WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.090 align:middle line:90% 00:00:00.090 --> 00:00:02.490 align:middle line:84% The following content is provided under a Creative 00:00:02.490 --> 00:00:04.030 align:middle line:90% Commons license. 00:00:04.030 --> 00:00:06.330 align:middle line:84% Your support will help MIT OpenCourseWare 00:00:06.330 --> 00:00:10.690 align:middle line:84% continue to offer high quality educational resources for free. 00:00:10.690 --> 00:00:13.320 align:middle line:84% To make a donation, or view additional materials 00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:17.280 align:middle line:84% from hundreds of MIT courses, visit MIT OpenCourseWare 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:20.230 align:middle line:90% at ocw.mit.edu. 00:00:20.230 --> 00:00:22.830 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: This class is called game design. 00:00:22.830 --> 00:00:24.520 align:middle line:90% It is not an intro class. 00:00:24.520 --> 00:00:28.560 align:middle line:84% How many of you have taken a CMS class before? 00:00:28.560 --> 00:00:29.772 align:middle line:90% OK, about half of you. 00:00:29.772 --> 00:00:32.189 align:middle line:84% All right, a number you haven't taken to CMS class before. 00:00:32.189 --> 00:00:35.432 align:middle line:84% It's actually a prerequisite, but I can really 00:00:35.432 --> 00:00:37.140 align:middle line:84% take as many students as can fit in here. 00:00:37.140 --> 00:00:40.060 align:middle line:84% So let me tell you why a prerequisite exists. 00:00:40.060 --> 00:00:42.960 align:middle line:84% The prerequisite exists because in a CMS class 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:45.660 align:middle line:84% we typically expect people to do a lot of writing, 00:00:45.660 --> 00:00:48.030 align:middle line:84% we expect people to expect their grades 00:00:48.030 --> 00:00:50.830 align:middle line:84% to depend on the quality of their writing. 00:00:50.830 --> 00:00:53.640 align:middle line:84% We expect people to do all of the reading in class, 00:00:53.640 --> 00:00:55.530 align:middle line:84% and to be able to do it before class starts 00:00:55.530 --> 00:00:57.510 align:middle line:84% so that you can actually be prepared 00:00:57.510 --> 00:01:02.220 align:middle line:84% to have a conversation about that in class. 00:01:02.220 --> 00:01:04.739 align:middle line:84% Different departments even, different humanities 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:06.970 align:middle line:84% departments do things differently. 00:01:06.970 --> 00:01:09.960 align:middle line:84% In CMS class, if you've taken any CMS class, none of this 00:01:09.960 --> 00:01:11.050 align:middle line:90% should sound surprising. 00:01:11.050 --> 00:01:12.862 align:middle line:84% You know, you've probably written way more 00:01:12.862 --> 00:01:14.820 align:middle line:84% in other CMS classes than you would necessarily 00:01:14.820 --> 00:01:15.730 align:middle line:90% write in this class. 00:01:15.730 --> 00:01:17.063 align:middle line:90% You're also expected to present. 00:01:17.063 --> 00:01:19.470 align:middle line:84% You're expected to come up in front of the entire class 00:01:19.470 --> 00:01:23.573 align:middle line:84% and say, and talk about your project. 00:01:23.573 --> 00:01:24.990 align:middle line:84% You should expect that your grades 00:01:24.990 --> 00:01:28.270 align:middle line:84% will depend on the quality of your presentation as well. 00:01:28.270 --> 00:01:30.540 align:middle line:90% So, one example-- 00:01:30.540 --> 00:01:33.750 align:middle line:84% You might design a perfectly good game. 00:01:33.750 --> 00:01:38.850 align:middle line:84% In fact an extremely elegant, beautiful game 00:01:38.850 --> 00:01:40.860 align:middle line:84% for the ages like Go or something like that, 00:01:40.860 --> 00:01:43.590 align:middle line:84% and you designed in this class, and that's great. 00:01:43.590 --> 00:01:46.545 align:middle line:84% But if your grammar is terrible in your rules, 00:01:46.545 --> 00:01:49.170 align:middle line:84% even though I can still read the rules and I can play the game, 00:01:49.170 --> 00:01:51.212 align:middle line:84% and it says, wow this is a really beautiful game, 00:01:51.212 --> 00:01:53.760 align:middle line:84% but your writing sucks you are going 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:56.230 align:middle line:90% to lose grades based on that. 00:01:56.230 --> 00:01:59.290 align:middle line:84% That's one of the things that you should expect. 00:01:59.290 --> 00:02:02.430 align:middle line:84% There is a writing center over in building 12 I think, 00:02:02.430 --> 00:02:04.368 align:middle line:84% they are going to be moving in the summer, 00:02:04.368 --> 00:02:06.160 align:middle line:84% but right now they're still in building 12. 00:02:06.160 --> 00:02:08.350 align:middle line:84% Definitely take advantage of them. 00:02:08.350 --> 00:02:09.960 align:middle line:84% We are looking for concise writing, 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:12.070 align:middle line:84% we are looking for precise writing, 00:02:12.070 --> 00:02:16.470 align:middle line:84% but we're not looking for, how should I put it, 00:02:16.470 --> 00:02:19.830 align:middle line:84% any more words than is necessary to get a point across. 00:02:19.830 --> 00:02:22.530 align:middle line:84% We want things to be fast to read. 00:02:22.530 --> 00:02:25.500 align:middle line:84% We want things to be easy for laypeople to read, 00:02:25.500 --> 00:02:28.290 align:middle line:84% not necessarily MIT students to read. 00:02:28.290 --> 00:02:30.940 align:middle line:84% You are going to see examples, many, 00:02:30.940 --> 00:02:33.810 align:middle line:84% many examples of very poorly written rules in this -- 00:02:33.810 --> 00:02:37.770 align:middle line:84% of games that are actually very well made. 00:02:37.770 --> 00:02:41.005 align:middle line:84% I actually kind of like this company here, HABA. 00:02:41.005 --> 00:02:43.880 align:middle line:84% How many of you have heard of this company HABA? 00:02:43.880 --> 00:02:46.620 align:middle line:90% They make little wooden trains-- 00:02:46.620 --> 00:02:52.065 align:middle line:84% toys, if you have any kid siblings, 00:02:52.065 --> 00:02:55.890 align:middle line:84% they may have gotten toys from this company. 00:02:55.890 --> 00:02:57.600 align:middle line:84% They make games for kids, and not 00:02:57.600 --> 00:02:58.980 align:middle line:90% for children under three years. 00:02:58.980 --> 00:03:04.140 align:middle line:90% That's the barrier. 00:03:04.140 --> 00:03:07.700 align:middle line:84% And the rules are written for, like six different languages, 00:03:07.700 --> 00:03:09.380 align:middle line:90% but for kids. 00:03:09.380 --> 00:03:12.270 align:middle line:84% They still expect parents to be able to explain 00:03:12.270 --> 00:03:14.968 align:middle line:84% how these games go, but you can imagine a six year-old 00:03:14.968 --> 00:03:16.510 align:middle line:84% picking up a game like this and being 00:03:16.510 --> 00:03:17.750 align:middle line:90% able to play it just fine. 00:03:17.750 --> 00:03:19.500 align:middle line:84% And this is actually a really elegant game 00:03:19.500 --> 00:03:21.690 align:middle line:84% and will be taking a look a little bit closer 00:03:21.690 --> 00:03:24.570 align:middle line:90% at this later today. 00:03:24.570 --> 00:03:26.070 align:middle line:84% That's kind of like where you should 00:03:26.070 --> 00:03:28.710 align:middle line:84% be aiming for with the quality of the writing. 00:03:28.710 --> 00:03:31.140 align:middle line:84% Try to get your stuff as clearly as possible, as quickly 00:03:31.140 --> 00:03:36.360 align:middle line:84% as possible over to as low a reading level as possible. 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:39.327 align:middle line:84% There are a couple of tips that we have written, 00:03:39.327 --> 00:03:41.910 align:middle line:84% and that file is up on Stellar, and I'm handing that sheet out 00:03:41.910 --> 00:03:46.566 align:middle line:84% so you can go home and download the PDF yourself, 00:03:46.566 --> 00:03:50.890 align:middle line:84% and that's called the Rules Style Guide. 00:03:50.890 --> 00:03:53.340 align:middle line:84% Do I have a link for that in here? 00:03:53.340 --> 00:03:55.360 align:middle line:84% I don't have a link for that in here. 00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:58.530 align:middle line:84% I'll just put it on top of the Stellar announcement page. 00:03:58.530 --> 00:04:01.980 align:middle line:84% The Rules Style Guide is basically a two page document, 00:04:01.980 --> 00:04:04.050 align:middle line:84% that just gives you a bunch of tips 00:04:04.050 --> 00:04:07.260 align:middle line:84% on when to use bullet points versus 00:04:07.260 --> 00:04:08.700 align:middle line:90% numbered bullets for instance. 00:04:08.700 --> 00:04:16.529 align:middle line:90% 00:04:16.529 --> 00:04:20.130 align:middle line:84% Things that you absolutely should include, like a list 00:04:20.130 --> 00:04:21.630 align:middle line:90% components in your game-- 00:04:21.630 --> 00:04:24.908 align:middle line:84% so that when I get it as an instructor 00:04:24.908 --> 00:04:26.700 align:middle line:84% at the end of the assignment I can actually 00:04:26.700 --> 00:04:29.117 align:middle line:84% make sure that everything in your game was provided to me, 00:04:29.117 --> 00:04:32.310 align:middle line:84% so that I can actually play the whole thing. 00:04:32.310 --> 00:04:34.867 align:middle line:84% Give players a way to decide who goes first, 00:04:34.867 --> 00:04:36.450 align:middle line:84% don't just leave it up to the players, 00:04:36.450 --> 00:04:37.940 align:middle line:90% pick a player to go first. 00:04:37.940 --> 00:04:40.020 align:middle line:84% Pick something silly like, person 00:04:40.020 --> 00:04:43.550 align:middle line:90% who grew up closest to the sea. 00:04:43.550 --> 00:04:49.350 align:middle line:84% That's a real rule from [INAUDIBLE],, by the way. 00:04:49.350 --> 00:04:52.690 align:middle line:84% So, we do encourage inclusive language. 00:04:52.690 --> 00:04:54.470 align:middle line:84% It can be a little bit more verbose, 00:04:54.470 --> 00:04:55.470 align:middle line:90% but instead of writing-- 00:04:55.470 --> 00:04:58.250 align:middle line:90% 00:04:58.250 --> 00:05:00.690 align:middle line:84% instead of describing all players as male, 00:05:00.690 --> 00:05:04.160 align:middle line:84% we do appreciate it when people say he or she. 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:07.290 align:middle line:84% It's fine to be able to flip between he and she, 00:05:07.290 --> 00:05:09.990 align:middle line:84% but, of course, not when you're describing the same player 00:05:09.990 --> 00:05:11.325 align:middle line:90% doing certain rule. 00:05:11.325 --> 00:05:12.700 align:middle line:84% They're not changing their gender 00:05:12.700 --> 00:05:15.405 align:middle line:90% in the middle of the turn. 00:05:15.405 --> 00:05:18.030 align:middle line:84% But the great way to be able to use language to describe player 00:05:18.030 --> 00:05:20.160 align:middle line:84% is player B. You can also just say 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:22.340 align:middle line:84% the player, the player, the player. 00:05:22.340 --> 00:05:24.840 align:middle line:84% It is a little bit more verbose, but in that particular case 00:05:24.840 --> 00:05:27.420 align:middle line:84% there is a sort of higher goal in mind, 00:05:27.420 --> 00:05:30.228 align:middle line:84% that's to get across the point that games are for everyone. 00:05:30.228 --> 00:05:31.770 align:middle line:84% Especially the game that you're going 00:05:31.770 --> 00:05:32.895 align:middle line:90% to be making in this class. 00:05:32.895 --> 00:05:35.410 align:middle line:84% There's no particular reason why in this class, 00:05:35.410 --> 00:05:38.552 align:middle line:84% you should be making a game just for men to play, 00:05:38.552 --> 00:05:39.510 align:middle line:90% just for women to play. 00:05:39.510 --> 00:05:41.985 align:middle line:84% And right now it is too easy to fall into the trap 00:05:41.985 --> 00:05:45.480 align:middle line:84% that you just generalize that all players are male, 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:46.990 align:middle line:90% and that's just bad. 00:05:46.990 --> 00:05:48.450 align:middle line:90% So don't do that. 00:05:48.450 --> 00:05:50.910 align:middle line:84% In fact, if you take the effort to do that, 00:05:50.910 --> 00:05:53.700 align:middle line:84% you will see that reflected in your grade. 00:05:53.700 --> 00:05:57.910 align:middle line:84% If you take the effort to use inclusive language. 00:05:57.910 --> 00:06:00.045 align:middle line:90% Let's see, what else. 00:06:00.045 --> 00:06:02.950 align:middle line:90% 00:06:02.950 --> 00:06:07.690 align:middle line:84% Attendance you have to attend every single class. 00:06:07.690 --> 00:06:10.993 align:middle line:84% If you are sick, and especially sick with something contagious, 00:06:10.993 --> 00:06:12.910 align:middle line:84% or sick to the point where you can't move, say 00:06:12.910 --> 00:06:15.940 align:middle line:84% you broke something, and you really 00:06:15.940 --> 00:06:17.930 align:middle line:84% should be resting that's fine to the email 00:06:17.930 --> 00:06:20.380 align:middle line:90% that before class starts. 00:06:20.380 --> 00:06:22.900 align:middle line:84% Now you know, if there was an accident or something 00:06:22.900 --> 00:06:26.620 align:middle line:84% and you had trouble getting to email that's fine, 00:06:26.620 --> 00:06:28.280 align:middle line:90% you can email us after. 00:06:28.280 --> 00:06:32.680 align:middle line:84% It would be nice to be able get some evidence from your doctor, 00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:36.400 align:middle line:84% but if push comes to shove I'm not going to be 00:06:36.400 --> 00:06:39.430 align:middle line:90% too much of a stickler on that. 00:06:39.430 --> 00:06:45.040 align:middle line:84% Things that I don't give automatic absences 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:49.300 align:middle line:84% include being hauled away for a job interview, 00:06:49.300 --> 00:06:54.340 align:middle line:84% being stuck in an airport because you planed your spring 00:06:54.340 --> 00:06:57.970 align:middle line:84% break flight back too late or something like that. 00:06:57.970 --> 00:07:00.795 align:middle line:84% You have three free absences basically. 00:07:00.795 --> 00:07:02.170 align:middle line:84% You have three absences where you 00:07:02.170 --> 00:07:04.545 align:middle line:84% don't have to provide any excuse-- you don't have to tell 00:07:04.545 --> 00:07:06.820 align:middle line:90% me this is why you were gone. 00:07:06.820 --> 00:07:08.955 align:middle line:90% And that's what I expect. 00:07:08.955 --> 00:07:10.990 align:middle line:84% Now you can miss about three classes 00:07:10.990 --> 00:07:13.620 align:middle line:84% and I'm still quite satisfied that you've gotten everything 00:07:13.620 --> 00:07:15.060 align:middle line:90% that you need from this class. 00:07:15.060 --> 00:07:18.240 align:middle line:84% Illnesses are one of the few things that 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:21.790 align:middle line:84% are really out of control, and can hit people 00:07:21.790 --> 00:07:25.403 align:middle line:84% for an extended period of time, and that wasn't necessarily 00:07:25.403 --> 00:07:27.070 align:middle line:84% your fault. Whereas something like being 00:07:27.070 --> 00:07:29.680 align:middle line:84% stuck in an airport usually only you for class, 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:31.030 align:middle line:90% so it's not that bad. 00:07:31.030 --> 00:07:34.840 align:middle line:90% 00:07:34.840 --> 00:07:38.440 align:middle line:84% How many of are seniors on the job interview track? 00:07:38.440 --> 00:07:40.723 align:middle line:84% Save those three for things like job interviews, 00:07:40.723 --> 00:07:42.140 align:middle line:84% because you're going to need that. 00:07:42.140 --> 00:07:45.310 align:middle line:84% And you don't have to ask for permission or anything-- 00:07:45.310 --> 00:07:47.180 align:middle line:84% Just go for your job interviews and realize 00:07:47.180 --> 00:07:48.552 align:middle line:90% that you have three of those. 