at any given point to reach that goal. It’s a short stage by stage pattern that repeats itself, which leads onto ordered information – crucial with casual games.
Some games throw information at players, those games are for hardcore gamers who expect such complexities, but casual games and thus casual gamers, need to be eased into an experience of few working parts, giving them information when they need it, bottom line – they should have one piece of information to apply to one situation in order to progress. When this is considered, you can see how Jack’s Asylum follows this praxis. They’re told to roll one die, see a number, spin the dial with that number to receive a cell number, move to that cell, see the puzzle and solve it, receive the key and go back. And it all starts again – stage by stage, simple isolated situations, where information is given on a need to know bases for that situation, in the order the pattern needs to be fulfilled.
So now the players understand the goals, and the sequence that could take pace, they need to know how to get through this repeating sequence, this is where recognisable objects comes into play. This very much leads onto HCI theory and how interfaces, both diegetic and non-diegetic lead player to the designer desired outcome. So what do the players need to understand how the sequences relate to the goal? They need a die, a spinner, a room number and a key. Using the rules in conjunction, players will understand what all of these objects are and where they are through recognisable objects and effective HCI. The die is the method of playing, simple enough, as Tricia Ellis-Christensen supports “the board game may have tokens, stones, dice, cards, or other pieces that are used in specific ways throughout the game” (WiseGeek, 2012). The spinner sits in the middle, takes up the majority of the board and its obvious practical nature emits importance thus, the player knows its immediate use. The cell numbers share the same font and colour as the numbers in the cells. The puzzles sit next to each cell with the textual affordance of “Key Puzzle” on them, and the keys are marked with bold red squares and a key graphic.
With these three design goals implemented into Jack’s Asylum, the players know what the goal is, what the sequence to reach such, how and when to get there, and where the information to do so is found. Its three techniques that allow the constant, consistent, simple and repetitive pattern mechanic to be understandable and therefore experienced by the players, and in doing so, Jack’s Asylum is a casual game set in a hardcore thematic setting. players identify the pattern within the first two identically structured turns. It’s a casual game that uses a repeating pattern for player to progress understandably.
NEXT POST: GDD: THEME AND BRAINSTORMING
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