Formal vs. Dramatic Elements

Types of players that would enjoy "Barely Alive"

The competitor:

Since the objective of Barely Alive is to gain as much points as possible to win, it is fair to say that a player who enjoys being competitive would also enjoy our game. In my opinion, competition is what makes a game more exciting, so I think it was a good move for my team and I to incorporate some competitive aspects.

The collector:

Our game revolves around lots of collectibles such as mystery items, so it is for someone who is a collector to enjoy our game. This can also be used in their advantage since the more items they have the more likely they'll be able to win if they use them wisely. 

The joker:

While the game Barely Alive is meant to be competitive, it can still be fun for everyone. Therefore, players who don't take games seriously would most likely enjoy this game for the laughs. For them, the sky is the limit since there is only so much they can do depending on the items they collect.

Formal Elements

Resources:

Resources are heavily involved in Barely Alive since there are only so many items you can gain. One being the main weapon which is the axe, or mystery items such as the hand gun. This can come in very handy for players who are collectors since they can gather as many items as they can. While it is also great for competitive players who plan to use such items in the best way possible.

Action: 

Action is a key element in Barely Alive since players will have to make the best actions possible in order to guarantee victory. Which will heavily satisfy competitive players. However, this can also satisfy players who are jokers. In addition, players can make careless decisions like targeting other players for laughs even when the player they are targeting could be in last place. As a result, action among the game can be in the best interest of both competitors and jokers.

Dramatic Elements

Challenge: 

I think Barely Alive has a very challenging aspect since it can require players to form a strategy. Whereas, if a player uses their items poorly, it can hurt them in the long run. This can be great for competitive players who strive to be as strategic as possible in order to win.

Board Game: Structure and Engagement

Introduction

After working with my team in creating our own unique board game, its important to understand its structure and key elements within it that give first time users a more in depth description of what to expect.

Formal Elements

Objective: 
-When discussing the board game that my team and I are in the process of working on, the main objective is to reach the maximum number of points in order to win. A great comparison to this is the game mode "domination" in basically all of the Call of Duty Games. Furthermore, the goal is for teams to reach the maximum points being 200 in order to win. The only difference with the board game my team and I are creating is that there are no teams, and each player is playing on their own.

Procedures:
-Like most other board games, the method of play in my team's board game is to roll a pair of dice and move how ever many spaces you can. Same thing can apply to how most games start. In order to decide who goes first, each player must roll the dice, and whoever gets the highest number gets to go first. However, what makes the board game with my team more unique is that certain procedures can lead you to earning more points which can lead you to victory. Furthermore, since some spaces reward you with points, a players luck with their dice rolls can almost promise them a victory.

Elements of Engagement:

Character:
-One fairly unique element of the board game with my team is that the players get to choose different characters with different identities. For example, since the game is graveyard themed, there are different characters such as a zombie, gravedigger, skeleton, etc. This can be compared to the game "Life" which has the same concept of choosing different characters with varied identities. In addition, this makes the overall experience of the game more entertaining rather than just a simple method of picking a piece of different colors.

Challenge:
-While it may seem like my team and I's board game is mostly based on luck, there is actually a challenging aspect within it since some actions require strategical play. In addition, my team and I have been discussing about rewarding players with either weapons or other abilities if they reach a certain number of points, but this can hurt them in the long run if not used properly. This adds a risk factor in the game which can turn out to be more fun of an experience. This can be compared to games like Mario party where certain spaces grant players with abilities like mushrooms that allow them to move extra spaces. However, just like our board game, if not used carefully it can only do more harm than good to players.

Conclusion:

In terms of points of game design, I think that my team's board game mostly applies to my personal favorites which is "fun" and "win/loss." What makes the game tie into the fun aspect for me is that not only does it somewhat revolve around luck but it also requires some strategical play which is what makes a game's experience that much more enjoyable. Furthermore, because it mostly revolves around luck, that also means that just about anyone can play the game, and nobody has an advantage over anyone else. In terms of the win/loss aspect, I think our board game can also reflect off of this since the objective is to reach a point cap in order to win. This is a positive process because the game can encourage competitiveness among players which I think is an important trait to have. 

My Top 5 Sources of News and Information

Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/

Fox News is without a doubt my most used source when it comes to receiving news. I mainly watch it during the evening hours since I prefer the news anchors during that particular time frame. However, sometimes i'll have it on during the day to hear different points of view. What I mean by that is typically Fox News has anchors that are more on the left side of the political spectrum during the day time hours, and anchors that are more on the right side of the political spectrum during the evening hours. Therefore, I like to try and understand both points of view. What I like specifically about this news source is that it keeps me up to date on what's going on in the world politically. Not only that, but it also appears to have a bipartisanship which is something I value heavily. I would recommend this source for anyone who wants to hear from both sides of the political spectrum.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/home

Even though I don't mean to use Twitter as a source of information, it's no doubt that I use it very frequently. Twitter always has news going on. Whether its from the trending pages, or just from people I follow. I could load up Twitter just to scroll through and see what people are talking about, and 90% of it is always be politics related. While I like the fact that people are using their platform as a voice, I also think Twitter can be a very dark and dangerous place. Especially since Twitter to me is the belly of the beast when it comes to cancel culture. I can say one thing someone doesn't agree with, and all of the sudden I'll be flamed by everyone in the next few minutes. As a result, I definitely don't consider Twitter a great place to receive my information, but it's definitely where I receive my news the most even when I don't mean to. Wouldn't recommend. However, if people are curious to see what people are talking about, then by all means go for it.

BlazeTV: https://get.blazetv.com/

Though typically I watch BlazeTV more on YouTube, I still use this source for news and information quite often. BlazeTV is a right wing based news source that does a deep dive on just about everything you can imagine going on in the world politically. What I like about this source specifically is that its basically a video only platform that shares clips or highlights of different occurrences. Especially since it also features some of my favorite speakers like Ben Shapiro, Steven Crowder, Dave Rubin, or Candace Owens. I can't say i'd recommend this to everyone, but for anybody who is more right leaning and wants to see a more detailed view of what's happening politically. 

The Daily Wire: https://www.dailywire.com/

What keeps me coming back to The Daily Wire is that it is founded by my favorite speaker Ben Shapiro. While it's not my most used source of information, its definitely in my top five. As one could expect, The Daily Wire is a news source that is more right leaning on the political spectrum, and it also has live streamed discussions on their website. As mentioned earlier, my favorite thing about this source is that Ben Shapiro is the main host. If there's one person that I could listen to for hours its easily him. If anyone wants to hear from someone who's been very politically active since they were only a teenager I highly recommend watching this show. It is a paid subscription, but you can also watch highlights on YouTube.

Louder With Crowder: https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/

Similar to The Daily Wire, Louder With Crowder is a right winged news source that has live streamed discussions with its main host Steven Crowder. While also having clips or highlights on YouTube. What puts this in my top five list is that not only does Steven Crowder keep me updated on whats happening politically, but he gives me a good laugh while he's at it. Steven Crowder has his history of being a comedian. Maybe not to everyone, but definitely to me. If there's anyone who is the most fun to listen to when talking politics or news its definitely him. What I also like about Steven Crowder is that he's well known for his 'Change My Mind' series where he sits down with people who are particularly on the left side of the political spectrum in an attempt to find common ground on sensitive topics. As a result I think I could recommend this source to literally anyone.