00:07:48.552 --> 00:07:54.100 align:middle line:90% 00:07:54.100 --> 00:07:57.050 align:middle line:84% If you do miss more than three classes, 00:07:57.050 --> 00:08:01.180 align:middle line:84% and it was not due to illnesses, then you 00:08:01.180 --> 00:08:06.580 align:middle line:84% may well get a reduction in your grades. 00:08:06.580 --> 00:08:09.320 align:middle line:84% I have students drop by a full letter grade. 00:08:09.320 --> 00:08:11.490 align:middle line:84% So they would have gotten a B, they got a C 00:08:11.490 --> 00:08:13.840 align:middle line:90% based on absences alone. 00:08:13.840 --> 00:08:15.448 align:middle line:84% All of the assignments, told them 00:08:15.448 --> 00:08:16.990 align:middle line:84% that they were going to be B average, 00:08:16.990 --> 00:08:18.495 align:middle line:90% but their attendance was poor. 00:08:18.495 --> 00:08:19.960 align:middle line:90% and as a result of that. 00:08:19.960 --> 00:08:23.470 align:middle line:84% Usually missing four classes doesn't drop you a full letter 00:08:23.470 --> 00:08:29.230 align:middle line:84% grade, but it really depends on how close you were to the tip 00:08:29.230 --> 00:08:33.380 align:middle line:84% off, like a B-minus and a C-plus before your attendance 00:08:33.380 --> 00:08:35.020 align:middle line:90% into account. 00:08:35.020 --> 00:08:37.510 align:middle line:84% There's a little bit more detail in the syllabus 00:08:37.510 --> 00:08:39.630 align:middle line:90% about how grades are computed. 00:08:39.630 --> 00:08:43.350 align:middle line:90% 00:08:43.350 --> 00:08:49.210 align:middle line:84% Plagiarism is usually not so much of a problem 00:08:49.210 --> 00:08:51.028 align:middle line:84% when it comes to the group projects, 00:08:51.028 --> 00:08:53.320 align:middle line:84% because you're going to be writing a lot of your rules, 00:08:53.320 --> 00:08:56.800 align:middle line:84% and everyone is keeping an eye on what's actually being 00:08:56.800 --> 00:09:01.540 align:middle line:90% handed in for your assignments. 00:09:01.540 --> 00:09:03.100 align:middle line:84% Keep in mind that I certainly don't 00:09:03.100 --> 00:09:06.030 align:middle line:84% want you to be copying wholesale from somebody else's rules. 00:09:06.030 --> 00:09:07.810 align:middle line:90% That's more than plagiarism. 00:09:07.810 --> 00:09:11.570 align:middle line:84% That might be copyright infringement. 00:09:11.570 --> 00:09:14.020 align:middle line:84% But when it comes to your own writing, 00:09:14.020 --> 00:09:18.400 align:middle line:84% there is actually a one page personal report for every time 00:09:18.400 --> 00:09:21.700 align:middle line:90% you hand in a team assignment. 00:09:21.700 --> 00:09:25.940 align:middle line:84% We are expecting you to keep a journal of every team meeting. 00:09:25.940 --> 00:09:29.200 align:middle line:84% A personal journal about how the team meeting went, 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:33.490 align:middle line:84% what decisions you made, you can write down things like, 00:09:33.490 --> 00:09:34.960 align:middle line:84% wow, only half the team turned up 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:37.980 align:middle line:84% and that meeting wasn't really useful. 00:09:37.980 --> 00:09:41.020 align:middle line:84% These are all useful things to keep in mind. 00:09:41.020 --> 00:09:43.720 align:middle line:84% You get to choose what you are what you want to write down 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:46.270 align:middle line:90% your one page report. 00:09:46.270 --> 00:09:49.800 align:middle line:84% Again I'm looking for something that's well-written, 00:09:49.800 --> 00:09:52.510 align:middle line:90% reflective would be very nice. 00:09:52.510 --> 00:09:56.810 align:middle line:84% Based on the experience of doing this team assignment, what will 00:09:56.810 --> 00:09:58.170 align:middle line:90% I do differently next time. 00:09:58.170 --> 00:10:01.240 align:middle line:84% Or what went well that I want to make sure that I do again? 00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:03.787 align:middle line:90% 00:10:03.787 --> 00:10:05.370 align:middle line:84% Those things are very good to put down 00:10:05.370 --> 00:10:06.760 align:middle line:90% in your one page report. 00:10:06.760 --> 00:10:08.740 align:middle line:84% Write those on your own, don't go into it 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:10.840 align:middle line:90% like a group writing session. 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:13.048 align:middle line:84% You can compare notes that's fine. 00:10:13.048 --> 00:10:14.590 align:middle line:84% But when it comes down to writing it, 00:10:14.590 --> 00:10:16.140 align:middle line:84% I want you to write it on your own. 00:10:16.140 --> 00:10:22.820 align:middle line:90% 00:10:22.820 --> 00:10:24.904 align:middle line:90% How many grad students in here? 00:10:24.904 --> 00:10:25.810 align:middle line:90% One? 00:10:25.810 --> 00:10:31.630 align:middle line:84% OK, so grad students, if you're signing up for 608, 00:10:31.630 --> 00:10:32.840 align:middle line:90% that's no additional work. 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:35.700 align:middle line:84% If you're signing up for 864, which gives you grad credit, 00:10:35.700 --> 00:10:37.650 align:middle line:90% then there is additional work. 00:10:37.650 --> 00:10:40.500 align:middle line:84% That largely involves checking out the games one week 00:10:40.500 --> 00:10:43.333 align:middle line:84% in advance, making sure that they're all punched, 00:10:43.333 --> 00:10:45.000 align:middle line:84% making sure all the pieces are in there, 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:46.505 align:middle line:84% and making sure you know the rules. 00:10:46.505 --> 00:10:49.080 align:middle line:84% You don't necessarily have to learn the rules 00:10:49.080 --> 00:10:50.820 align:middle line:84% by reading the rules, you can't do it 00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:54.480 align:middle line:84% by watching play videos on YouTube. 00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:57.330 align:middle line:84% However it takes to learn the game, you it in class 00:10:57.330 --> 00:10:59.580 align:middle line:84% and you teach your classmates how to play this game, 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:02.670 align:middle line:84% so everyone can get started a little bit faster. 00:11:02.670 --> 00:11:04.670 align:middle line:84% And make sure that all of the pieces are inside. 00:11:04.670 --> 00:11:07.850 align:middle line:90% 00:11:07.850 --> 00:11:09.960 align:middle line:84% That being said, everyone should be 00:11:09.960 --> 00:11:14.660 align:middle line:84% looking at the rules of these games when they're in class. 00:11:14.660 --> 00:11:17.440 align:middle line:84% You will see in the class schedule, 00:11:17.440 --> 00:11:19.320 align:middle line:84% I actually have all the games that we're 00:11:19.320 --> 00:11:22.620 align:middle line:84% going to be playing listed so that if the name of the game 00:11:22.620 --> 00:11:28.452 align:middle line:84% escapes you, you'll be able to Google it and look it up later. 00:11:28.452 --> 00:11:29.910 align:middle line:84% And you should be look at the rules 00:11:29.910 --> 00:11:32.510 align:middle line:84% because you want to see how the rules are written-- 00:11:32.510 --> 00:11:34.980 align:middle line:84% how good rules are written, how bad rules are written. 00:11:34.980 --> 00:11:38.280 align:middle line:84% And you're going to again see a lot of really bad rules. 00:11:38.280 --> 00:11:42.760 align:middle line:84% And you want to understand how certain things are conveyed. 00:11:42.760 --> 00:11:45.180 align:middle line:84% Maybe there's a really elegant game mechanic 00:11:45.180 --> 00:11:47.670 align:middle line:84% that you want to try to use a version of that 00:11:47.670 --> 00:11:51.960 align:middle line:84% in your own game, but you are having difficulty 00:11:51.960 --> 00:11:52.860 align:middle line:90% explaining it. 00:11:52.860 --> 00:11:55.230 align:middle line:84% Well, look at the rules of how other board games do it, 00:11:55.230 --> 00:11:58.410 align:middle line:84% and see whether they do a better job of it. 00:11:58.410 --> 00:12:02.650 align:middle line:84% Look at videos-- I'm one of the few people who definitely learn 00:12:02.650 --> 00:12:05.010 align:middle line:84% the games better by watching a video of somebody who's 00:12:05.010 --> 00:12:07.780 align:middle line:84% actually played it, or talking to somebody who's actually 00:12:07.780 --> 00:12:09.870 align:middle line:84% played it and having them shown to me. 00:12:09.870 --> 00:12:11.580 align:middle line:84% I have trouble parsing rules myself, 00:12:11.580 --> 00:12:14.640 align:middle line:84% but that's why I can really appreciate well written rules 00:12:14.640 --> 00:12:15.535 align:middle line:90% when I see one. 00:12:15.535 --> 00:12:18.680 align:middle line:90% 00:12:18.680 --> 00:12:20.638 align:middle line:84% So make sure that you are looking at the rules. 00:12:20.638 --> 00:12:27.940 align:middle line:90% 00:12:27.940 --> 00:12:30.070 align:middle line:84% As I briefly mentioned earlier, all the assignments 00:12:30.070 --> 00:12:32.260 align:middle line:90% in this class are team projects. 00:12:32.260 --> 00:12:34.510 align:middle line:84% There is again, that one page individual report 00:12:34.510 --> 00:12:38.410 align:middle line:84% that you hand in, usually the week after the assignment, 00:12:38.410 --> 00:12:40.750 align:middle line:84% and that one you write yourself, but it's all 00:12:40.750 --> 00:12:42.210 align:middle line:90% based on that team project. 00:12:42.210 --> 00:12:44.650 align:middle line:84% Which means you're going to be working on teams typically 00:12:44.650 --> 00:12:46.630 align:middle line:90% of three to four people. 00:12:46.630 --> 00:12:50.080 align:middle line:84% I do not recommend teams of five people in this class, 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:51.850 align:middle line:84% simply because once you hit five you 00:12:51.850 --> 00:12:55.120 align:middle line:84% get into to certain communication overheads that 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:56.595 align:middle line:84% makes it kind of counterproductive, 00:12:56.595 --> 00:12:58.205 align:middle line:84% so you can probably get about the same amount of work 00:12:58.205 --> 00:12:59.147 align:middle line:90% done with four people. 00:12:59.147 --> 00:13:02.075 align:middle line:90% 00:13:02.075 --> 00:13:03.700 align:middle line:84% Sometimes of all five people are living 00:13:03.700 --> 00:13:06.937 align:middle line:84% in the same living group you might be able to make it work. 00:13:06.937 --> 00:13:08.770 align:middle line:84% It's still really hard to schedule a meeting 00:13:08.770 --> 00:13:11.320 align:middle line:90% with five people all at once. 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:13.030 align:middle line:90% Class does end at 4 o'clock. 00:13:13.030 --> 00:13:15.863 align:middle line:84% Usually that last hour is game playing time, 00:13:15.863 --> 00:13:18.280 align:middle line:84% which means you might be able to take a set amount of time 00:13:18.280 --> 00:13:19.630 align:middle line:90% to meet up with your team. 00:13:19.630 --> 00:13:22.030 align:middle line:84% It's even better if the hour between 4 and 5 o'clock 00:13:22.030 --> 00:13:24.340 align:middle line:84% is all free for every single member of your team, 00:13:24.340 --> 00:13:26.810 align:middle line:84% but that's not going to be the case for every single team-- 00:13:26.810 --> 00:13:28.160 align:middle line:90% for every single project. 00:13:28.160 --> 00:13:30.060 align:middle line:84% And you can switch teams between projects. 00:13:30.060 --> 00:13:32.440 align:middle line:84% Assignment one can be with a completely different group 00:13:32.440 --> 00:13:37.030 align:middle line:84% of people from assignment and two, that's fine. 00:13:37.030 --> 00:13:39.040 align:middle line:84% We're going to team formation, I think 00:13:39.040 --> 00:13:41.320 align:middle line:84% the schedule has it on Monday, yeah, 00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:45.500 align:middle line:84% because I'm not sure if this is the entire class yet. 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:47.710 align:middle line:84% So on Monday we'll actually go a little bit more 00:13:47.710 --> 00:13:52.930 align:middle line:84% into brainstorming, talking a little bit about what projects 00:13:52.930 --> 00:13:55.610 align:middle line:84% you want to do, assembling teams around that, 00:13:55.610 --> 00:13:57.730 align:middle line:84% and then you're off to the races. 00:13:57.730 --> 00:14:01.510 align:middle line:84% You've only got three weeks to finish this first game. 00:14:01.510 --> 00:14:03.470 align:middle line:90% Is it three weeks? 00:14:03.470 --> 00:14:06.277 align:middle line:84% Yep, exactly three weeks, actually less than 00:14:06.277 --> 00:14:08.360 align:middle line:84% that because you start on the Monday and then hand 00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:10.950 align:middle line:90% in on that third Wednesday. 00:14:10.950 --> 00:14:12.700 align:middle line:84% So a very short amount of time, but that's 00:14:12.700 --> 00:14:15.707 align:middle line:84% OK because this is supposed to be 00:14:15.707 --> 00:14:17.290 align:middle line:84% very quick and dirty first assignment, 00:14:17.290 --> 00:14:21.570 align:middle line:84% get it out of the way and get into the groove of things. 00:14:21.570 --> 00:14:25.080 align:middle line:84% We're going to spend most of this month just talking 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:27.420 align:middle line:84% about the discipline of making games. 00:14:27.420 --> 00:14:31.740 align:middle line:84% What is iterative design, what is rapid prototyping, what 00:14:31.740 --> 00:14:34.298 align:middle line:84% is game testing, why is it important 00:14:34.298 --> 00:14:36.090 align:middle line:84% and why you're going to be doing this over, 00:14:36.090 --> 00:14:38.820 align:middle line:84% and over, and over, and over, and over again all semester 00:14:38.820 --> 00:14:39.390 align:middle line:90% long. 00:14:39.390 --> 00:14:40.890 align:middle line:84% That's the one thing that I want you 00:14:40.890 --> 00:14:43.300 align:middle line:84% to walk away from class with, is being better 00:14:43.300 --> 00:14:46.090 align:middle line:90% at itterative design. 00:14:46.090 --> 00:14:48.188 align:middle line:90% Who here is familiar with-- 00:14:48.188 --> 00:14:49.980 align:middle line:84% has practiced some sort of iterative design 00:14:49.980 --> 00:14:53.510 align:middle line:90% from any discipline? 00:14:53.510 --> 00:14:56.712 align:middle line:84% How many of you are from an engineering background 00:14:56.712 --> 00:14:58.740 align:middle line:90% where you practiced that. 00:14:58.740 --> 00:15:05.160 align:middle line:84% OK, just to get a sense which sort of project kind of work 00:15:05.160 --> 00:15:06.282 align:middle line:90% that you came from-- 00:15:06.282 --> 00:15:07.700 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Mech E. 00:15:07.700 --> 00:15:09.530 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Mech E? 00:15:09.530 --> 00:15:11.880 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I was in Creating Video Games last year. 00:15:11.880 --> 00:15:14.785 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Yeah, Creating Video Games. 00:15:14.785 --> 00:15:18.237 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Building a robot for the 6.270 competition. 00:15:18.237 --> 00:15:19.410 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: OK, yeah. 00:15:19.410 --> 00:15:19.910 align:middle line:90% Others? 00:15:19.910 --> 00:15:20.720 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Software development. 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:21.710 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Software development. 00:15:21.710 --> 00:15:23.612 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Creating Video Games last semester. 