[arg_discuss] Interactive Experiments

[Morgan Calhoon]

Hey...sorry for the delay in responding, I just finished putting up an art
exhibition...

When I do my "interactive experiments" I try to find a simple mechanic or
interaction that I think might be an interesting component to a larger game.
They are not always completely unique, but I want to see firsthand how the
activity develops and how users interact with it and the other participants.


Since I'm in graduate school and work part-time at a board game
manufacturer, I have a lot of exposure to people who would have enough time
or interest to participate. The undergraduates and other graduate students
have all been very helpful and are easily persuaded by the promise of a good
time or a beer. My coworkers are also helpful because they are curious what
I'm doing in graduate school. I usually use a very small number of people
for at least the initial experiment - I've used as little as three. After
deciding if the idea has any promise I refine the experiment and try it
again. The most participation I have had is 30 people.

I understand that games and interactions change with the number of
participants, but I like that this method prevents me from wasting time on
things that won't work and helps me figure out the bugs on ideas. Most of my
experiments are fairly low tech, at least initially. I usually have ideas
about how I'd like the tech parts to work, but sometimes I think it's more
important to see if the basic idea is any fun before trying to figure out
how to make the technology work properly. I'm just getting to a point where
I'm starting to combine my experiments together.

I tend to think a lot about the system and functions of a game first and
then add a story or skin to it. Most people I have met seem to work the
opposite way, but this seems to work for me.

I'm including the analysis of one of my experiments below...

*Name:* What Would You Do? (WWYD?)

*Objective:* to test out picture messaging as a potential game mechanic, to
see if players are more or less adventurous with someone else's decisions,
to transfer some in-game control from the game's creator to the game's
players, to see if players would play a game where they needed to be "on
call" for a set amount of time.

*Importance:* I am very used to controlling games because I created them and
it was important for me to temporarily relinquish some of that power,
perceived or actual, to the players. I needed to be just as dedicated to the
game as the players for the game to function. I was curious if the picture
messages would be engaging enough to hold the players' attention and
dedication for 3 hours.
*
Method/Gameplay:* I gathered 3 participants (2 graduate students and 1 adult
with a typical work schedule) to play the game on a predetermined Friday
from 10am-1pm. Each participant was sent a picture message the evening
before to remind them of the event. At 10am I sent all players a picture
message and a short question. Example: I took a picture down the street
where I was and asked, "Where should I go?" Then I would follow the
directions of the person who responded first and took another photo to show
what I did. This process continued once every 15 minutes.
*
Strategies/Technologies:* I tried to take pictures that were interesting or
amusing to the players. It was also important that I asked a general
question and let the picture itself constrain possible responses further
because I thought this would more actively involve the participants. After
picture message the players I uploaded the question and answer images to
flickr so that the participants could see what the outcomes were.
*
Outcome:* The short time period between messages made it necessary for me to
think of topics and photos quickly. Sometimes I had barely sent the message
and had already received a reply. This was relieving because I was no longer
wondering what I would do next. Some of the responses were also humorous.
Example: I took a photo of a display of books and asked, "What book should I
buy for my dad?" Two of the players responded, "The one with the hot girl."
One player said she enjoyed getting so many picture messages and the
excitement to see what each one was of. My questions and photos got
increasingly more random and creative as the game progressed.

The game would have been improved had I figured how to upload the photos
somewhere that the players could check to see what the outcomes were more
immediately, instead of the following day. I think it would have also been
interesting to allow people who do not have picture phones to participate
from online in the decision-making process. I'm also curious what kind of
photos and questions other people might use if they were the person in that
role.

Sorry this is so long! I really wanted to answer your questions and share
what I'm working on.

Thanks! Morgan