Interactive 1: Project Development Drawing – “Werewolf”

“Werewolf Inspired Game” (working title) explores the theme of interstice through a physical party game.

Title image from Ubisoft’s Werewolves Within, another game inspired by Werewolf.

Team members for this project:

Thesis

Light is central to human interaction. Sight is the most immediate human sense, and necessary for many forms of work. We put lights in every building we construct, in every device we build. Being in a lit area is our natural state of being.

Meanwhile, darkness is unnatural to us. We fear the darkness. We confront it only when we are sleeping or when the normal functioning of society is disrupted (e.g. by a blackout).

It thus follows that darkness is a kind of interstice between lights.

Product

For this project, we will deliver a party game. In other words, a rulebook that defines a system of interaction, as well as some small accompanying tokens and props to facilitate play.

We have no plans to build any physical component or installation. Like the games of “tag” or “catching” that children play, our game will probably be formless and adaptable to any environment.

Props can be improvised. Even the rulebook has no definite structure and can be reproduced in various formats. The important part, and the main deliverable, is the rules themselves.

Wait, how do you draw a diagram of a project that has no physical component

I’m not sure either. This is why there is no diagram in this post. If you think of a good way to represent this project as a 2D picture please let me know.

“Werewolf” Inspiration

Werewolf, also known as Mafia, is a party game divided into day and night segments. Only certain players can act during the night. We felt that this was an interesting way to approach the theme of darkness in interaction.

Rules (Preliminary Idea)

  • Players are thieves. Scattered around the play area are treasure items. The objective of the game is to collect as many treasure items as possible within the time limit given. The player with the most items at the end is the winner.
  • The play area alternates between “lights on” and “lights off” every 10 seconds (or a similar interval). Players can only move when the lights are off, and must freeze in place when the lights are on. Any player that moves when the lights are on is eliminated.
  • The time interval could be linked to a soundscape or music track which alternates between “day” and “night” phases.
  • We have not yet decided whether treasure items should be obscured or clearly visible, and what shape the treasure items should have. Bulkier treasure items would be more entertaining (since players have to find a way to carry all of them) but such props would require more preparation from the game master.
  • We also haven’t decided how many players the game should accommodate. It is possible that it can scale with different numbers of players by changing the distribution and number of treasure items.

Questions Answered

  1. How does your audience experience your project? The project is a party game. They can facilitate the game, take part in the game, or spectate the game.
  2. Is it for a single person to engage with your project or for multiple participants concurrently? Multiple participants.
  3. What is the interaction or situation you are creating for your audience? We are putting our players in a mad scramble to get as much treasure as possible while conforming to the rulesof our game.
  4. What is the intention of this interaction? To create an entertaining, funny, and memorable experience for all participants.
  5. How does this interaction relate to the concept of “Interstice”? The game mechanics revolve completely around interstices in light and movement, forcing players and spectators to consider these interstices in the context of human interaction.

Published by

Chin Kee Yong

hello i play video games and also sometimes make video games

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