00:15:23.612 --> 00:15:24.570 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Right, Yeah. 00:15:24.570 --> 00:15:27.870 align:middle line:84% I'll just leave the computer game design classes, 00:15:27.870 --> 00:15:30.840 align:middle line:90% very relevant experience here. 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:33.390 align:middle line:84% This class is, of course, a good prerequisite 00:15:33.390 --> 00:15:37.110 align:middle line:84% for getting into CMS.611 which is our creating video games 00:15:37.110 --> 00:15:37.940 align:middle line:90% class. 00:15:37.940 --> 00:15:41.030 align:middle line:84% That class is about teamwork, is a lot more about obviously 00:15:41.030 --> 00:15:42.805 align:middle line:84% software because it's a video games class. 00:15:42.805 --> 00:15:46.460 align:middle line:90% 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:49.610 align:middle line:84% That's going to be in the fall, so if you're 00:15:49.610 --> 00:15:51.468 align:middle line:84% interested after this class is over, 00:15:51.468 --> 00:15:53.010 align:middle line:84% you might want to check that one out, 00:15:53.010 --> 00:15:54.843 align:middle line:84% and you can talk to the students around here 00:15:54.843 --> 00:15:56.097 align:middle line:90% who've done it before. 00:15:56.097 --> 00:15:57.930 align:middle line:84% By the way, for those people who've actually 00:15:57.930 --> 00:16:00.160 align:middle line:84% been in classes with me I haven't gotten contacts, 00:16:00.160 --> 00:16:01.530 align:middle line:90% I'm just blind right now. 00:16:01.530 --> 00:16:06.360 align:middle line:84% My glasses snapped in half, and I have a three-year-old, 00:16:06.360 --> 00:16:08.130 align:middle line:90% things are happening. 00:16:08.130 --> 00:16:19.945 align:middle line:84% Actually I was playing StarCraft and then [INAUDIBLE] 00:16:19.945 --> 00:16:21.820 align:middle line:84% The final thing that I want to talk about all 00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:23.278 align:middle line:84% the way at the end of the syllabus, 00:16:23.278 --> 00:16:24.910 align:middle line:84% is this thing called a change log. 00:16:24.910 --> 00:16:27.530 align:middle line:84% Some of you have done CMS.611 recently 00:16:27.530 --> 00:16:30.100 align:middle line:90% will find this quite familiar. 00:16:30.100 --> 00:16:32.913 align:middle line:84% This is again one per group, not one for person, 00:16:32.913 --> 00:16:34.330 align:middle line:84% but you hand this at the same time 00:16:34.330 --> 00:16:36.167 align:middle line:90% as you hand in each assignment. 00:16:36.167 --> 00:16:38.500 align:middle line:84% And what I want you to do, is that you end up every time 00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:40.708 align:middle line:84% you have a design meeting, whether you meet in class, 00:16:40.708 --> 00:16:43.240 align:middle line:84% or you might outside of class on a weekend, even 00:16:43.240 --> 00:16:48.850 align:middle line:84% online or something, every time you make changes to your game 00:16:48.850 --> 00:16:52.590 align:middle line:84% write down why those changes written down in this format. 00:16:52.590 --> 00:16:55.090 align:middle line:84% We give you the sample format, we expect you to stick to it. 00:16:55.090 --> 00:16:56.800 align:middle line:84% You can tweak it, but we expect to see 00:16:56.800 --> 00:17:01.480 align:middle line:90% at least this much detail. 00:17:01.480 --> 00:17:04.089 align:middle line:84% What are the actions do in your games, 00:17:04.089 --> 00:17:10.010 align:middle line:84% what are the goals of the player, or players of course. 00:17:10.010 --> 00:17:11.510 align:middle line:84% What are the problems that your team 00:17:11.510 --> 00:17:15.099 align:middle line:84% is noticing after having played through this game? 00:17:15.099 --> 00:17:18.099 align:middle line:84% Turn takes too long, no one knows 00:17:18.099 --> 00:17:22.690 align:middle line:84% what to do, game takes too long, games over to quickly, 00:17:22.690 --> 00:17:24.940 align:middle line:84% game seems too random and out of our control. 00:17:24.940 --> 00:17:27.160 align:middle line:84% All those things, write down in problems. 00:17:27.160 --> 00:17:30.790 align:middle line:84% These should be useful for you as it is for us. 00:17:30.790 --> 00:17:32.778 align:middle line:84% If somebody misses a design meeting, 00:17:32.778 --> 00:17:34.570 align:middle line:84% you should be able to keep this on a Google 00:17:34.570 --> 00:17:36.880 align:middle line:84% Doc or some publicly shared document, 00:17:36.880 --> 00:17:39.640 align:middle line:84% and you can look at this, oh that's what happened last week. 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:44.413 align:middle line:84% Oh, you change the wind condition to half what it was. 00:17:44.413 --> 00:17:46.330 align:middle line:84% OK I guess that's what we're working with now, 00:17:46.330 --> 00:17:47.170 align:middle line:90% why did you do that? 00:17:47.170 --> 00:17:49.378 align:middle line:84% And it says, Oh, because the game was taking too long 00:17:49.378 --> 00:17:51.330 align:middle line:90% or something. 00:17:51.330 --> 00:17:53.902 align:middle line:84% I expect to see that coming with your final assignment-- 00:17:53.902 --> 00:17:55.110 align:middle line:90% with each assignment as well. 00:17:55.110 --> 00:18:02.934 align:middle line:90% 00:18:02.934 --> 00:18:04.401 align:middle line:90% Any questions so far? 00:18:04.401 --> 00:18:11.270 align:middle line:90% 00:18:11.270 --> 00:18:13.910 align:middle line:84% There's going to be a bunch of guest lectures 00:18:13.910 --> 00:18:16.630 align:middle line:84% but we haven't labeled them in here because we haven't quite 00:18:16.630 --> 00:18:17.757 align:middle line:90% scheduled them just yet. 00:18:17.757 --> 00:18:19.840 align:middle line:84% The readings are the same, the games are the same. 00:18:19.840 --> 00:18:22.750 align:middle line:84% Some changes might happen to the schedule on Stellar. 00:18:22.750 --> 00:18:26.890 align:middle line:84% I will obviously make announcements on Stellar, 00:18:26.890 --> 00:18:28.380 align:middle line:84% I'll make announcements in class, 00:18:28.380 --> 00:18:30.420 align:middle line:84% I'll try to update the document on Stellar 00:18:30.420 --> 00:18:32.332 align:middle line:90% with schedule changes. 00:18:32.332 --> 00:18:33.790 align:middle line:84% But, for the most part, assignments 00:18:33.790 --> 00:18:35.850 align:middle line:84% are not going to change, just some readings 00:18:35.850 --> 00:18:37.870 align:middle line:90% may get rearranged. 00:18:37.870 --> 00:18:40.290 align:middle line:84% I have to point out something about reading. 00:18:40.290 --> 00:18:44.860 align:middle line:84% So, here are books that we're referencing in class. 00:18:44.860 --> 00:18:47.140 align:middle line:84% There's a few individual essays, but you're not 00:18:47.140 --> 00:18:49.307 align:middle line:84% going to have to read every single one of these back 00:18:49.307 --> 00:18:51.183 align:middle line:90% to back. 00:18:51.183 --> 00:18:55.180 align:middle line:84% For tabletop, this is actually available as a free PDF 00:18:55.180 --> 00:18:58.490 align:middle line:84% from the publisher, and the link of that is on Stellar. 00:18:58.490 --> 00:19:01.540 align:middle line:84% So, you don't have to buy the book you just download the PDF, 00:19:01.540 --> 00:19:05.273 align:middle line:84% scroll down to the reading and just read that. 00:19:05.273 --> 00:19:06.690 align:middle line:84% We have one reading from his book, 00:19:06.690 --> 00:19:09.590 align:middle line:84% but I actually recommend this book. 00:19:09.590 --> 00:19:12.113 align:middle line:84% How many of you have heard of the New Games Movement? 00:19:12.113 --> 00:19:13.000 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: New Games? 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:14.580 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: New Games. 00:19:14.580 --> 00:19:19.660 align:middle line:84% It's from the '60s, so new is relative. 00:19:19.660 --> 00:19:22.410 align:middle line:84% The New Games Movement was something that-- 00:19:22.410 --> 00:19:24.810 align:middle line:84% OK, how many of you played with a parachute in gym class 00:19:24.810 --> 00:19:26.580 align:middle line:84% when you were in elementary school? 00:19:26.580 --> 00:19:29.680 align:middle line:84% OK, you were part of the New Games Movement. 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:33.760 align:middle line:84% This was basically an activist group of game designers 00:19:33.760 --> 00:19:38.410 align:middle line:84% in the '60s, heavily influenced by the Whole Earth Catalog 00:19:38.410 --> 00:19:41.200 align:middle line:90% if you've heard of that-- 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:42.556 align:middle line:90% Stewart Brand, yeah. 00:19:42.556 --> 00:19:45.240 align:middle line:90% 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:49.870 align:middle line:84% Basically typical counterculture, 00:19:49.870 --> 00:19:52.690 align:middle line:84% but in the games side of things was very specifically 00:19:52.690 --> 00:19:56.320 align:middle line:84% about making games that feature different kinds 00:19:56.320 --> 00:19:58.750 align:middle line:90% of cooperative play. 00:19:58.750 --> 00:20:00.280 align:middle line:84% If they were competitive they were 00:20:00.280 --> 00:20:02.430 align:middle line:84% sort of light hearted competitive, 00:20:02.430 --> 00:20:05.450 align:middle line:84% and we're still trying to develop a sense of community. 00:20:05.450 --> 00:20:07.390 align:middle line:84% The parachute type games are very 00:20:07.390 --> 00:20:09.160 align:middle line:84% much about taking military hardware 00:20:09.160 --> 00:20:13.645 align:middle line:84% and turning them into peacetime fun activities. 00:20:13.645 --> 00:20:16.145 align:middle line:84% The parachute is something that used to drop soldiers right? 00:20:16.145 --> 00:20:19.170 align:middle line:90% 00:20:19.170 --> 00:20:22.010 align:middle line:90% It's a really neat book. 00:20:22.010 --> 00:20:25.890 align:middle line:84% You can see the title of A Playful Path to Wholeness. 00:20:25.890 --> 00:20:31.660 align:middle line:84% It could be some sort of New Age writing, 00:20:31.660 --> 00:20:34.960 align:middle line:84% but it's actually a pretty nice treatise 00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:36.970 align:middle line:84% on a particular kind of game design, which 00:20:36.970 --> 00:20:40.290 align:middle line:84% is how do you make games to bring people together, 00:20:40.290 --> 00:20:43.420 align:middle line:84% which is a perfectly fine goal when if you 00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:45.010 align:middle line:90% want to be a game designer. 00:20:45.010 --> 00:20:47.770 align:middle line:90% So, check that out. 00:20:47.770 --> 00:20:50.740 align:middle line:84% The Design of Everyday Things, you should graduate from MIT 00:20:50.740 --> 00:20:52.780 align:middle line:90% without having read this book. 00:20:52.780 --> 00:20:56.650 align:middle line:84% If you design anything mechanical engineer, software, 00:20:56.650 --> 00:20:58.877 align:middle line:84% anything that's meant to be used by a human being. 00:20:58.877 --> 00:21:00.460 align:middle line:84% Maybe some of you will work but robots 00:21:00.460 --> 00:21:02.418 align:middle line:84% might be able to skip this, but I would suggest 00:21:02.418 --> 00:21:05.050 align:middle line:84% not, I think you can read this too, and get 00:21:05.050 --> 00:21:08.890 align:middle line:84% a lot about usability, accessibility, how 00:21:08.890 --> 00:21:12.460 align:middle line:90% to make good user interfaces. 00:21:12.460 --> 00:21:14.640 align:middle line:84% We have two readings from here, these 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:17.560 align:middle line:84% are PDFs that are up on our Stellar site. 00:21:17.560 --> 00:21:22.300 align:middle line:84% Let me leave these two follow-ups for last. 00:21:22.300 --> 00:21:23.980 align:middle line:84% The Oxford History of Board Games-- 00:21:23.980 --> 00:21:26.350 align:middle line:84% we actually have a lot of readings of it from here 00:21:26.350 --> 00:21:29.900 align:middle line:84% because it's relevant to our final assignment. 00:21:29.900 --> 00:21:35.740 align:middle line:84% And what it is, is a surprisingly readable list 00:21:35.740 --> 00:21:42.246 align:middle line:84% of traditional board games that maybe you've heard about 10% 00:21:42.246 --> 00:21:42.746 align:middle line:90% of these. 00:21:42.746 --> 00:21:45.570 align:middle line:90% 00:21:45.570 --> 00:21:47.210 align:middle line:84% It's a really interesting analysis, 00:21:47.210 --> 00:21:52.210 align:middle line:84% and the reason why I prescribe this book is two reasons. 00:21:52.210 --> 00:21:54.340 align:middle line:84% One, you need this background knowledge 00:21:54.340 --> 00:21:57.160 align:middle line:84% to be able to execute assignment three. 00:21:57.160 --> 00:22:03.520 align:middle line:84% Second reason, is that it's a good example of what game 00:22:03.520 --> 00:22:05.830 align:middle line:90% historical analysis looks like. 00:22:05.830 --> 00:22:08.290 align:middle line:84% So, if you're ever interested in going to academia 00:22:08.290 --> 00:22:10.290 align:middle line:84% and doing this sort of writing, you at least now 00:22:10.290 --> 00:22:13.420 align:middle line:84% have a sample of what that looks like. 00:22:13.420 --> 00:22:15.850 align:middle line:84% It's not as dry and stodgy as you think, 00:22:15.850 --> 00:22:18.795 align:middle line:90% it is about game play after all. 00:22:18.795 --> 00:22:20.170 align:middle line:84% But we do have a lot of readings, 00:22:20.170 --> 00:22:24.460 align:middle line:84% this book is available on reserve in the library. 00:22:24.460 --> 00:22:28.127 align:middle line:84% We're going to try to get more scans of this up on Stellar. 00:22:28.127 --> 00:22:29.710 align:middle line:84% I'm not entirely sure what I'm legally 00:22:29.710 --> 00:22:34.330 align:middle line:84% allowed to put that many scans up on Stellar. 00:22:34.330 --> 00:22:36.308 align:middle line:90% The hard copy itself is there. 00:22:36.308 --> 00:22:38.350 align:middle line:84% I don't think you can even buy this book anymore. 00:22:38.350 --> 00:22:40.420 align:middle line:84% This book has been out of print for a long time, 00:22:40.420 --> 00:22:42.520 align:middle line:84% so I'm going to try and increase access to this, 00:22:42.520 --> 00:22:44.670 align:middle line:84% but the best I can do right now is 00:22:44.670 --> 00:22:48.325 align:middle line:84% that it's on reserve in Hayden Library I believe. 00:22:48.325 --> 00:22:52.280 align:middle line:90% 00:22:52.280 --> 00:22:55.610 align:middle line:84% Finally, these three books, you might be familiar 00:22:55.610 --> 00:22:58.270 align:middle line:84% if you've ever taken any of the game lab classes-- 00:22:58.270 --> 00:23:01.240 align:middle line:84% Game Design Workshop, Challenges for Game Designers, 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:02.850 align:middle line:90% and Rules of Play. 00:23:02.850 --> 00:23:04.870 align:middle line:84% The reading for today is actually 00:23:04.870 --> 00:23:10.190 align:middle line:84% chapter one from Challenges for Game Designers. 00:23:10.190 --> 00:23:12.830 align:middle line:84% All of these books are available online, 00:23:12.830 --> 00:23:15.620 align:middle line:84% through MIT Libraries web portal. 00:23:15.620 --> 00:23:19.830 align:middle line:84% The trick is you need to be on a MIT subnet. 00:23:19.830 --> 00:23:22.960 align:middle line:90% How many of you live on campus? 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:24.593 align:middle line:84% OK, you're not going to have a problem. 