Board Game Reading and Playing Response – Amber

Board Game Playing Questions:

1. What games did you play?

Las Vegas

Crazy Circus

Wave Length (心靈共感)

2. Which game is your favorite? Can you describe the mechanics that the most fun experience is derived from?

I like Las Vegas among all these games. I think the key to win is figure out the strategy to maximize the profit. The player need to make their own decisions to figure out which points to take or give up in each round by observing the current situation. By reasonably allocate seven dice, each player tries to maximize their profit. And except for strategy, the player might also need some fortune to win.

3. Did you find the emergent game experience? Can you describe that? (The description could be rules, mechanics, play experience, etc)

• Interaction and Schadenfreude: The game is described as having “a lot of interaction and ‘schadenfreude'” (taking pleasure in the misfortune of others). This suggests that player actions and decisions can lead to unexpected and entertaining outcomes, contributing to emergent moments in the game.
• Player Choices and Strategy: Players roll eight dice of different colors and decide where to place them on casino mats based on the results. This decision-making process introduces variability and strategy, as players must consider the current state of each casino and their opponents’ actions. The emergent gameplay arises from the combination of dice rolls and player choices.
• Competition for Casinos: The competition for casinos and the money associated with them adds an emergent element. Players must adapt their strategies based on the distribution of dice and money on the casino mats, and ties are resolved in a way that introduces further unpredictability.
• Variability in Money Cards: The amount of money on the casino mats is variable, as players draw money cards until at least $50k is showing. The variability in the amount of money makes each session unique and contributes to the emergent nature of the game.

4. Which aspect of the board game corresponds to the gameplay in the video game? (As we all know gameplay is a critical part of video games, so much so that understanding the game system and surviving the game all depend on it.)

For this question, I also take Las Vegas as an example so that I could be specific. The aspect of the board game Las Vegas that corresponds to gameplay in video games is the interaction between players, strategic decision-making, and the emergent nature of the gaming experience. In video games, gameplay refers to the way in which players interact with the game system, make decisions, and navigate through the challenges presented by the game. Here’s how the aspects of Las Vegas mentioned in the article align with gameplay in video games:

• Player Interaction: The description of Las Vegas emphasizes “a lot of interaction” among players. In video games, player interaction is a crucial aspect of gameplay. Multiplayer games, in particular, rely on interactions between human players, whether through cooperation, competition, or indirect influence on each other’s experiences.
• Strategic Decision-Making: Las Vegas involves players making strategic decisions, such as where to place their dice on the casino mats to maximize their chances of winning money. In video games, strategic decision-making is a fundamental part of gameplay, where players must make choices that impact their progress, success, or failure within the game world.
• Emergent Gameplay: The emergent nature of Las Vegas, where unexpected and entertaining outcomes can arise from player actions and decisions, aligns with the idea of emergent gameplay in video games. Emergent gameplay occurs when the interactions of various game elements lead to unscripted and unforeseen outcomes, adding depth and unpredictability to the gaming experience.