Fall 2022 Lightning Design | Design a game addresses a social problem
Our game is a multiplayer online game that is being designed to address the social problem of stereotyping, named Tag. We want to create a game environment to simulate reality. Multiple players can engage in this game at the same time by using their phone. In this cooperative-competitive game, players are expected to understand the basic concept of stereotypes and the futility, as they try to avoid being tagged.
Tag addresses the social issues that people are likely to tag others with stereotypes. In the design of instruction, we evolve the idea of diversity and inclusion. Our game will not provide players with an intended outcome, instead of encouraging people to find the persuasive content by themselves. Aiming at enhancing the engagement and bettering the gaming experience while avoiding being preaching, we designed some magical features to make this game more participatory. Video games help us make or critique the systems we live in (Bogost, 2008). After playing this game, players can realize the potential harm of the “stereotype” throughout the enjoyment of the game. In the design and topic selection of our educational game, our team does not suggest any possible stereotypes for players out of the consideration that tags with content might leave preliminary for “innocent” players. Moreover, specified tags will potentially strengthen the stereotypes other than help get rid of them, in categories of gender, ethnic, races, religions, occupations, etc..
Tag positions our society as a multicultural community. Our design has the obligation to create a learning situation that allows for an open discussion that raises players’ awareness of diversity and tolerance. This game design uses innovative technologies to address humanistic care. Understanding stereotypes can help bring the ignored injustice, inequality and unkindness to light even in an unconscious way. Persuasive games that aim to increase players’ awareness of critical and timely social issues (Bogost, 2008), which is able to change players’ attitudes and behaviors after playing the tag. We encourage players to examine their own beliefs critically through asking them to type their thoughts in limited time - a quick decision-making process. Educational games are adaptive by enabling people to think about the underlying problems in society and have the potential of placing players in others’ shoes, thus raising their empathy.
When players are assigned a character, they are in a simulation of the character. Therefore, when their characters are tagged, it is in fact the players themselves who are receiving the impression or stereotypes. This is an engaging way for players to stand in the shoes of the characters, thus providing insights for them to retrospect on reality.
Mechanics
Each round of the game can be played with up to fifty people, and there can be up to five people to form a team with the same characters.
Preparation State:
Each player needs to choose one map they want to play with. There will be a wide variety of maps for players to choose from.
Each player will be automatically assigned to a character.
Play State:
Players will be randomly scattered across the map. They need to search for other players with the same identity as them by looking at their appearances and cooperating with them. Also, there will be some skill packs randomly dispersed in the map for players to pick up. The uncertainty is also a vital feature that can enhance our game's re-playability. Each skill pack has a superpower for players to use as protection for themselves and for teams.
During the game, players need to type a word onto a blank tag (no more than ten characters). There will be an unlimited number of blank tags. And they need to put the tag on the player which they feel is a match. For example, players can type and tag “programmer” to another player maybe because that player wears a plaid shirt. However, players cannot stick the tag to their teammates. Their score will be deducted by 3 points if they do this and there will be a crying emoji appear on their teammates’ faces.
The player who has been tagged by others will see these tags appear at the center of their mobile screen, to know which word others use to describe his/her character.
When players are typing their tags, they cannot be attacked by other players by having a shield around themselves automatically. The system can recognize the typos and remind players of them. If typos emerge, the tag cannot be sent out. So, players cannot type words that don’t make any sense.
One player cannot use the same description to tag one group more than once. The system will prohibit players from doing so automatically.
With more tags on players’ virtual bodies, players will move slower and slower, and become easier to be tagged by others. Also, their heads will become lowered and emotions on their faces will become sadder. If their bodies are full of tags, they will get stuck and cannot move through the game anymore. But they can save themselves by using skill packs, or they can wait for their teammates to save them.
Scores and winning condition:
Everyone starts the game with zero points. Each tag is worth 5 points. The player who has been tagged by others, will have a deducted point (-5 point). And the player who sticks the tag, his/her total score remains unchanged (neither being deducted or added). If someone rescues him/herself or teammates by using skill packs, this player will have an added point of 5 points. So, this rule will enhance the spirit of empathy, help, and collaboration among players.
In the prescribed time (5 minutes), the player with the highest total score will be the winner. This player will receive a medal.
All medals received by players can be exchanged for certain skill packs at the game store.
After receiving the medal, the system will display two columns to each player. One column includes the tags that players put on others. The other includes the tags that players receive from others.
Dynamics
Decision-making: Players need to decide what is the appropriate word to tag on which person quickly.