00:23:24.593 --> 00:23:26.510 align:middle line:84% Just got our Stellar site, there is this thing 00:23:26.510 --> 00:23:29.210 align:middle line:84% called the books 24/7 link on the Stellar, 00:23:29.210 --> 00:23:32.240 align:middle line:84% you click on that first before you read any book, that 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:34.400 align:middle line:84% basically does some authentication to make sure 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:35.930 align:middle line:84% that you're actually an MIT student, 00:23:35.930 --> 00:23:38.400 align:middle line:84% and have a browser with cookies it should work just fine. 00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:42.410 align:middle line:84% And then you click the book as you want to read, 00:23:42.410 --> 00:23:45.020 align:middle line:84% you'll get a table of contents, you jump to the chapter, 00:23:45.020 --> 00:23:49.700 align:middle line:84% you're reading of the book in HTML. 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:52.100 align:middle line:84% However, if you're not on the MIT campus, 00:23:52.100 --> 00:23:55.390 align:middle line:84% I think you have a browser with cookies you're still fine. 00:23:55.390 --> 00:23:58.280 align:middle line:84% But, you might have better luck by actually 00:23:58.280 --> 00:23:59.470 align:middle line:90% being on MIT subnet. 00:23:59.470 --> 00:24:01.220 align:middle line:84% You do exactly the same steps that I said. 00:24:01.220 --> 00:24:04.830 align:middle line:84% You go to Stellar, you click on the books 24/7 link, 00:24:04.830 --> 00:24:07.400 align:middle line:84% it authenticates you, and then you 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:10.250 align:middle line:84% can read the book-- you can even print it out. 00:24:10.250 --> 00:24:13.130 align:middle line:84% But, if you do have trouble reading it for any reason, 00:24:13.130 --> 00:24:15.110 align:middle line:84% please let me know because we're going 00:24:15.110 --> 00:24:16.818 align:middle line:84% to have a lot of reading from these three 00:24:16.818 --> 00:24:20.828 align:middle line:84% books over the entire semester, so let's try 00:24:20.828 --> 00:24:22.620 align:middle line:84% to fix that for you as quickly as possible, 00:24:22.620 --> 00:24:24.800 align:middle line:84% and then you won't have any trouble with that. 00:24:24.800 --> 00:24:26.880 align:middle line:84% It's free, but it's a bit of a hassle. 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:34.900 align:middle line:90% 00:24:34.900 --> 00:24:38.530 align:middle line:84% That's basically it for the formalities. 00:24:38.530 --> 00:24:42.260 align:middle line:84% Again, any questions about how the class is organized, 00:24:42.260 --> 00:24:44.800 align:middle line:90% how grades are assigned? 00:24:44.800 --> 00:24:46.512 align:middle line:84% It is a project based class, which 00:24:46.512 --> 00:24:48.220 align:middle line:84% means your grades are going to be heavily 00:24:48.220 --> 00:24:50.178 align:middle line:84% dependent on the performance of your teammates, 00:24:50.178 --> 00:24:53.020 align:middle line:84% so get along with your teammates. 00:24:53.020 --> 00:24:55.700 align:middle line:90% Try to do good work, but it's-- 00:24:55.700 --> 00:24:57.610 align:middle line:84% your grade is not going to be determined 00:24:57.610 --> 00:24:59.980 align:middle line:90% by how fun your game is. 00:24:59.980 --> 00:25:02.740 align:middle line:84% This may be coming as a surprise to some of you. 00:25:02.740 --> 00:25:08.440 align:middle line:84% Fun is one of those things that is really elusive, even if you 00:25:08.440 --> 00:25:10.420 align:middle line:84% know what you're trying to design for, 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:12.350 align:middle line:90% you might not get there. 00:25:12.350 --> 00:25:14.440 align:middle line:84% Especially in the constraints of doing 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:17.685 align:middle line:90% three projects in one semester. 00:25:17.685 --> 00:25:19.480 align:middle line:84% As someone who has designed a lot of games, 00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:25.570 align:middle line:84% both in MIT and outside, I fully acknowledge 00:25:25.570 --> 00:25:27.400 align:middle line:84% that you might be perfectly disciplined 00:25:27.400 --> 00:25:28.840 align:middle line:84% and do everything that I tell you 00:25:28.840 --> 00:25:31.510 align:middle line:84% and still end up with a very unfun game. 00:25:31.510 --> 00:25:34.390 align:middle line:84% So I'm not going to grade you on the quality that. 00:25:34.390 --> 00:25:38.125 align:middle line:84% I am going to grade you on your ability to listen to feedback, 00:25:38.125 --> 00:25:39.700 align:middle line:84% from feedback that provided, feedback 00:25:39.700 --> 00:25:41.890 align:middle line:84% that you're getting from the testers, your ability 00:25:41.890 --> 00:25:45.910 align:middle line:84% to do things like regular testing sessions, 00:25:45.910 --> 00:25:49.533 align:middle line:84% the ability to stick to the discipline of iterative design. 00:25:49.533 --> 00:25:53.130 align:middle line:90% 00:25:53.130 --> 00:25:56.200 align:middle line:84% If your game is mostly not playable until the last week, 00:25:56.200 --> 00:25:58.960 align:middle line:84% and then suddenly you pull some sort of marathon effort 00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:03.430 align:middle line:84% to try to get everything working together in that last week, 00:26:03.430 --> 00:26:05.232 align:middle line:90% you should expect a good grade. 00:26:05.232 --> 00:26:06.940 align:middle line:84% That's not what I'm trying to teach here. 00:26:06.940 --> 00:26:09.400 align:middle line:84% You should be constantly iterating on these games 00:26:09.400 --> 00:26:12.700 align:middle line:90% every single week. 00:26:12.700 --> 00:26:16.050 align:middle line:84% And if you do that you should count on a fairly reasonable, 00:26:16.050 --> 00:26:17.390 align:middle line:90% fairly good grade. 00:26:17.390 --> 00:26:20.120 align:middle line:90% 00:26:20.120 --> 00:26:21.850 align:middle line:84% This is a B-average class though. 00:26:21.850 --> 00:26:26.360 align:middle line:84% So, typically when I grade that's how it ends up. 00:26:26.360 --> 00:26:27.890 align:middle line:84% I'm not actually grading on a curve, 00:26:27.890 --> 00:26:31.330 align:middle line:84% It is possible to have an A-average class if everybody 00:26:31.330 --> 00:26:33.310 align:middle line:84% does incredibly well, but typically, 00:26:33.310 --> 00:26:35.943 align:middle line:84% in the past couple of years it'll always be B-average. 00:26:35.943 --> 00:26:43.500 align:middle line:90% 00:26:43.500 --> 00:26:45.000 align:middle line:84% Let me start with the easy question. 00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:46.690 align:middle line:84% What are people playing nowadays? 00:26:46.690 --> 00:26:50.120 align:middle line:84% What are people in this class playing, 00:26:50.120 --> 00:26:52.350 align:middle line:84% maybe not right now with this instant, but-- 00:26:52.350 --> 00:26:55.135 align:middle line:90% 00:26:55.135 --> 00:26:56.760 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: You mean like computer games? 00:26:56.760 --> 00:26:58.240 align:middle line:90% Or any game? 00:26:58.240 --> 00:27:00.800 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Any games, board games, card games, 00:27:00.800 --> 00:27:01.690 align:middle line:90% computer games, 00:27:01.690 --> 00:27:02.590 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: League of Legends. 00:27:02.590 --> 00:27:03.670 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: League of Legends. 00:27:03.670 --> 00:27:05.190 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I got a lot of people on [INAUDIBLE] 00:27:05.190 --> 00:27:06.680 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer. 00:27:06.680 --> 00:27:08.142 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: On Ascension? 00:27:08.142 --> 00:27:09.475 align:middle line:90% Were you going to say Ascension? 00:27:09.475 --> 00:27:11.058 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I was going to say Dominion. 00:27:11.058 --> 00:27:11.600 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: OK 00:27:11.600 --> 00:27:13.141 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: You should learn Ascension. 00:27:13.141 --> 00:27:13.910 align:middle line:90% Settlers of Catan. 00:27:13.910 --> 00:27:14.838 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 00:27:14.838 --> 00:27:15.630 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Settlers. 00:27:15.630 --> 00:27:21.337 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: [INTERPOSING VOICES] So when you-- 00:27:21.337 --> 00:27:22.170 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Dominion. 00:27:22.170 --> 00:27:22.837 align:middle line:90% Adventure Quest? 00:27:22.837 --> 00:27:24.290 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Wow. 00:27:24.290 --> 00:27:25.540 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Wait, wait hold on. 00:27:25.540 --> 00:27:26.530 align:middle line:90% What's Adventure Quest? 00:27:26.530 --> 00:27:27.912 align:middle line:90% I haven't heard this one. 00:27:27.912 --> 00:27:31.040 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: It's like this online game. 00:27:31.040 --> 00:27:31.580 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 00:27:31.580 --> 00:27:32.080 align:middle line:90% Always-- 00:27:32.080 --> 00:27:34.370 align:middle line:90% [INTERPOSING VOICES] 00:27:34.370 --> 00:27:35.960 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: It's like-- 00:27:35.960 --> 00:27:37.865 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I guess like, it's a lot of-- 00:27:37.865 --> 00:27:42.320 align:middle line:90% [INTERPOSING VOICES] 00:27:42.320 --> 00:27:44.750 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: So it's an adventure game. 00:27:44.750 --> 00:27:47.180 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE] Cool. 00:27:47.180 --> 00:27:49.810 align:middle line:90% OK. 00:27:49.810 --> 00:27:52.440 align:middle line:90% So we've got Adventure Quest. 00:27:52.440 --> 00:27:55.130 align:middle line:84% That one I just shortened to be Trail. 00:27:55.130 --> 00:27:56.850 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Smash Brothers. 00:27:56.850 --> 00:27:57.943 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Smash ... 00:27:57.943 --> 00:27:58.860 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Liars Poker. 00:27:58.860 --> 00:28:00.668 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Wait, hold on which version of Smash? 00:28:00.668 --> 00:28:01.626 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: I like Melee. 00:28:01.626 --> 00:28:05.175 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Everyone in my house wants to play Brawl. 00:28:05.175 --> 00:28:07.455 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: So Melee is GameCube right? 00:28:07.455 --> 00:28:08.405 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yeah. 00:28:08.405 --> 00:28:11.180 align:middle line:84% That was the first one I ever played. 00:28:11.180 --> 00:28:11.823 align:middle line:90% Liars Poker. 00:28:11.823 --> 00:28:12.490 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: What? 00:28:12.490 --> 00:28:13.240 align:middle line:90% Liars Poker? 00:28:13.240 --> 00:28:13.750 align:middle line:90% All right. 00:28:13.750 --> 00:28:15.340 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Normal Poker. 00:28:15.340 --> 00:28:16.340 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Wait hold on. 00:28:16.340 --> 00:28:18.377 align:middle line:90% What's normal poker? 00:28:18.377 --> 00:28:19.710 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: I guess Texas hold'em. 00:28:19.710 --> 00:28:21.210 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Texas hold'em poker. 00:28:21.210 --> 00:28:22.210 align:middle line:90% OK, all right. 00:28:22.210 --> 00:28:26.126 align:middle line:90% 00:28:26.126 --> 00:28:27.070 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Innovation? 00:28:27.070 --> 00:28:29.730 align:middle line:90% 00:28:29.730 --> 00:28:32.780 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: The card game Innovation? 00:28:32.780 --> 00:28:35.370 align:middle line:90% Actually made locally. 00:28:35.370 --> 00:28:36.520 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Alien Frontiers. 00:28:36.520 --> 00:28:37.187 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Yeah. 00:28:37.187 --> 00:28:38.405 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Alien Frontiers. 00:28:38.405 --> 00:28:39.530 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Alien Frontiers. 00:28:39.530 --> 00:28:40.822 align:middle line:90% I'm not familiar with this one. 00:28:40.822 --> 00:28:41.658 align:middle line:90% This is-- 00:28:41.658 --> 00:28:45.402 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: It's an out of print board game, Euro style. 00:28:45.402 --> 00:28:47.742 align:middle line:84% I was going to say Empire Builder, 00:28:47.742 --> 00:28:51.945 align:middle line:84% but you already have that on one of the games that you own. 00:28:51.945 --> 00:28:53.945 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: I'm not saying, what games do I have. 00:28:53.945 --> 00:28:54.864 align:middle line:90% [INTERPOSING VOICES] 00:28:54.864 --> 00:28:56.489 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I know, but I want that game, 00:28:56.489 --> 00:28:57.251 align:middle line:90% so I'm a little jealous. 00:28:57.251 --> 00:28:58.250 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Well I'll let you try it out. 00:28:58.250 --> 00:28:59.420 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Zombie Apocalypse. 00:28:59.420 --> 00:28:59.920 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Zombie Apocalypse. 00:28:59.920 --> 00:29:00.860 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Oh yeah. 00:29:00.860 --> 00:29:01.800 align:middle line:90% Munchkin? 00:29:01.800 --> 00:29:06.980 align:middle line:84% RoboRally One day I'll be able to add Nymph to this list. 00:29:06.980 --> 00:29:08.832 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: What's Nymph? 00:29:08.832 --> 00:29:10.415 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: The board game that came out 00:29:10.415 --> 00:29:11.540 align:middle line:90% on Kickstarter [INAUDIBLE]. 00:29:11.540 --> 00:29:14.817 align:middle line:84% It's going to be delivered sometime this month. 00:29:14.817 --> 00:29:16.150 align:middle line:90% That's one of the most exciting. 00:29:16.150 --> 00:29:18.400 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: I missed something after Zombie Apocalypse. 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:20.500 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Munchkin. 00:29:20.500 --> 00:29:22.500 align:middle line:90% Robo Rally. 00:29:22.500 --> 00:29:24.620 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Robo Rally, wow. 00:29:24.620 --> 00:29:27.290 align:middle line:84% How did people get exposed to Robo Rally, just out 00:29:27.290 --> 00:29:29.392 align:middle line:90% of curiosity? 00:29:29.392 --> 00:29:31.260 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I saw it at an internship. 00:29:31.260 --> 00:29:33.330 align:middle line:84% They just had a bunch of board games on the wall. 00:29:33.330 --> 00:29:35.210 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: OK 00:29:35.210 --> 00:29:37.250 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: My brother played it somewhere, 00:29:37.250 --> 00:29:40.820 align:middle line:84% and then I bought it for my [INAUDIBLE].. 00:29:40.820 --> 00:29:44.751 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Very MIT-ish game, it's a game about programing 00:29:44.751 --> 00:29:45.251 align:middle line:90% 00:29:45.251 --> 00:29:46.622 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:29:46.622 --> 00:29:49.930 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Programming and robots beating each other up. 00:29:49.930 --> 00:29:53.180 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Cards Against Humanity. 00:29:53.180 --> 00:29:53.930 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Hex Hex. 00:29:53.930 --> 00:29:57.000 align:middle line:90% 00:29:57.000 --> 00:30:01.570 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: I know Hex one, but what type of Hex? 00:30:01.570 --> 00:30:06.595 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Hex Hex is a game where someone casts a hex, 00:30:06.595 --> 00:30:08.450 align:middle line:84% and then everyone has a certain number 00:30:08.450 --> 00:30:11.510 align:middle line:84% of cards that just tell you what to do with the hex, 00:30:11.510 --> 00:30:13.468 align:middle line:84% like pass it left, and pass it right. 