An Introspective Look at My Feelings on Design

Why do we live? We live for the good feelings. Happiness, joy, satisfaction...My joy in life derives from creating satisfying experiences for others – I watch people play to see them have fun. My ultimate goal is always to give the player something they didn't have before, and this focus causes me to be continuously pushing my designs to be the best they can be. I am never finished. I am passionate about creating engaging experiences. 

Good feelings come from many different places - successful encounters, accomplishment, entertainment, relaxation, companionship...What can we as designers give to people that they can't get for themselves? I do not study games, I study experiences. I watch people enjoy what they are doing in any environment, to try to learn how I can give that enjoyment to others. 

Henry Ford wanted to make it possible for every person to own a car; Bill Gates wanted everyone to have a personal computer; I want everyone to have fun. I believe we should treat fun as a commodity: it can be given or taken away, people will pay great prices for it, and it is something everyone wants though they may want it in different ways). 

We as designers wage a constant war against misery...our purpose, our job, our calling is to ease the misery of the world, to create a haven of happiness, to find the gems of good feelings and show others where they are. It has been my mission my entire life to make others as happy as possible, and designing games is the means by which I can accomplish that goal.

Design for my first card game for my independent study

Perfect Lunch

A Healthy Eating Card Game

References:

Spoons - take turns drawing/discarding cards until you have a perfect hand

Sorry Revenge - try to stop your opponent from getting a perfect hand

Nines - choose when to end the game, make sure you have as good a score as you can but go out early enough that your opponent doesn’t have a perfect hand

Cards:

Orange (grain):

Whole grain pasta 2 points

Bagel with butter 1 point

Captain Crunch 0 points

Green (fruits and veggies):

Raw Carrots 2 points

Salad 2 points

Apple 2 points

Steamed Broccoli 1 point

Red (protein):

Grilled Chicken Breast 2 points

Salmon 2 points

Almonds 2 points

Tofu 2 points

Grilled Chicken Leg 1 point

Pork Chop 1 point

Bacon 0 points

Fried Chicken Thigh 0 points

Blue (dairy):

Cottage Cheese 2 points

Yogurt 2 points

Ice Cream 1 point

Milkshake 0 points

Black (wild):
Discard this card, draw 2 cards and discard 2 cards
Discard this card, your opponent must show you 1 card

Candy, discard immediately and end your turn

Rules:

Start of Game:
Each player starts with 5 cards in their hand (if anyone has a “candy” card they must discard it and draw a new card before the game starts)
Players decide who goes first
Players take turns with play proceeding clockwise

Each Turn:
Player draws a card (if it is a “candy” card they discard it immediately and end their turn)
Player may play a wild card, or choose a card to discard

Goal:

Collect a “Perfect Lunch” with one card from each color with a value of 2 points
Example: Whole grain pasta, salad, salmon, Yogurt

End of Game:
Any time one player possesses one card of each color, they may choose to end the game by playing those 4 cards face up; the other players then each take one more turn, and at the end of their turn they must choose one card from each color they possess and play them face up
Players may not play more than one card from each color with the exception that the first player going out in a round may play 2 green cards
Players tally the points from their face up cards and that is their score for the current round

How to win:
At the end of the game players add up all the points they have played, and the player with the highest score wins

Initial Design from CHF Awareness

My initial card game design came from an idea to make an awareness game to help CHF patients stay out of the hospital. It addresses the four major concerns for CHF patients - remembering to take their meds, checking their weight, scheduling an appointment, and watching for key symptoms. I realized after I started designing this game that it is the perfect format for many awareness card games, and I have decided to re-theme it for healthy meals as my first prototype for my independent study this semester. This is the initial design, the re-themed version will follow soon!

Perfect Check-In

A CHF Awareness Card Game

References:

Spoons - take turns drawing/discarding cards until you have a perfect hand

Sorry Revenge - try to stop your opponent from getting a perfect hand

Nines - choose when to end the game, make sure you have as good a score as you can but go out early enough that your opponent doesn’t have a perfect hand

Cards:

Orange (meds):

Took all meds 2 points

Took some meds 1 point

Forgot to take meds 0 points

Green (weight):

Weighed same as yesterday 2 points

Weighed 1 more pound 1 point

Weighed 2 more pounds 0 points

Forgot to weigh 0 points

Red (appointment):

Attended doctor appointment 2 points

Scheduled an appointment 1 point

Missed appointment 0 points

Blue (feelings):

Feeling great 2 points

Feeling tired, called the doctor 2 points

Feeling not too bad 1 point

Feeling tired, did nothing 0 points

Black (wild):
Discard this card, draw 2 cards and discard 2 cards
Discard this card, your opponent must show you 1 card

Readmitted to the hospital, discard immediately and end your turn

Rules:

Start of Game:
Each player starts with 5 cards in their hand (if anyone has a “readmitted to the hospital” card they may discard it and draw a new card before the game starts)
Players decide who goes first
Players take turns with play proceeding clockwise

Each Turn:
Player draws a card (if it is a “readmitted” card they discard it immediately and end their turn)Player may play a wild card, or choose a card to discard

Goal:

Collect a “Perfect Check-In” with one card from each color with a value of 2 points
Example: Took all meds, Weighed same as yesterday, Attended doctor appointment, Feeling great

End of Game:
Any time one player possesses one card of each color, they may choose to end the game by playing those 4 cards face up; the other players then each take one more turn, and at the end of their turn they must choose one card from each color they possess and play them face up
Players may not play more than one card from each color

How to win:
At the end of the game players add up all the points they have played, and the player with the highest score wins

Designing Card Games

As part of my Master's program, I am doing an independent study on Designing Card Games.  I will be posting design ideas, prototypes of my games, and playtesting results throughout the semester.  My goal for this project is to make several playable card games, do a lot of playtesting and iteration, and end the semester with a fully functioning, enjoyable card game.