Games
-
Background: There have been a number of historical attempts to bring exercise and video games together. However, these have mostly required additional attachments and/or gimmicky peripherals in order to function. But improved computer vision algorithms (plus the widespread availability of inexpensive cameras on laptops, televisions, and monitors) mean that it is now possible for the…
-
Background: There have, in the past, been many attempts to make educational games. With the exception of a few unusual successes (with The_Oregon_Trail perhaps being the earliest), these “edu-tainment” titles have generally been colossal failures. The proposal: However, there is no reason that the fusion of gameplay and education must necessarily result in a terrible game. Here,…
-
Background: Some games are notorious for having extremely complex rulesets. For example, the card game Magic: The Gathering has pages and pages of additional rules, commentary, and clarification. An actual example: “8/1/2005 Goblin King now has the Goblin creature type and its ability has been reworded to affect *other* Goblins. This means that if two…
-
Background: We previously focused on adding a sense of danger to a computer game by adding new consequence for failure. (Specifically, adding an increasingly-onerous delay to the player respawn timer.) In this follow-up idea, we suggest two motivating premises: If a player has no consequences for failure, then they will not as keenly feel…
-
Background: Modern video games are, with a few notable exceptions, generally designed to minimize the amount of irritation and aggravation that the player experiences. The issue: However, one flip side to the general “smooth sailing” experience of gameplay is the lack of any “stake” of the user in the gameworld, which reduces the tension and…
-
Background: Sometimes, when playing tennis, one of the participants may wish to play a jaunty tune to raise the spirits of their partner (in a doubles match), or perhaps they may wish to play a mocking tune to demoralize their opponent. However, currently this is not possible, as holding a tennis racquet precludes the playing…
-
Background: Relatively few games have equipment choice as an element. For example, in tennis, there is no such thing as a “lob racquet” versus a “serving racquet.” Presumably this is because of the difficulty in quickly switching out equipment in a time-sensitive sports. But in a game like golf, where there is plenty of time…
-
The Issue: There are a number of popular computer games that take place in forbidding environments—in a blizzard atop a snowy beak, or inside a volcanic caldera. However, there is no way of conveying the real feeling of temperature to the player. In a game like Skyrim, the player will be no worse for the…
WorstPlans: updated every Monday since July 2014! 
You must be logged in to post a comment.