00:30:13.468 --> 00:30:16.580 align:middle line:84% And then who ever has the hex in front of them 00:30:16.580 --> 00:30:18.706 align:middle line:84% has to deal with hex as one of their cards. 00:30:18.706 --> 00:30:20.950 align:middle line:84% If they can't then they're hexed, 00:30:20.950 --> 00:30:23.840 align:middle line:84% and then they chance to play cards that say, play one hex. 00:30:23.840 --> 00:30:26.305 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: I hope that's a hexagon involved in there. 00:30:26.305 --> 00:30:26.888 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yes. 00:30:26.888 --> 00:30:27.764 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: OK, cool. 00:30:27.764 --> 00:30:30.340 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:30:30.340 --> 00:30:32.132 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: We Didn't Playtest This. 00:30:32.132 --> 00:30:33.340 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: That's also local. 00:30:33.340 --> 00:30:35.812 align:middle line:84% The same people that did Innovation. 00:30:35.812 --> 00:30:37.228 align:middle line:90% Didn't Playtest This. 00:30:37.228 --> 00:30:39.838 align:middle line:84% There's a game called We Didn't Playtest This At All, 00:30:39.838 --> 00:30:42.766 align:middle line:84% and We Didn't Playtest This Either, right? 00:30:42.766 --> 00:30:45.206 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: I want to try those. 00:30:45.206 --> 00:30:46.182 align:middle line:90% Air Baron. 00:30:46.182 --> 00:30:47.660 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: What? 00:30:47.660 --> 00:30:48.750 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Air Baron. 00:30:48.750 --> 00:30:49.625 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Care Bear? 00:30:49.625 --> 00:30:50.125 align:middle line:90% 00:30:50.125 --> 00:30:51.260 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:30:51.260 --> 00:30:53.450 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: A-I-R, air, as in the sky, 00:30:53.450 --> 00:30:56.790 align:middle line:84% baron, as in not a noble or the lords of a baron. 00:30:56.790 --> 00:30:58.080 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Oh, Air Baron. 00:30:58.080 --> 00:31:00.098 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yes. 00:31:00.098 --> 00:31:02.140 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: We should make a game called Air Bear. 00:31:02.140 --> 00:31:04.140 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:31:04.140 --> 00:31:05.924 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: This is digital? 00:31:05.924 --> 00:31:07.600 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: No, Avalon Hill, 1997. 00:31:07.600 --> 00:31:08.775 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Oh, OK. 00:31:08.775 --> 00:31:09.400 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yeah. 00:31:09.400 --> 00:31:10.630 align:middle line:90% Resistance? 00:31:10.630 --> 00:31:11.464 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 00:31:11.464 --> 00:31:12.770 align:middle line:90% Resistance. 00:31:12.770 --> 00:31:15.093 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: This is like a Mafia like game right? 00:31:15.093 --> 00:31:16.385 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yeah, love that game. 00:31:16.385 --> 00:31:17.470 align:middle line:90% Coup? 00:31:17.470 --> 00:31:18.440 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Clue? 00:31:18.440 --> 00:31:19.406 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Coup. 00:31:19.406 --> 00:31:20.372 align:middle line:90% C-O-U-P. 00:31:20.372 --> 00:31:21.340 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: C-O 00:31:21.340 --> 00:31:23.340 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: U-P 00:31:23.340 --> 00:31:24.257 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Oh yeah. 00:31:24.257 --> 00:31:25.340 align:middle line:90% Lots of love for this one. 00:31:25.340 --> 00:31:29.473 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: It's the same people who made Resistance. 00:31:29.473 --> 00:31:31.098 align:middle line:84% It's kind of like Mafia, except instead 00:31:31.098 --> 00:31:34.164 align:middle line:84% of having night and day places, what they have is 00:31:34.164 --> 00:31:35.090 align:middle line:90% people take turns. 00:31:35.090 --> 00:31:39.590 align:middle line:84% They have two different roles, and your role 00:31:39.590 --> 00:31:41.490 align:middle line:90% lets you take actions. 00:31:41.490 --> 00:31:43.400 align:middle line:84% So what you do is you lie about what role 00:31:43.400 --> 00:31:46.260 align:middle line:84% you have in order to take actions that you wouldn't 00:31:46.260 --> 00:31:49.250 align:middle line:90% have access to. 00:31:49.250 --> 00:31:51.900 align:middle line:84% Overall that mechanics are, you make money, 00:31:51.900 --> 00:31:54.792 align:middle line:84% and then you pay money to kill other people. 00:31:54.792 --> 00:31:58.120 align:middle line:84% When you kill someone they lose one of their roles. 00:31:58.120 --> 00:32:01.410 align:middle line:84% The way you lose rolls is killing someone, 00:32:01.410 --> 00:32:07.455 align:middle line:84% or by lying and being caught, or by challenge someone 00:32:07.455 --> 00:32:08.940 align:middle line:90% and being wrong. 00:32:08.940 --> 00:32:10.760 align:middle line:90% Like Mascarade. 00:32:10.760 --> 00:32:14.700 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: It's a little like Bluff. 00:32:14.700 --> 00:32:15.200 align:middle line:90% Say what? 00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:16.670 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: It's like Mascarade. 00:32:16.670 --> 00:32:18.250 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: OK, Yeah. 00:32:18.250 --> 00:32:22.038 align:middle line:84% Actually, we could add Mascarade to this here as well. 00:32:22.038 --> 00:32:25.250 align:middle line:90% 00:32:25.250 --> 00:32:29.170 align:middle line:84% So far I asked a couple of people 00:32:29.170 --> 00:32:32.240 align:middle line:84% to describe the games that have come out. 00:32:32.240 --> 00:32:35.490 align:middle line:84% And you can see it's not really all that difficult to say 00:32:35.490 --> 00:32:37.240 align:middle line:84% this is what's interesting about the game, 00:32:37.240 --> 00:32:39.573 align:middle line:84% it's kind of like this game then it's got these changes. 00:32:39.573 --> 00:32:42.370 align:middle line:90% 00:32:42.370 --> 00:32:44.420 align:middle line:84% That's a normal way of communicating. 00:32:44.420 --> 00:32:47.140 align:middle line:84% You're going to have to do that multiple times this semester 00:32:47.140 --> 00:32:48.490 align:middle line:90% for your own games. 00:32:48.490 --> 00:32:50.733 align:middle line:84% But, often what happens is that when students 00:32:50.733 --> 00:32:52.150 align:middle line:84% come up and talk about their game, 00:32:52.150 --> 00:32:56.230 align:middle line:90% they just start from step one-- 00:32:56.230 --> 00:33:01.710 align:middle line:84% Well, this game is a card game that has 52 cards, 00:33:01.710 --> 00:33:04.600 align:middle line:84% and is going to be played with four players, and it's like, 00:33:04.600 --> 00:33:07.040 align:middle line:84% can you like, cut to the chase and a little bit faster? 00:33:07.040 --> 00:33:08.250 align:middle line:90% The way that you just. 00:33:08.250 --> 00:33:10.880 align:middle line:84% The way you just described, you know it's kind of like Mafia 00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:12.670 align:middle line:90% but you make these changes. 00:33:12.670 --> 00:33:16.117 align:middle line:84% We will want those details especially when it's written, 00:33:16.117 --> 00:33:17.950 align:middle line:84% or when we're actually sitting down to play. 00:33:17.950 --> 00:33:20.350 align:middle line:84% But when you're coming up here and talking 00:33:20.350 --> 00:33:23.190 align:middle line:84% about your own game, give us those elevated pitches 00:33:23.190 --> 00:33:23.940 align:middle line:90% that you just did. 00:33:23.940 --> 00:33:26.650 align:middle line:90% 00:33:26.650 --> 00:33:31.770 align:middle line:84% If you think of this game as a little bit like chess, 00:33:31.770 --> 00:33:34.300 align:middle line:84% but with different pieces or something like that. 00:33:34.300 --> 00:33:35.680 align:middle line:84% And then you cut in, and then you 00:33:35.680 --> 00:33:37.960 align:middle line:84% can go into greater detail about what your game is. 00:33:37.960 --> 00:33:39.760 align:middle line:84% When you give a presentation though, 00:33:39.760 --> 00:33:43.365 align:middle line:84% usually what I'm listening for isn't so much, 00:33:43.365 --> 00:33:45.490 align:middle line:84% what is your game right now, because I can actually 00:33:45.490 --> 00:33:47.310 align:middle line:90% read that. 00:33:47.310 --> 00:33:50.547 align:middle line:84% What was your game before it became the thing that is now? 00:33:50.547 --> 00:33:52.380 align:middle line:84% Because I don't necessarily always see that. 00:33:52.380 --> 00:33:55.150 align:middle line:84% I'll see various play tests, but I may not necessarily 00:33:55.150 --> 00:33:57.160 align:middle line:90% get to every single thing. 00:33:57.160 --> 00:34:01.390 align:middle line:84% I want to know how you made the decisions that you did in order 00:34:01.390 --> 00:34:03.980 align:middle line:84% to end up with what you finally submitted. 00:34:03.980 --> 00:34:05.890 align:middle line:84% And I'll get all the details that I 00:34:05.890 --> 00:34:08.960 align:middle line:84% need from the final submission when I actually read it. 00:34:08.960 --> 00:34:10.989 align:middle line:84% So when you give your presentations, 00:34:10.989 --> 00:34:12.508 align:middle line:84% talk about the history of your game, 00:34:12.508 --> 00:34:14.550 align:middle line:84% three week history of your game, or the four week 00:34:14.550 --> 00:34:16.934 align:middle line:90% history of the game. 00:34:16.934 --> 00:34:20.260 align:middle line:90% 00:34:20.260 --> 00:34:23.150 align:middle line:84% So, these are the games that people have been playing. 00:34:23.150 --> 00:34:27.320 align:middle line:84% A lot of board games, couple of digital games 00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:29.489 align:middle line:90% although I think I'm seeing-- 00:34:29.489 --> 00:34:32.030 align:middle line:84% how many of you are playing these games digitally? 00:34:32.030 --> 00:34:34.002 align:middle line:84% Any of these board games playing in digitally? 00:34:34.002 --> 00:34:35.460 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Physically and digitally? 00:34:35.460 --> 00:34:36.366 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Yeah. 00:34:36.366 --> 00:34:38.474 align:middle line:90% On the phone, yeah? 00:34:38.474 --> 00:34:43.489 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I think we [INAUDIBLE] Dominion web application. 00:34:43.489 --> 00:34:44.440 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Web app? 00:34:44.440 --> 00:34:46.315 align:middle line:90% [INTERPOSING VOICES] 00:34:46.315 --> 00:34:47.690 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Your hand was up, yes? 00:34:47.690 --> 00:34:49.760 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Ascension, I think it's on the iPhone now. 00:34:49.760 --> 00:34:51.802 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Yeah, a lot of these games actually do 00:34:51.802 --> 00:34:54.003 align:middle line:84% have iPhone and iOS parts, Android parts. 00:34:54.003 --> 00:34:56.909 align:middle line:90% 00:34:56.909 --> 00:34:57.701 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Settlers. 00:34:57.701 --> 00:34:59.512 align:middle line:90% Just not fun at all. 00:34:59.512 --> 00:35:01.400 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Oh, because you don't-- yeah. 00:35:01.400 --> 00:35:01.920 align:middle line:90% Why? 00:35:01.920 --> 00:35:02.970 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Because it's more fun to yell at people. 00:35:02.970 --> 00:35:05.095 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Because it's more fun to yell at people? 00:35:05.095 --> 00:35:08.580 align:middle line:84% It's more fun to guilt people into giving you trades 00:35:08.580 --> 00:35:10.570 align:middle line:90% that are beneficial to you. 00:35:10.570 --> 00:35:13.590 align:middle line:84% We often refer to that as over the table talk. 00:35:13.590 --> 00:35:18.060 align:middle line:84% Or, the over the table interaction. 00:35:18.060 --> 00:35:19.950 align:middle line:84% That's something that when you're 00:35:19.950 --> 00:35:21.563 align:middle line:84% designing a board game or a card game, 00:35:21.563 --> 00:35:22.980 align:middle line:84% or even a live action game, I want 00:35:22.980 --> 00:35:25.290 align:middle line:84% to say that you're allowed to design live action 00:35:25.290 --> 00:35:26.325 align:middle line:90% games in this class. 00:35:26.325 --> 00:35:28.200 align:middle line:84% Games where you're not actually sitting down, 00:35:28.200 --> 00:35:30.090 align:middle line:84% but you're actually moving around. 00:35:30.090 --> 00:35:33.851 align:middle line:84% Mafia kind of sits in a gray area. 00:35:33.851 --> 00:35:36.506 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I think Risk is the perfect example of that. 00:35:36.506 --> 00:35:39.192 align:middle line:84% Because video Risk is an entirely different than board 00:35:39.192 --> 00:35:42.200 align:middle line:90% Risk because you can't cheat. 00:35:42.200 --> 00:35:44.460 align:middle line:84% Cheating is an integral part of Risk. 00:35:44.460 --> 00:35:46.640 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Describe the tactics of cheating in-- 00:35:46.640 --> 00:35:49.060 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: You hide cards in your shoe. 00:35:49.060 --> 00:35:50.819 align:middle line:84% You move people's armies to places 00:35:50.819 --> 00:35:51.986 align:middle line:90% that they weren't on before. 00:35:51.986 --> 00:35:53.690 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: That one I've seen. 00:35:53.690 --> 00:35:55.543 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: You add people to your places. 00:35:55.543 --> 00:35:57.210 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: But not like re-rolls, right? 00:35:57.210 --> 00:35:58.877 align:middle line:84% Because those are hard to get away with. 00:35:58.877 --> 00:36:00.955 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Monopoly is the worst game ever. 00:36:00.955 --> 00:36:03.330 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Because of the cheating, or because of the way 00:36:03.330 --> 00:36:04.555 align:middle line:90% how the game is made? 00:36:04.555 --> 00:36:05.680 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Because cheating. 00:36:05.680 --> 00:36:08.457 align:middle line:84% And because it takes like 12 hours to play. 00:36:08.457 --> 00:36:09.290 align:middle line:90% [INTERPOSING VOICES] 00:36:09.290 --> 00:36:10.340 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: --you get the best game, right? 00:36:10.340 --> 00:36:11.312 align:middle line:90% Play Riskopoly. 00:36:11.312 --> 00:36:14.383 align:middle line:90% 00:36:14.383 --> 00:36:15.800 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: So you send [INAUDIBLE] 00:36:15.800 --> 00:36:17.967 align:middle line:84% into combat with [INAUDIBLE] or something like that. 00:36:17.967 --> 00:36:21.370 align:middle line:90% [INTERPOSING VOICES] 00:36:21.370 --> 00:36:22.660 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: I think that's it. 00:36:22.660 --> 00:36:23.190 align:middle line:90% Well, OK. 00:36:23.190 --> 00:36:27.090 align:middle line:84% So let's briefly talk about Monopoly then. 00:36:27.090 --> 00:36:31.528 align:middle line:84% How many people here like playing Monopoly? 00:36:31.528 --> 00:36:32.028 align:middle line:90% OK. 00:36:32.028 --> 00:36:33.932 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]. 