WHAT WE ARE DOING

WHY WE ARE DOING IT

You will translate a mobile phone game into a wearable game that allows for cooperative play (meaning people play with one another)

To develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and collaborative teamwork as you design and test your own wearable games.

Final Project Expectations

No flat game-board designs to encourage more innovative and engaging gameplay experiences that utilize the body in dynamic ways.

While translating mobile games into wearable experiences, avoid creating literal translations. Instead, focus on making creative adjustments to the rules, mechanics, and interactions to suit the physical nature of the game.

Materials: Limited to using cardboard, paper, tape, and other low-fidelity materials specified in the studio prompt.

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ACTIVITY MATERIALS

You will transform mobile phone games into interactive wearable experiences.

The objective is to translate the gameplay mechanics of your chosen mobile games into physical interactions that promote cooperative play among participants.



Remember: you should not be a literal translation of the mobile game to real life.

This means you have to make some adjustments to the game (for example, the rules, the shape of objects so they fit the body, the way you win/lose, etc.). 

THE CHALLENGE

before we start

Get into groups of 2 or 3. You will work together for the entire design sprint.

Pair up/ Group up

15 min

1st

You will pick three different mobile games that you are both/ all familiar with.

15 min

Context Inquiry/ Research

Dissect the game into its elements of play.



Answer the following questions:

• How do you win? How do you lose?
• What makes the game fun?
• Is it competitive or cooperative?
• Who are the characters?
• What is the narrative arc?

Identify what limitations for gameplay come from touchscreen gaming. Think of ideas for how to make the game better by making it physical.

Analyze

30 min

Select one game to continue exploring with.

Choose a part of the body, or maybe the whole body, in which to play this game and sketch out 3 ways of reimagining the game!

You cannot design a game that will harm someone (remember, you'll be testing the game on your own body!). 

Brainstorming + Sketching

30 min

2nd

3rd

Discuss your sketches with your team and choose one concept to bring to the prototyping phase.

Create your human scale prototype of your game!

Remember the rules:

• This should not be a literal translation of the mobile game to real life. This means you have to make some adjustments to the game (for example, the rules, the shape of objects so they fit the body, the way you win/lose, etc.). 
• Flat game-boards are not allowed

Prototyping

60 min

Once you have a working prototype, find another group to test with. You will try each other's games and give quick feedback. Feedback should be question-based and focused on improvement within the scope and timeframe of the sprint.

Feedback can be framed as:

• "I wonder if..."
• "Did you consider..."
• "I noticed that..."

Feedback

15 min

4th

Taking the feedback you heard from testing with another group and from any desk critiques you had with your coach, focus on making tangible and impactful improvements to your prototype. This could be a change in material, an improved method of attachment, or an adjustment to the game dynamics.

Improvement/ Iteration

15 min

5th

Write out an instruction manual for people to understand how to play your game.

Include step-by-step instructions! You can add some images or sketches to be more descriptive. (Remember: people don't love reading long text instructions, so consider making the instructions visual wherever possible!)

Instruction Manual

15 min

6th

6th

You will present your final game to the group. Be ready to describe the process of coming up with and refining the design, and to demonstrate how it works! The class will give some popcorn feedback about the final result.

Show it off!

30 min

• Sketches of 3 ways of reimagining the game.
• Final Prototype (take photos)
• Instruction manual based on your new mobile game.

Deliverables