Game Lab 3

In my Intro to Games Studies class, we had a game lab. Sadly, we had to play video games with our classmates for the whole class period. :) During this class, I played multiple games provided to me, and my favorite ones were SoulShape, The Ratchelor, and Deep Cover. In this blog, I will discuss the mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics of each of these games and how they all relate to each other. As well the difference between playing and watching.

The first game I played out of all three was SoulShape. I have to say this was cute and a great strategic game. To pass each level you have to move a shaped block to a designated location. To move it you use a cute little ghost to pose the shape and move it to wherever you want it to go. When I first played the game I didn’t want to stop it was a bt addicting and it was the same feeling when I watched my partner play. I wanted to tell her to turn and move. But I would say the difference between watching and playing was that I was a bit more patient and more strategic on how I am going to move. I would say the mechanic is, moving the shape side to side and rotating it. The dynamic is possessing the shape and using other shapes to help you reach your goal. Finally, aesthetics is sensation and challenge. After that game, I played Deep Cover.

At first, I didn’t like the game Deep Cover, but the more I played and confused me, the more I was drawn to it. In this game, you are a spy trying to go on a mission, and in this mission, you have to pass certain characters without creating any suspicion. Depending on your answers, you would either be let go or would raise the other characters' suspicion, leading you to get caught and lose the game. Just like Soulshape when I watched my partner play I was more patient on what I was going to say. I also paid attention to details like how the text was written. The mechanics of the game is selecting an option. The dynamic is to select an option that is least suspicious and the aesthetic is fantasy and narrative. This game overall was really fun and was very similar to the game The Ratchelor.

Just like the Deep Cover game, The Ratchelor is a fantasy and narrative game where you get to pick a rat to date. Depending on what they say you get to choose how to respond to them. Then select which rat will reach the final round. I have to say this game was very amusing and not as nail-biting sensation as the game Deep Cover. Though they don’t provide the same feel when playing the game they do have similar Mechanics and Dynamics. The mechanic is selecting an option. The dynamic is selecting an option to move to the next rat. The only difference between watching and playing was that each person has their own principles. There was a point watching my partner play and I thought to myself I would have responded differently. So as a game maker, you have to think about different perspective in a narrative game

All three games were very different from each other due to their theme and feeling of playing. Even though they are different they are all based on the MDA game design approach,