00:36:33.932 --> 00:36:36.540 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: How many play Monopoly regularly, 00:36:36.540 --> 00:36:38.296 align:middle line:90% like with families? 00:36:38.296 --> 00:36:40.798 align:middle line:90% 00:36:40.798 --> 00:36:42.290 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]. 00:36:42.290 --> 00:36:44.415 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: What are the good things about Monopoly? 00:36:44.415 --> 00:36:46.566 align:middle line:84% What do people like about Monopoly? 00:36:46.566 --> 00:36:47.940 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Making bank. 00:36:47.940 --> 00:36:48.600 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: OK. 00:36:48.600 --> 00:36:49.800 align:middle line:90% All right. 00:36:49.800 --> 00:36:52.820 align:middle line:84% There's this real sense of progression there, right? 00:36:52.820 --> 00:36:56.403 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I like putting four houses on one property. 00:36:56.403 --> 00:36:58.320 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: That's kind of like the real estate 00:36:58.320 --> 00:36:59.380 align:middle line:90% version of making bank. 00:36:59.380 --> 00:37:00.284 align:middle line:90% Sure. 00:37:00.284 --> 00:37:02.242 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: When you have a long row 00:37:02.242 --> 00:37:03.950 align:middle line:84% of properties all in a row and somebody's 00:37:03.950 --> 00:37:04.691 align:middle line:90% like heading into them. 00:37:04.691 --> 00:37:06.305 align:middle line:84% And you're like, OK, you're not going to get through here 00:37:06.305 --> 00:37:07.555 align:middle line:90% without getting on your knees. 00:37:07.555 --> 00:37:12.562 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Those little plastic bits mean everything when-- 00:37:12.562 --> 00:37:14.942 align:middle line:90% OK. 00:37:14.942 --> 00:37:17.110 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: It's family friendly. 00:37:17.110 --> 00:37:18.660 align:middle line:90% So people like it. 00:37:18.660 --> 00:37:22.560 align:middle line:84% The reason people like is that a little kid can just win. 00:37:22.560 --> 00:37:25.170 align:middle line:84% Can do really well and win based off the money. 00:37:25.170 --> 00:37:27.080 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: That's kind of like a minimum age 00:37:27.080 --> 00:37:28.593 align:middle line:84% where they get the basic strategy, 00:37:28.593 --> 00:37:31.010 align:middle line:84% and then past that point, it's kind of like anyone's game. 00:37:31.010 --> 00:37:32.052 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: So an anecdote. 00:37:32.052 --> 00:37:33.630 align:middle line:90% I played with my family once. 00:37:33.630 --> 00:37:35.950 align:middle line:84% The first and last time I'll ever play with them. 00:37:35.950 --> 00:37:38.450 align:middle line:84% My sister, she's a year younger than me, and for some reason 00:37:38.450 --> 00:37:40.130 align:middle line:90% always has it out for me. 00:37:40.130 --> 00:37:42.300 align:middle line:84% And so she was about to go bankrupt 00:37:42.300 --> 00:37:44.690 align:middle line:84% and my dad made a deal with her, basically. 00:37:44.690 --> 00:37:47.300 align:middle line:84% So any time you make a profit, you give me two thirds of it 00:37:47.300 --> 00:37:48.860 align:middle line:84% and I'll make sure you never go out. 00:37:48.860 --> 00:37:52.470 align:middle line:84% I was like, now I'm playing against two people. 00:37:52.470 --> 00:37:55.680 align:middle line:84% I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore. 00:37:55.680 --> 00:37:59.810 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: That situation has been described as king-making, 00:37:59.810 --> 00:38:02.190 align:middle line:84% where a player who isn't going to win 00:38:02.190 --> 00:38:04.510 align:middle line:90% decides who's going to win. 00:38:04.510 --> 00:38:08.080 align:middle line:84% And it can be sucky if they're not the person who-- 00:38:08.080 --> 00:38:10.360 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Basically. 00:38:10.360 --> 00:38:13.490 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I actually really like that-- kind of what he said, 00:38:13.490 --> 00:38:17.570 align:middle line:84% but in a different light, that it seems like anyone can win. 00:38:17.570 --> 00:38:19.438 align:middle line:84% But the more you know about the game, 00:38:19.438 --> 00:38:23.044 align:middle line:84% the more you actually start to understand not anyone can win. 00:38:23.044 --> 00:38:26.530 align:middle line:84% And in any game where you're rolling a thousand times, 00:38:26.530 --> 00:38:28.090 align:middle line:84% there's very little luck involved. 00:38:28.090 --> 00:38:30.440 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Because it all averages out. 00:38:30.440 --> 00:38:32.150 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: So yeah, it does allow you 00:38:32.150 --> 00:38:35.262 align:middle line:84% to implement a lot of strategy, even though just about anyone 00:38:35.262 --> 00:38:38.925 align:middle line:84% can play it and understand the rules [INAUDIBLE].. 00:38:38.925 --> 00:38:44.070 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: How many of you play Monopoly with sort 00:38:44.070 --> 00:38:46.115 align:middle line:90% of over-the-table bargaining? 00:38:46.115 --> 00:38:48.060 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: All the time. 00:38:48.060 --> 00:38:49.075 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: All the time? 00:38:49.075 --> 00:38:49.658 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yep. 00:38:49.658 --> 00:38:50.970 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Who doesn't? 00:38:50.970 --> 00:38:52.350 align:middle line:90% Like only the rules? 00:38:52.350 --> 00:38:53.590 align:middle line:90% Only the things that-- 00:38:53.590 --> 00:38:54.920 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: I do only the rules. 00:38:54.920 --> 00:38:55.620 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: You do only the rules. 00:38:55.620 --> 00:38:57.555 align:middle line:84% But do the other people around the table 00:38:57.555 --> 00:39:00.330 align:middle line:84% also do only the rules, or will they play-- 00:39:00.330 --> 00:39:01.622 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: [INTERPOSING VOICES]. 00:39:01.622 --> 00:39:03.872 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Things like, I was going to give you money, 00:39:03.872 --> 00:39:04.960 align:middle line:90% things like that. 00:39:04.960 --> 00:39:07.252 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: They always make me offers that I don't want. 00:39:07.252 --> 00:39:08.947 align:middle line:90% I'm just like, skip it. 00:39:08.947 --> 00:39:11.030 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: There is something that a lot of people 00:39:11.030 --> 00:39:14.672 align:middle line:84% do in Monopoly and that's put money in Free Parking. 00:39:14.672 --> 00:39:15.255 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yep. 00:39:15.255 --> 00:39:16.010 align:middle line:90% Have to. 00:39:16.010 --> 00:39:17.270 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Never do that. 00:39:17.270 --> 00:39:18.380 align:middle line:90% Never do that. 00:39:18.380 --> 00:39:20.744 align:middle line:90% Game gets four times longer. 00:39:20.744 --> 00:39:25.010 align:middle line:84% Never do that because the game is designed to-- 00:39:25.010 --> 00:39:28.650 align:middle line:84% the rules of the game at least was designed to suck money out 00:39:28.650 --> 00:39:29.390 align:middle line:90% of the system. 00:39:29.390 --> 00:39:32.570 align:middle line:84% There are inflows-- things like the collect $200. 00:39:32.570 --> 00:39:35.330 align:middle line:84% Things like the certain Community Chest and Chance 00:39:35.330 --> 00:39:36.380 align:middle line:90% cards. 00:39:36.380 --> 00:39:39.080 align:middle line:84% But the game is also designed to take money 00:39:39.080 --> 00:39:41.210 align:middle line:90% out so that people go bankrupt. 00:39:41.210 --> 00:39:44.480 align:middle line:84% By saying, I'm now losing this money, 00:39:44.480 --> 00:39:46.122 align:middle line:84% but I'm now putting it on this square. 00:39:46.122 --> 00:39:48.080 align:middle line:84% And if anybody happens to land on free parking, 00:39:48.080 --> 00:39:48.920 align:middle line:90% they get all this money. 00:39:48.920 --> 00:39:51.295 align:middle line:84% That money hasn't actually been sucked out of the system. 00:39:51.295 --> 00:39:54.190 align:middle line:84% It's just waiting to be redistributed to somebody else. 00:39:54.190 --> 00:39:57.970 align:middle line:84% And that means people take a very long time to go bankrupt. 00:39:57.970 --> 00:40:00.880 align:middle line:84% And if everyone's complaining about how long the game takes, 00:40:00.880 --> 00:40:02.630 align:middle line:84% you might want to check if you're actually 00:40:02.630 --> 00:40:02.810 align:middle line:90% playing with that rule. 00:40:02.810 --> 00:40:05.450 align:middle line:84% And if you are and you read the rules, it's not there. 00:40:05.450 --> 00:40:07.370 align:middle line:90% It's not there at all. 00:40:07.370 --> 00:40:09.440 align:middle line:84% It's the sort of thing though that 00:40:09.440 --> 00:40:11.810 align:middle line:84% does make it a lot easier for somebody 00:40:11.810 --> 00:40:14.510 align:middle line:84% who is about to go bankrupt to get back into the game. 00:40:14.510 --> 00:40:17.250 align:middle line:84% So now we're back to this whole family-friendly thing, 00:40:17.250 --> 00:40:18.830 align:middle line:90% which is-- 00:40:18.830 --> 00:40:20.930 align:middle line:84% if you are not that great at playing this game, 00:40:20.930 --> 00:40:23.480 align:middle line:84% or maybe even taking it that seriously, 00:40:23.480 --> 00:40:25.230 align:middle line:90% you still stand a chance. 00:40:25.230 --> 00:40:27.620 align:middle line:84% There's a couple of other things about Monopoly. 00:40:27.620 --> 00:40:34.320 align:middle line:84% It's a decent game if you're not at the table all the time. 00:40:34.320 --> 00:40:36.230 align:middle line:84% Say, at Thanksgiving or something, 00:40:36.230 --> 00:40:40.730 align:middle line:84% and somebody is watching the game 00:40:40.730 --> 00:40:44.033 align:middle line:84% or making sure that the turkey doesn't 00:40:44.033 --> 00:40:45.200 align:middle line:90% catch on fire, or something. 00:40:45.200 --> 00:40:47.830 align:middle line:84% That needs to stand up and check, and then 00:40:47.830 --> 00:40:49.362 align:middle line:90% come back to the game. 00:40:49.362 --> 00:40:51.320 align:middle line:84% Everything that you need to know about the game 00:40:51.320 --> 00:40:53.840 align:middle line:84% is right there in front of you at the moment of time 00:40:53.840 --> 00:40:55.340 align:middle line:84% when you need to make your decision. 00:40:55.340 --> 00:40:58.085 align:middle line:90% There's very little-- 00:40:58.085 --> 00:40:59.960 align:middle line:84% I don't think there's any hidden information, 00:40:59.960 --> 00:41:01.960 align:middle line:84% except for the amount of money that people have. 00:41:01.960 --> 00:41:05.360 align:middle line:84% And that's usually fairly easy to just see. 00:41:05.360 --> 00:41:08.335 align:middle line:84% Some people get very secretive, but most people don't. 00:41:08.335 --> 00:41:10.850 align:middle line:90% 00:41:10.850 --> 00:41:13.920 align:middle line:84% Monopoly is an incredibly successful game. 00:41:13.920 --> 00:41:16.210 align:middle line:84% I don't think this is a contentious issue. 00:41:16.210 --> 00:41:19.970 align:middle line:90% It makes a lot of money. 00:41:19.970 --> 00:41:21.920 align:middle line:84% A lot of copies get sold and bought. 00:41:21.920 --> 00:41:25.813 align:middle line:84% And there was some ambivalence here about 00:41:25.813 --> 00:41:27.230 align:middle line:84% whether it was a good game or not. 00:41:27.230 --> 00:41:32.952 align:middle line:84% Why does that game do well, do so commercially well? 00:41:32.952 --> 00:41:36.933 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Because it's easy and well-known. 00:41:36.933 --> 00:41:37.940 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Is it easy? 00:41:37.940 --> 00:41:39.720 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Sorry, easy to pick up. 00:41:39.720 --> 00:41:42.110 align:middle line:90% Not necessarily easy to win. 00:41:42.110 --> 00:41:44.150 align:middle line:84% You can take 10, 15 minutes to explain it, 00:41:44.150 --> 00:41:45.390 align:middle line:90% and then you play a game. 00:41:45.390 --> 00:41:46.890 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: 10, 15 minutes to explain 00:41:46.890 --> 00:41:48.080 align:middle line:90% if you already know the rules. 00:41:48.080 --> 00:41:49.313 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: If one person knows. 00:41:49.313 --> 00:41:50.530 align:middle line:84% Just explaining to another person. 00:41:50.530 --> 00:41:52.863 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: But chances are somebody does know the rules. 00:41:52.863 --> 00:41:55.400 align:middle line:84% Somebody in that room probably has played Monopoly. 00:41:55.400 --> 00:41:56.360 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Because it's so well-known. 00:41:56.360 --> 00:41:57.943 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Because it's so well-known. 00:41:57.943 --> 00:41:59.360 align:middle line:90% [INTERPOSING VOICES] 00:41:59.360 --> 00:42:02.152 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: It's sort of like the classic that-- 00:42:02.152 --> 00:42:05.560 align:middle line:84% it's an old game that exits before many other games. 00:42:05.560 --> 00:42:08.510 align:middle line:84% Also, it's easy to play because you don't make decisions, 00:42:08.510 --> 00:42:09.493 align:middle line:90% really. 00:42:09.493 --> 00:42:10.160 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Yeah. 00:42:10.160 --> 00:42:11.740 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: It's easy to play without making a decision. 00:42:11.740 --> 00:42:12.976 align:middle line:90% Like, roll the dice and move. 00:42:12.976 --> 00:42:13.390 align:middle line:90% Roll the dice and move. 00:42:13.390 --> 00:42:15.348 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: If you can afford to buy it, buy it. 00:42:15.348 --> 00:42:16.640 align:middle line:90% That's the decision-making. 00:42:16.640 --> 00:42:17.870 align:middle line:90% It's not a decision. 00:42:17.870 --> 00:42:18.843 align:middle line:90% It's strategy. 00:42:18.843 --> 00:42:21.010 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I hate it when people make long decisions, 00:42:21.010 --> 00:42:23.042 align:middle line:84% like do I buy it, for like 15 minutes. 00:42:23.042 --> 00:42:24.250 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: And it's like, no. 00:42:24.250 --> 00:42:26.700 align:middle line:90% If you can afford it, buy it. 00:42:26.700 --> 00:42:28.350 align:middle line:90% All right. 00:42:28.350 --> 00:42:31.950 align:middle line:84% So there's a lot to do in the game, though. 00:42:31.950 --> 00:42:33.120 align:middle line:90% You roll the dice. 00:42:33.120 --> 00:42:34.470 align:middle line:90% You pull cards out. 00:42:34.470 --> 00:42:35.695 align:middle line:90% You move your little dog. 00:42:35.695 --> 00:42:38.820 align:middle line:90% 00:42:38.820 --> 00:42:41.860 align:middle line:84% You can make bargains with people over the table. 00:42:41.860 --> 00:42:44.108 align:middle line:84% You pick your little houses and you put the down 00:42:44.108 --> 00:42:45.150 align:middle line:90% and you turn into hotels. 00:42:45.150 --> 00:42:46.925 align:middle line:84% So there's a lot of busy work that you 00:42:46.925 --> 00:42:49.050 align:middle line:84% get to do without having to make a single decision. 00:42:49.050 --> 00:42:52.730 align:middle line:84% So you feel very active while you're doing it. 00:42:52.730 --> 00:42:54.940 align:middle line:84% Any other ideas about why it might be popular? 