Day 51 - Lens 1: The Lens of Emotion
People may forget what you said, but they'll never forget how you made them feel.
-Maya Angelou
To make sure the emotions you create are the right ones, ask yourself these questions:
What emotions would I like my player to experience? Why?
Excitement, tension, anticipation, light anger, disappointment, camaraderie, schadenfreude, guilt and righteousness.
On the shallowest level because I think they fit together to make a fun game experience.
On a deeper level they mimic more serious emotions that fit with the theme of the game. I hope that playing the game and experiencing that emotional arc will make players vulnerable to the games deeper theme and messages and help them to transfer those out of the game... that's a big hope though, so mostly I'm happy if my attempt just results in an enjoyable game.
What emotions are players (including me) having when they play now? Why?
Mostly I am getting what I am looking for. There is some confusion and frustration that I want to minimize. I think that there is probably a little frustration that will occur when players are losing, or feel like they are losing. But it's a competitive game and I don't think that can be completely avoided. I do think that I can do a better job helping players figure out that they can come from behind until very late in the game.
How can I bridge the gap between the emotions players are having and the emotions I'd like them to have?
I think I am very close. There may be some rules changes for the end game that will eliminate some of the frustration. Some additional story around the tribes, and ritual participation from the audience/Teller might up the emotional stakes of the game when played in public...
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