Ready, Set, Guess!
A. Project Title
The title of our project will be “Ready, Set, Guess!’
B. Project Statement of Purpose
Ready, Set, Guess!
- will be an interactive two-player game, within the players will see a blurred image pop up on the screen (along with three answer choices of what this image could be), and will compete to see who can press the button corresponding to the correct answer first. Each round of the game will feature a different category which the images will be based on, giving players a clue of what they are looking at. Due to the partially-digital nature of our game, the software can continually come out with updates which include new categories and images, keeping players entertained as each round changes. Our project is intended for audiences of all ages , as an easy-to-play game for all demographics that does not require a lengthy explanation of rules or reading an instruction manual.
C. Project Plan
Explain in further detail what your project aims to do. Flesh out your project’s process through careful description, analysis, and with specifics. What steps will you take to empathize with your intended audience and analyze their needs/requirements? Compose a detailed project plan that explains each of the steps you will take in the next few weeks to deliver your project. Be specific about when you need to finish which part of your project to finish it on time.
Our project aims to be a game which people of all ages can play, wherein the different categories of the rounds will make it fun for people with different interests, and keep it interesting for people who have played before. The game will begin with each player standing in front of a board of 3 color-coded buttons. Once they start the game on the computer, a blurry image composed of slightly-moving ellipses will appear on the screen, along with 3 options for what the picture could be. Each round will be based on a category, such as celebrities, animals, or famous paintings. When the image is projected, the answer choices will be listed at the bottom of the screen, with each color of the button corresponding to an answer choice. Whichever player presses the button corresponding to the correct answer choice first, wins that round. The winner of one play of the game will be whoever wins 2/3 of the rounds. Due to the varying categories, players of all different interests and knowledge can play our game knowing there will be something interesting in it for them.
The most important thing about our game will be the execution, as we want it to appear like an actual application which people could download (and buy the corresponding button-boards for) to play. The first thing we will need to do is put together the two circuits for the button boards, which we will need to complete before the end of April. Once we complete the circuit, we still start coding the project, which will be the most time-consuming and challenging part of our game. The difficulties will be in setting up the different rounds, and creating options displayed for each round at the beginning of each game, as well as time-sensitive buttons which detect who presses the correct button first, and creating a “start” button that allows players to begin the game. We might look up example codes on Arduino and Processing’s public databases in order to get ideas for how to begin the code. We will work on completing the code in two sessions, one the first week of May and one the second week of May. Once our coding is complete and we know our project works as we intended, we can laser-cut boards for our equipment, including the buttons and Arduino. From there, we can color code the buttons (if not given already-colored buttons), put together and label the board, and make our project look clean and presentable. Once our project is complete, we will test it a few times ourselves by playing the game and seeing if there are any minor improvements we could make to improve the user’s experience with our game.
D. Context and Significance
During my preparatory research, my favorite project that I found was one that created a real-life version of the Mario-mushroom which jumps out of a box when pushed at the bottom. I liked this project a lot because it seems very entertaining and creative, and like something which a lot of people would find enjoyable. This project and the one I am creating for my final both align with my definition of interaction, as they focus on user-experience, meaning the most important aspect of the design and coding is that the user enjoys using the project and will have a memorable journey navigating it. The Mario project, as well as Ready, Set, Guess! are both self-explanatory enough for people to use without needing extensive instructions, and can both by enjoyed by a variety of age groups. What is unique about my project is that it is a half-digital and half-real life game. This means that, if this were to be an actual game that were sold and distributed, the game could constantly be updated with new categories and rounds, with no major additional purchases needed on behalf of the user. This would allow our game to be fun for a long time, as we have a range of categories and rounds for users to play, meaning people with different interests and needs are all accounted for in our game design. This project can be played with family or friends, and by people of all genders, demographics, and ages. After successful completion, this project would be ideal as an application for a computer or smartphone, where people can choose to play the original way, with the button boards, or fully digitally. Additionally, people looking for a game like this could read our blog post and recreate our project, creating their own versions of our game and being able to personalize it to fit their own needs and wants. This game idea is valuable because it creates something that can be enjoyed by many different people, and can be entertaining for large groups, or single groups of two.