00:42:54.940 --> 00:42:57.550 align:middle line:84% We already talked about how well-known it is. 00:42:57.550 --> 00:43:00.514 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: They sell different versions of the same game. 00:43:00.514 --> 00:43:04.350 align:middle line:84% If you want one that's Star Wars-themed, [INAUDIBLE].. 00:43:04.350 --> 00:43:07.740 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Trivially reskinnable. 00:43:07.740 --> 00:43:09.980 align:middle line:84% I have Monopoly Singapore somewhere. 00:43:09.980 --> 00:43:11.460 align:middle line:90% It's where I'm from. 00:43:11.460 --> 00:43:14.290 align:middle line:84% They just renamed all the properties. 00:43:14.290 --> 00:43:17.038 align:middle line:84% All the amounts of money are exactly the same 00:43:17.038 --> 00:43:19.030 align:middle line:90% as your standard Monopoly. 00:43:19.030 --> 00:43:22.028 align:middle line:84% I think there are some more clever versions of Monopoly 00:43:22.028 --> 00:43:23.820 align:middle line:84% out there where you add in a few new rules. 00:43:23.820 --> 00:43:25.770 align:middle line:84% But you're right, you can easily sell 00:43:25.770 --> 00:43:29.364 align:middle line:84% somebody who has a monopoly a different copy of Monopoly. 00:43:29.364 --> 00:43:32.230 align:middle line:90% 00:43:32.230 --> 00:43:37.225 align:middle line:84% But is that person buying a new copy of Monopoly? 00:43:37.225 --> 00:43:38.850 align:middle line:84% If you already have a copy of Monopoly, 00:43:38.850 --> 00:43:41.570 align:middle line:84% are you buying yourself a new copy of Monopoly? 00:43:41.570 --> 00:43:44.133 align:middle line:90% 00:43:44.133 --> 00:43:45.800 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I guess you're buying yourself 00:43:45.800 --> 00:43:47.680 align:middle line:90% a new skin of Monopoly. 00:43:47.680 --> 00:43:48.550 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Are you? 00:43:48.550 --> 00:43:51.340 align:middle line:84% Does anyone actually pay money for that? 00:43:51.340 --> 00:43:52.200 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: No. 00:43:52.200 --> 00:43:53.450 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: I think you get it. 00:43:53.450 --> 00:43:54.760 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: They're good gifts. 00:43:54.760 --> 00:43:56.200 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: They're a good gift. 00:43:56.200 --> 00:44:00.400 align:middle line:84% That's the dirty, little secret about all these Parker 00:44:00.400 --> 00:44:01.910 align:middle line:90% Brothers, Hasbro. 00:44:01.910 --> 00:44:03.430 align:middle line:90% Maybe it's not dirty. 00:44:03.430 --> 00:44:05.140 align:middle line:90% It's the reality. 00:44:05.140 --> 00:44:11.320 align:middle line:84% The majority of board games, these super, mega, ultra 00:44:11.320 --> 00:44:14.470 align:middle line:84% perennial favorites are not bought by the people 00:44:14.470 --> 00:44:15.760 align:middle line:90% who are playing them. 00:44:15.760 --> 00:44:20.170 align:middle line:84% They are bought by somebody else or given as a gift. 00:44:20.170 --> 00:44:22.983 align:middle line:84% Which means you can expect that they usually sell most 00:44:22.983 --> 00:44:26.110 align:middle line:90% of the copies at Christmas. 00:44:26.110 --> 00:44:30.940 align:middle line:84% And people might get them for their birthdays. 00:44:30.940 --> 00:44:34.420 align:middle line:84% And that's the difference between a game that shows up 00:44:34.420 --> 00:44:37.840 align:middle line:84% in Target and Wal-Mart and a game that 00:44:37.840 --> 00:44:40.405 align:middle line:84% shows up in a speciality board game store. 00:44:40.405 --> 00:44:43.360 align:middle line:84% You walk into a specialty board game store, which is probably 00:44:43.360 --> 00:44:45.970 align:middle line:84% under threat by companies like Amazon, 00:44:45.970 --> 00:44:48.280 align:middle line:84% and you're buying a game for yourself. 00:44:48.280 --> 00:44:52.680 align:middle line:84% You're buying special dice because your role playing game, 00:44:52.680 --> 00:44:54.378 align:middle line:90% game player or miniatures. 00:44:54.378 --> 00:44:56.170 align:middle line:84% And right next to that are the board games. 00:44:56.170 --> 00:44:59.770 align:middle line:84% And you say, hey, this will be fun for my next gathering, 00:44:59.770 --> 00:45:03.310 align:middle line:84% either at some friend's house or at my own place, or something 00:45:03.310 --> 00:45:03.980 align:middle line:90% like that. 00:45:03.980 --> 00:45:05.676 align:middle line:90% I want to play this game. 00:45:05.676 --> 00:45:07.590 align:middle line:84% You buy a Monopoly and it's usually not 00:45:07.590 --> 00:45:08.590 align:middle line:90% for your own collection. 00:45:08.590 --> 00:45:10.020 align:middle line:90% It's usually for somebody else. 00:45:10.020 --> 00:45:12.090 align:middle line:84% So you give Monopoly to somebody else who already has it. 00:45:12.090 --> 00:45:14.673 align:middle line:84% And it's fine because you just gave them the Star Wars version 00:45:14.673 --> 00:45:16.090 align:middle line:90% and they didn't have that. 00:45:16.090 --> 00:45:19.300 align:middle line:90% That's how they're successful. 00:45:19.300 --> 00:45:21.610 align:middle line:84% I guess what I'm trying to say is not necessarily-- 00:45:21.610 --> 00:45:23.920 align:middle line:84% it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how 00:45:23.920 --> 00:45:25.150 align:middle line:90% well the game is designed. 00:45:25.150 --> 00:45:29.987 align:middle line:84% There are a couple of nice things that Monopoly does. 00:45:29.987 --> 00:45:32.070 align:middle line:84% We talked about how it's relatively easy to learn. 00:45:32.070 --> 00:45:34.210 align:middle line:84% The fact that it's been around makes it very easy to teach. 00:45:34.210 --> 00:45:35.890 align:middle line:84% It's very friendly to people who are 00:45:35.890 --> 00:45:38.390 align:middle line:84% playing on some sort of interrupted schedule. 00:45:38.390 --> 00:45:41.298 align:middle line:84% But that's not the reason that it's a successful game. 00:45:41.298 --> 00:45:42.881 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: So I think a lot of it comes 00:45:42.881 --> 00:45:44.750 align:middle line:90% from like the snowball effect. 00:45:44.750 --> 00:45:46.858 align:middle line:90% Everyone knows about Monopoly. 00:45:46.858 --> 00:45:48.794 align:middle line:84% If we assume that's true, how do you then 00:45:48.794 --> 00:45:51.720 align:middle line:84% make a commercially successful board game? 00:45:51.720 --> 00:45:54.960 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: How much marketing money do you have? 00:45:54.960 --> 00:45:56.830 align:middle line:90% I mean, we've got Blokus here. 00:45:56.830 --> 00:46:00.250 align:middle line:84% That's probably one of the more successful recent entries. 00:46:00.250 --> 00:46:04.630 align:middle line:84% And there's a couple of ways to be 00:46:04.630 --> 00:46:09.940 align:middle line:84% able to get a large number of families to buy a board game. 00:46:09.940 --> 00:46:12.790 align:middle line:84% If you're living in Germany, there 00:46:12.790 --> 00:46:17.050 align:middle line:84% is a big conference called the Essen Spiel, I believe. 00:46:17.050 --> 00:46:21.040 align:middle line:84% I might be mangling the language here in the town of Essen. 00:46:21.040 --> 00:46:24.840 align:middle line:84% There are smaller conferences in places like Leipzig. 00:46:24.840 --> 00:46:28.240 align:middle line:90% But what they are-- 00:46:28.240 --> 00:46:30.550 align:middle line:84% in addition to the vendors bringing 00:46:30.550 --> 00:46:33.160 align:middle line:84% all of their old and the new board games saying like, 00:46:33.160 --> 00:46:34.990 align:middle line:90% this is what we have on sale. 00:46:34.990 --> 00:46:37.270 align:middle line:84% We have tons and tons and tons of families 00:46:37.270 --> 00:46:38.660 align:middle line:84% going there trying to decide what 00:46:38.660 --> 00:46:40.120 align:middle line:90% they're buying for Christmas. 00:46:40.120 --> 00:46:44.050 align:middle line:84% And in Germany, that is kind of like an annual tradition 00:46:44.050 --> 00:46:47.056 align:middle line:84% for families to buy a Christmas game. 00:46:47.056 --> 00:46:49.644 align:middle line:84% Built on top of that, there is this thing-- 00:46:49.644 --> 00:46:52.974 align:middle line:90% 00:46:52.974 --> 00:46:57.610 align:middle line:84% I'm going to mangle all the German in here. 00:46:57.610 --> 00:46:59.000 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: BoardGameGeek. 00:46:59.000 --> 00:47:01.515 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: The Spiel des Jahres. 00:47:01.515 --> 00:47:02.640 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Spiel des Jahres. 00:47:02.640 --> 00:47:03.420 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Oh. 00:47:03.420 --> 00:47:05.200 align:middle line:90% Yeah, OK. 00:47:05.200 --> 00:47:07.480 align:middle line:84% Basically, game of the year award 00:47:07.480 --> 00:47:12.340 align:middle line:84% that is awarded, I believe, at Essen, they 00:47:12.340 --> 00:47:15.300 align:middle line:90% definitely do a big thing. 00:47:15.300 --> 00:47:20.300 align:middle line:90% 00:47:20.300 --> 00:47:22.700 align:middle line:84% I'm not exactly sure how the timing lines up. 00:47:22.700 --> 00:47:24.350 align:middle line:84% But definitely, the game that happens 00:47:24.350 --> 00:47:26.420 align:middle line:84% to be awarded game of the year is 00:47:26.420 --> 00:47:31.220 align:middle line:84% going to be the biggest mover at a convention like-- 00:47:31.220 --> 00:47:35.600 align:middle line:84% convention is not the right word I am looking for. 00:47:35.600 --> 00:47:38.660 align:middle line:90% Its more like a trade fair. 00:47:38.660 --> 00:47:40.970 align:middle line:90% That's probably a good example. 00:47:40.970 --> 00:47:43.730 align:middle line:84% And just lots and lots of families will go there. 00:47:43.730 --> 00:47:46.678 align:middle line:84% They will buy a lot of the game of the year 00:47:46.678 --> 00:47:48.470 align:middle line:84% because a bunch of board game critics said, 00:47:48.470 --> 00:47:51.530 align:middle line:84% this is the best new game that came out this past year. 00:47:51.530 --> 00:47:56.180 align:middle line:84% And then, all that money gets circulated back into marketing. 00:47:56.180 --> 00:47:57.560 align:middle line:90% You see more ads. 00:47:57.560 --> 00:48:01.990 align:middle line:84% You see the awards sticker on the side of the boxes. 00:48:01.990 --> 00:48:03.373 align:middle line:90% More families buy it. 00:48:03.373 --> 00:48:05.540 align:middle line:84% And that just snowballs on top of each other, right? 00:48:05.540 --> 00:48:08.980 align:middle line:84% So winning sort of similar things in the US I 00:48:08.980 --> 00:48:10.860 align:middle line:90% believe there are-- 00:48:10.860 --> 00:48:11.860 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: BoardGameGeek. 00:48:11.860 --> 00:48:13.096 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: ABC News. 00:48:13.096 --> 00:48:14.138 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: BoardGameGeek. 00:48:14.138 --> 00:48:16.400 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Yeah, they have their own con in Texas. 00:48:16.400 --> 00:48:17.930 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Yeah. 00:48:17.930 --> 00:48:19.970 align:middle line:90% But not that many families. 00:48:19.970 --> 00:48:23.420 align:middle line:84% I mean, I'm thinking more like ABC News 00:48:23.420 --> 00:48:30.320 align:middle line:84% doing a top 10 hot toys for this Christmas kind of thing. 00:48:30.320 --> 00:48:34.002 align:middle line:84% That's the sort of thing that bumps you up from a game 00:48:34.002 --> 00:48:35.460 align:middle line:84% that you buy for yourself to a game 00:48:35.460 --> 00:48:37.860 align:middle line:84% you start buying for other people, which multiplies how 00:48:37.860 --> 00:48:40.396 align:middle line:90% many copies actually get sold. 00:48:40.396 --> 00:48:43.910 align:middle line:90% 00:48:43.910 --> 00:48:44.780 align:middle line:90% So that's one way. 00:48:44.780 --> 00:48:47.240 align:middle line:84% That's usually one way that it happens. 00:48:47.240 --> 00:48:49.900 align:middle line:84% That's not to say that a game that-- 00:48:49.900 --> 00:48:51.537 align:middle line:84% what's called an enthusiast board game. 00:48:51.537 --> 00:48:53.120 align:middle line:84% A game that's basically sold to people 00:48:53.120 --> 00:48:55.095 align:middle line:84% who are buying it for themselves can't 00:48:55.095 --> 00:48:56.220 align:middle line:90% be commercially successful. 00:48:56.220 --> 00:48:59.510 align:middle line:84% It just means that you need to make enough money that you 00:48:59.510 --> 00:49:01.910 align:middle line:90% made a profit on it. 00:49:01.910 --> 00:49:04.910 align:middle line:90% And a lot of these games-- 00:49:04.910 --> 00:49:11.000 align:middle line:84% I think of all the games that I've got today, let's see. 00:49:11.000 --> 00:49:17.210 align:middle line:84% This is probably-- let me see if this won any awards actually. 00:49:17.210 --> 00:49:19.340 align:middle line:84% This is probably the sort of game 00:49:19.340 --> 00:49:21.820 align:middle line:90% that you would buy for families. 00:49:21.820 --> 00:49:22.852 align:middle line:90% This is Set. 00:49:22.852 --> 00:49:24.560 align:middle line:84% And of course, missing it's original box. 00:49:24.560 --> 00:49:27.710 align:middle line:90% But you have played Set, right? 00:49:27.710 --> 00:49:30.200 align:middle line:90% OK. 00:49:30.200 --> 00:49:33.350 align:middle line:84% So this probably fits into the category of a game 00:49:33.350 --> 00:49:35.690 align:middle line:84% that somebody in the room has probably played once 00:49:35.690 --> 00:49:39.030 align:middle line:84% and can teach everybody else how to play. 00:49:39.030 --> 00:49:42.030 align:middle line:84% Who's played Blokus before today? 00:49:42.030 --> 00:49:42.620 align:middle line:90% Yep. 00:49:42.620 --> 00:49:43.350 align:middle line:90% OK. 00:49:43.350 --> 00:49:45.440 align:middle line:84% How many people played with your family? 00:49:45.440 --> 00:49:46.760 align:middle line:90% Before you came to-- 00:49:46.760 --> 00:49:49.530 align:middle line:84% how many of you played before you came to MIT? 00:49:49.530 --> 00:49:50.030 align:middle line:90% OK. 00:49:50.030 --> 00:49:51.550 align:middle line:90% High school? 00:49:51.550 --> 00:49:52.550 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Middle school. 00:49:52.550 --> 00:49:54.090 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Middle school? 00:49:54.090 --> 00:49:54.590 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 00:49:54.590 --> 00:49:58.340 align:middle line:84% So I think the reason for it-- this is Mattel. 00:49:58.340 --> 00:50:00.581 align:middle line:84% So they certainly know their marketing. 00:50:00.581 --> 00:50:03.030 align:middle line:84% But I think the reason why this got popular was again, 00:50:03.030 --> 00:50:08.670 align:middle line:84% one of those top 10 toys to buy that Christmas 00:50:08.670 --> 00:50:09.830 align:middle line:90% when it was released. 00:50:09.830 --> 00:50:11.580 align:middle line:84% And that's why Blokus really took off. 00:50:11.580 --> 00:50:12.860 align:middle line:90% It's a well-designed game. 00:50:12.860 --> 00:50:14.250 align:middle line:84% You don't get on those lists without being 00:50:14.250 --> 00:50:14.860 align:middle line:90% a well-designed game. 00:50:14.860 --> 00:50:17.450 align:middle line:84% But that's not the reason why these games are successful. 