Cooperation: Each player has his/her teammates with the same appearances as he/she. Players can find their teammates who scatter in the map and gather together to help each other get higher scores. But there is no compulsory cooperation in this game. If a player wants to fight by him/herself, he/she can do this as well without cooperating with others.
Competition: Players would compete with each other to earn the highest score.
Exploration: Players can explore every corner of the space in the map. Also, players will not be notified about the scoring and skill packs ahead of time. They need to explore some of the rules by themselves during play.
Aesthetics
Visuals
There will be different types of maps for players to choose from in the game. For example, there will be forests, plaza, even Labyrinth. It has several different features to the game in day/night mode. Each mode has a different play environment and some obstacles. In this way, we want to make sure this game is playable multiple times. Increasing players’ enjoyment is our game’s priority.
Different skill packs available across the map add some uncertainties to play experiences. The skill packs include things like squid juice (blocking all the opponents’ sights), magic spells (attacking others), shields (protecting oneself from being tagged), and running shoes (increases speed). These packs are dispersed randomly in the map. And players can pick up these packs and use them for their own or group protection.
Each character has a different appearance. There will be up to 5 people in each group. And the people in the same group share the same color.
Character Design
Interface reference
Arrow.io developed by Cheetah Technology Corporation Limited
Map Layout Design
Emotions
Curiosity - Before being assigned with a character, the players will not know what the possible tags are.
Humor - When being tagged with interesting stuff, players can have a relaxing and funny moment.
Irritation - However, when offensive words appear, players will feel offended and angry at the “stereotypes”.
Feel being supported - Dismantling tags with team members can be a process of healing.
Reflection
This game would be a great exercise in teamwork and empathy. Tag provides an opportunity for learners to interact and cooperate with their team members and feel comfortable throughout the gaming experiences. To begin with, the players will feel like they have started the games alone without any outside help. But as time progresses, they will be able to see that there are other teammates whom they can help and take help from. In this way, they will learn more about the value of working together and helping each other. If the children learn that, that will positively impact the world to a great extent.
As our society faces challenges in an ever-changing world, it is the role of instructional designers to reflect on personal perspectives, embrace diversity, and break down the stereotypes of learners. Providing feedback by players themselves are important strategies in incorporating diversity in design. The tag content written by players is an output of their perspectives.
In “Games as the Play of Pleasure” (Chapter 24 of Rules of Play), Salen and Zimmerman delved into the excitement for players to start games and continue playing (Salen & Zimmerman, 2003). Except for the positive aspect of pleasure, including the satisfaction of tagging others, the relief of helping themselves and teammates dismantle stereotypes, we also touch the opposites of pleasure - it is painful to become stifled with tags, and the lonely moments before finding the team can put players in anxiety and fear. Putting players in emotions of pain, frustration and despair can make them realize the power of cooperation, the injustice of bullying the solitude, and stand in the shoes of both the attackers and the victims. In the space we build, we provide both frustration and rewards, thus making players feel the ups and downs.
As game designers, thinking about how players enter the game is important (Salen & Zimmerman, 2003). Players come from all walks of life, while people more or less have some impression or “stereotypes” towards occupations. Sometimes, it is just a tease, yet some of those stereotypical comments are a sword and deteriorate workplace discrimination and inequity. Our game Tag can evoke players’ thinking of reality and ordinary life. Occupation is just a small entry point, paving the way for a bigger lesson that stereotypes can be disguised in daily moments. But more importantly, we want players to know that stereotypes can lose power in front of a more powerful ego. That is why players can dismantle them by themselves. And if they might be frustrated in reality, they can still get help from friends, families and kind-hearted strangers.
Even if some of the potential players can be those who have not entered the society, this game is a pre-lesson for them to learn. The tagging with stereotypes portion would also help them in understanding the nullity of stereotypes. They should catch on very quickly, and would act in contrary to their stereotypes to avoid being tagged. In this way, they will be able to see that the stereotypes that are associated with a person’s identity make no sense, and that a person, regardless of their identity, is free to act in a manner that they choose. As the children explore it and find more and more rules, they will find it interesting to play as well, as they can work with their teammates. Thus, by playing this fun game, the children would know more about the futility and impossibility of tagging someone with stereotypes and possibly refrain from the same in real life also. We hope these children can take responsibility for their own words and actions, dear to reach hands to others and become confident in themselves even in a mundane life.
The Risk We Are Taking
We will inform players of the rules and mechanics of the game at the beginning - to write down tags by themselves. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that some players are more “playful” and might write down meaningless words like oranges, apples, etc. or shitty words. In the near future, we will leverage an advanced language monitoring system to help us rule out those completely unrelated content. But we are still encouraging people to write down their own description and respect every original idea on the premise of being inoffensive.
Comments