00:50:17.450 --> 00:50:20.240 align:middle line:84% That's kind of the bare minimum to even 00:50:20.240 --> 00:50:26.110 align:middle line:84% be considered to have designed a well-designed game. 00:50:26.110 --> 00:50:29.493 align:middle line:84% So if you're in this class thinking 00:50:29.493 --> 00:50:31.160 align:middle line:84% that you're going to make a lot of money 00:50:31.160 --> 00:50:36.650 align:middle line:84% as a board game designer, I know people in Hasbro 00:50:36.650 --> 00:50:37.980 align:middle line:90% I can get you in touch with. 00:50:37.980 --> 00:50:41.230 align:middle line:84% And I think they're probably going to say don't expect that. 00:50:41.230 --> 00:50:43.953 align:middle line:90% 00:50:43.953 --> 00:50:48.380 align:middle line:84% You might be able to have a decent living working 00:50:48.380 --> 00:50:50.700 align:middle line:84% in a large company like Hasbro on Mattel, which I think 00:50:50.700 --> 00:50:52.295 align:middle line:90% is the same company, yeah. 00:50:52.295 --> 00:50:54.810 align:middle line:90% 00:50:54.810 --> 00:50:58.820 align:middle line:84% But it's probably not because of the quality 00:50:58.820 --> 00:51:00.410 align:middle line:84% of the games that you're designing, 00:51:00.410 --> 00:51:04.070 align:middle line:84% but more about your ability to design a game based 00:51:04.070 --> 00:51:05.622 align:middle line:84% on s spec that was handed to you. 00:51:05.622 --> 00:51:06.580 align:middle line:90% Based on a requirement. 00:51:06.580 --> 00:51:12.920 align:middle line:84% It's like, we need a Star Wars Risk game by Christmas. 00:51:12.920 --> 00:51:15.320 align:middle line:84% Design it in two months, or something like that. 00:51:15.320 --> 00:51:21.290 align:middle line:84% And you execute that well and you will get a good career 00:51:21.290 --> 00:51:23.872 align:middle line:90% in a place like Hasbro. 00:51:23.872 --> 00:51:26.790 align:middle line:84% If you're designing for yourself, 00:51:26.790 --> 00:51:28.770 align:middle line:84% you should feel very happy if you 00:51:28.770 --> 00:51:32.270 align:middle line:84% manage to make your initial investment back. 00:51:32.270 --> 00:51:36.250 align:middle line:84% A lot of people who are sort of hobbyist game designers 00:51:36.250 --> 00:51:39.680 align:middle line:84% who make incredibly good games don't make back the money 00:51:39.680 --> 00:51:41.660 align:middle line:84% that they initially invested into it. 00:51:41.660 --> 00:51:44.840 align:middle line:90% And that's fine if you know-- 00:51:44.840 --> 00:51:47.690 align:middle line:84% if you went into that business knowing that. 00:51:47.690 --> 00:51:49.910 align:middle line:84% Because for some people, it's just good enough 00:51:49.910 --> 00:51:51.577 align:middle line:84% to be able to have a game with your name 00:51:51.577 --> 00:51:54.260 align:middle line:84% on it being played by a whole bunch of people 00:51:54.260 --> 00:51:56.120 align:middle line:90% who appreciate it. 00:51:56.120 --> 00:51:58.160 align:middle line:90% That's fine. 00:51:58.160 --> 00:52:00.800 align:middle line:84% More likely, a lot of people are going 00:52:00.800 --> 00:52:04.880 align:middle line:84% into careers, I'm assuming, that are not game design. 00:52:04.880 --> 00:52:06.780 align:middle line:90% Some of you are. 00:52:06.780 --> 00:52:09.140 align:middle line:84% But some of you will go into a career that 00:52:09.140 --> 00:52:13.072 align:middle line:84% might benefit from some of the design practices 00:52:13.072 --> 00:52:14.780 align:middle line:84% that you're going to learn in this class. 00:52:14.780 --> 00:52:17.180 align:middle line:90% Not just iterative design. 00:52:17.180 --> 00:52:19.280 align:middle line:84% Although, we've already talked about how 00:52:19.280 --> 00:52:22.520 align:middle line:84% that's relevant to a number of engineering disciplines. 00:52:22.520 --> 00:52:26.360 align:middle line:84% But also, things like you want to teach people 00:52:26.360 --> 00:52:27.990 align:middle line:84% a new system that you've designed, 00:52:27.990 --> 00:52:32.450 align:middle line:84% or a new system that's been put into practice. 00:52:32.450 --> 00:52:34.813 align:middle line:84% You want to create some sort of team building exercise. 00:52:34.813 --> 00:52:36.230 align:middle line:84% You want to communicate to someone 00:52:36.230 --> 00:52:40.110 align:middle line:84% how complex a certain system is that's relevant to you 00:52:40.110 --> 00:52:42.950 align:middle line:84% through your work and your discipline. 00:52:42.950 --> 00:52:44.450 align:middle line:84% There's a bunch of things that games 00:52:44.450 --> 00:52:50.710 align:middle line:84% can do to communicate ideas that might be relevant in whatever 00:52:50.710 --> 00:52:54.980 align:middle line:90% career you end up in. 00:52:54.980 --> 00:52:58.010 align:middle line:84% Even here in MIT, I'm the Creative Director 00:52:58.010 --> 00:52:59.390 align:middle line:90% of the MIT Game Lab. 00:52:59.390 --> 00:53:01.850 align:middle line:84% There's a bunch of different labs here in MIT 00:53:01.850 --> 00:53:08.390 align:middle line:84% who are using games for a variety of different purposes. 00:53:08.390 --> 00:53:08.890 align:middle line:90% Eyewire. 00:53:08.890 --> 00:53:11.550 align:middle line:90% Anyone heard of that one? 00:53:11.550 --> 00:53:12.530 align:middle line:90% Yep. 00:53:12.530 --> 00:53:14.370 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I was in Sebastian Seung's Lab. 00:53:14.370 --> 00:53:15.230 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Yeah. 00:53:15.230 --> 00:53:19.400 align:middle line:84% Over in the Picower Institute right across the street where 00:53:19.400 --> 00:53:22.010 align:middle line:84% the train tracks run under the building, 00:53:22.010 --> 00:53:25.340 align:middle line:84% they've got a game that's basically massively 00:53:25.340 --> 00:53:29.420 align:middle line:84% multiplayer, massively single player really, 00:53:29.420 --> 00:53:37.070 align:middle line:84% and you solve the puzzle which is kind of like paint... 00:53:37.070 --> 00:53:38.690 align:middle line:84% It's kind of like paint by numbers. 00:53:38.690 --> 00:53:41.150 align:middle line:84% You're clicking and you're coloring a field. 00:53:41.150 --> 00:53:44.270 align:middle line:84% What you're really doing is you're identifying neurons 00:53:44.270 --> 00:53:47.760 align:middle line:84% from scanning tunneling microscopes. 00:53:47.760 --> 00:53:51.740 align:middle line:84% These are neurons from a mouse retina. 00:53:51.740 --> 00:53:54.378 align:middle line:84% And you're basically doing all of the pattern recognition 00:53:54.378 --> 00:53:56.420 align:middle line:84% that computers have a tremendously difficult time 00:53:56.420 --> 00:53:58.690 align:middle line:84% to do, but humans actually are pretty good at. 00:53:58.690 --> 00:54:00.950 align:middle line:84% And then, you're accumulating all of that data. 00:54:00.950 --> 00:54:06.530 align:middle line:84% It's a fairly nice, very clicky Minesweeper-ish kind 00:54:06.530 --> 00:54:07.730 align:middle line:90% of feel to this game. 00:54:07.730 --> 00:54:10.450 align:middle line:84% It's like you're just clicking things so that you find-- 00:54:10.450 --> 00:54:12.315 align:middle line:84% they meet a nice contiguous space. 00:54:12.315 --> 00:54:14.690 align:middle line:84% It's a 3D game, So there's some sort of like mental hoops 00:54:14.690 --> 00:54:15.898 align:middle line:90% that your brain gets through. 00:54:15.898 --> 00:54:18.732 align:middle line:84% And kind of nice build, puzzle feeling. 00:54:18.732 --> 00:54:20.315 align:middle line:84% But what you're really doing is you're 00:54:20.315 --> 00:54:22.700 align:middle line:84% providing Sebastian Seung's lab with a ton 00:54:22.700 --> 00:54:29.718 align:middle line:84% of data about how a mouse's eye is wired, which is amazing. 00:54:29.718 --> 00:54:31.510 align:middle line:84% And I think they've got a couple of papers. 00:54:31.510 --> 00:54:32.240 align:middle line:90% So try it. 00:54:32.240 --> 00:54:35.070 align:middle line:90% It's real fun. 00:54:35.070 --> 00:54:39.132 align:middle line:84% Anyone here from systems, systems dynamics? 00:54:39.132 --> 00:54:40.050 align:middle line:90% No? 00:54:40.050 --> 00:54:40.550 align:middle line:90% Engineering. 00:54:40.550 --> 00:54:44.750 align:middle line:84% I their parent group is the AeroAstro department. 00:54:44.750 --> 00:54:48.487 align:middle line:90% 00:54:48.487 --> 00:54:50.087 align:middle line:90% [BACKGROUND NOISE] 00:54:50.087 --> 00:54:50.670 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: OK. 00:54:50.670 --> 00:54:53.240 align:middle line:90% 00:54:53.240 --> 00:54:57.340 align:middle line:84% Do you think that's a kid out there? 00:54:57.340 --> 00:55:00.345 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I wonder if they're walking away or not. 00:55:00.345 --> 00:55:02.470 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Just like a three-year-old or something, 00:55:02.470 --> 00:55:03.290 align:middle line:90% that's fine. 00:55:03.290 --> 00:55:05.392 align:middle line:84% But I hope it's not someone who's hurt. 00:55:05.392 --> 00:55:08.090 align:middle line:90% 00:55:08.090 --> 00:55:14.390 align:middle line:84% But a lot of system dynamics folks on campus, engineering 00:55:14.390 --> 00:55:16.010 align:middle line:84% systems design for instance, will 00:55:16.010 --> 00:55:18.500 align:middle line:84% use games to try to teach clients 00:55:18.500 --> 00:55:21.290 align:middle line:84% about certain engineering practices. 00:55:21.290 --> 00:55:27.414 align:middle line:84% So there's a group here that has a game called Space Tug-- 00:55:27.414 --> 00:55:28.806 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Space Tug Skirmish? 00:55:28.806 --> 00:55:30.080 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Yeah, skirmish. 00:55:30.080 --> 00:55:30.866 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: I've played that. 00:55:30.866 --> 00:55:32.408 align:middle line:84% My roommate worked there last summer. 00:55:32.408 --> 00:55:33.183 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Yeah. 00:55:33.183 --> 00:55:34.110 align:middle line:90% At UROP? 00:55:34.110 --> 00:55:35.240 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yeah. 00:55:35.240 --> 00:55:37.822 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: And I think they're still looking for more UROPs 00:55:37.822 --> 00:55:40.280 align:middle line:84% because they've turned their board game into a digital game 00:55:40.280 --> 00:55:42.458 align:middle line:84% and they need to keep working on it. 00:55:42.458 --> 00:55:44.500 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: And it just [INAUDIBLE] three weeks ago 00:55:44.500 --> 00:55:45.167 align:middle line:90% and [INAUDIBLE]. 00:55:45.167 --> 00:55:46.490 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Yeah. 00:55:46.490 --> 00:55:50.322 align:middle line:90% It's kind of got a-- 00:55:50.322 --> 00:55:52.280 align:middle line:84% I was going to say a Magic: The Gathering feel, 00:55:52.280 --> 00:55:54.260 align:middle line:84% but that's not really true anymore, 00:55:54.260 --> 00:55:56.500 align:middle line:84% the way how the game has evolved. 00:55:56.500 --> 00:56:00.020 align:middle line:84% But it's primarily a card game about building satellites, 00:56:00.020 --> 00:56:01.730 align:middle line:90% launching them into space. 00:56:01.730 --> 00:56:04.100 align:middle line:84% And then realizing that by the time you launch something 00:56:04.100 --> 00:56:05.517 align:middle line:84% into space, it's kind of obsolete. 00:56:05.517 --> 00:56:08.910 align:middle line:84% And the question is, how do you design a satellite 00:56:08.910 --> 00:56:12.370 align:middle line:84% so that it can adapt to changing circumstances? 00:56:12.370 --> 00:56:16.070 align:middle line:84% That's what they are teaching people from NASA, 00:56:16.070 --> 00:56:19.308 align:middle line:90% from the military about. 00:56:19.308 --> 00:56:21.350 align:middle line:84% And they decided that games are the way to do it. 00:56:21.350 --> 00:56:22.558 align:middle line:90% It started with a board game. 00:56:22.558 --> 00:56:23.820 align:middle line:90% They're going to digital game. 00:56:23.820 --> 00:56:26.870 align:middle line:84% It's a very large group here on campus 00:56:26.870 --> 00:56:30.200 align:middle line:84% called the Scheller Teacher Education Program. 00:56:30.200 --> 00:56:38.180 align:middle line:84% And they design games for K-12 to freshmen undergraduate-level 00:56:38.180 --> 00:56:41.120 align:middle line:90% science, math, language. 00:56:41.120 --> 00:56:45.560 align:middle line:84% How to better address some problems in curriculum, 00:56:45.560 --> 00:56:48.690 align:middle line:84% in sub-standard classroom curriculum. 00:56:48.690 --> 00:56:50.210 align:middle line:90% So they've done MMOs. 00:56:50.210 --> 00:56:51.890 align:middle line:90% They've done puzzle games. 00:56:51.890 --> 00:56:54.020 align:middle line:84% They've done a lot of stuff on Flash 00:56:54.020 --> 00:56:56.720 align:middle line:84% because it's very easy to get Flash running in a school. 00:56:56.720 --> 00:56:59.503 align:middle line:84% It's very much harder to get a whole school out 00:56:59.503 --> 00:57:01.420 align:middle line:84% to download a piece of software and install it 00:57:01.420 --> 00:57:04.580 align:middle line:90% across all the computers. 00:57:04.580 --> 00:57:05.900 align:middle line:90% All these places have UROPs. 00:57:05.900 --> 00:57:06.650 align:middle line:90% My lab has UROPs. 00:57:06.650 --> 00:57:08.888 align:middle line:84% So if you're interested in any of these things, 00:57:08.888 --> 00:57:10.430 align:middle line:84% you should definitely check them out. 00:57:10.430 --> 00:57:13.842 align:middle line:90% You can ask me for more leads. 00:57:13.842 --> 00:57:15.050 align:middle line:90% There are a lot of different. 00:57:15.050 --> 00:57:16.640 align:middle line:90% And finally, back to AeroAstro. 00:57:16.640 --> 00:57:22.420 align:middle line:84% There is a group that works with zero gravity satellites. 00:57:22.420 --> 00:57:23.420 align:middle line:90% What am I talking about? 00:57:23.420 --> 00:57:24.400 align:middle line:90% They're satellites. 00:57:24.400 --> 00:57:25.220 align:middle line:90% They work in zero gravity. 00:57:25.220 --> 00:57:25.970 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: SPHERES? 00:57:25.970 --> 00:57:27.130 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: SPHERES, yeah. 00:57:27.130 --> 00:57:29.780 align:middle line:84% These little compressed, I think, 00:57:29.780 --> 00:57:36.585 align:middle line:84% carbon dioxide propelled SPHERES. 00:57:36.585 --> 00:57:39.260 align:middle line:84% They look like gigantic dice, actually. 00:57:39.260 --> 00:57:41.230 align:middle line:90% And they spin around in space. 00:57:41.230 --> 00:57:44.540 align:middle line:90% And they'll run C code. 00:57:44.540 --> 00:57:46.850 align:middle line:84% And they have a high school programming competition, 00:57:46.850 --> 00:57:51.170 align:middle line:84% kind of like the FIRST robotics tournaments. 00:57:51.170 --> 00:57:53.050 align:middle line:90% Think of that in zero gravity. 00:57:53.050 --> 00:57:55.123 align:middle line:84% So they have you accomplish things. 00:57:55.123 --> 00:57:58.010 align:middle line:84% It's a pretty cool high school education 00:57:58.010 --> 00:58:02.090 align:middle line:84% thing to connect high school kids to space, basically. 00:58:02.090 --> 00:58:03.530 align:middle line:84% I know they are looking for UROPs. 00:58:03.530 --> 00:58:05.780 align:middle line:84% So if you're interested in that, you should definitely 00:58:05.780 --> 00:58:06.697 align:middle line:90% talk to me about that. 00:58:06.697 --> 00:58:10.490 align:middle line:84% I'll give you the contact information. 00:58:10.490 --> 00:58:14.968 align:middle line:84% So I've been yammering for about an hour. 00:58:14.968 --> 00:58:15.760 align:middle line:90% Let's take a break. 00:58:15.760 --> 00:58:16.617 align:middle line:90% Stretch. 00:58:16.617 --> 00:58:18.450 align:middle line:84% I'll start distributing some of these games. 00:58:18.450 --> 00:58:19.950 align:middle line:84% So we have one more discussion topic 00:58:19.950 --> 00:58:21.838 align:middle line:90% before we go into game planning. 00:58:21.838 --> 00:58:24.130 align:middle line:84% Some people should probably distribute stuff up here as 00:58:24.130 --> 00:58:24.230 align:middle line:90% well. 00:58:24.230 --> 00:58:25.990 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Where's the nearest bathroom? 00:58:25.990 --> 00:58:28.030 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Bathrooms are out to the right. 00:58:28.030 --> 00:58:29.280 align:middle line:90% [INTERPOSING VOICES] 00:58:29.280 --> 00:58:31.127 align:middle line:90%