Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Computer Games with Humans
Strange Games Maven Montague Blister shares a story about a playground version of Space Invaders. I quote, interpolatively:
The vice versa part, actually, has been a pet fantasy of mine ever since I started designing computer games, back in '81. In fact, a game I developed for Children's Television Workshop, called "Light-Waves," was loosely based on a kids playground game called Streets and Alleys. In the playground game, kids stand in rows and columns with their arms joined. Two other kids play tag. And another kid tells the players to make "streets" or "alleys" - turning 90 degrees and rejoining hands. The idea is for the caller to try to help IT tag not-IT. In my computer version, the bars would turn 90 degrees every time a button was pushed. A light-blob would follow the bars. The object of the game was to guide the blob towards the goal in the center. Then a new array of bars would appear. It turned out to be a fascinating little game. One of my favorites, actually, since it all could be played with just one button. All of which makes me think that there is an actual plethora of children's games that would prove to be virtual fodder for the creative computer game designer, whilst wondering if that very same person could in fact be you.
from Bernie DeKoven, funsmith
Line up a group of boys (and/or girls) against a wall, three or four rows deep. These players must shuffle from side to side (hopefully en masse) progressing forward one step only when they have shuffled a required sideways distance. The game player stands facing them from a distance of 15m (50 feet) or so with a collection of footballs (soccer, or better yet sponge balls). These he fires one at a time at the advancing hordes of invaders. Any player hit is killed (as explosively as possible) and the game continues until all aliens are killed or until one or more reaches (tags) the firer (and gets to be IT for the next round).At any rate, it sets me thinking, this game does, about how many more games from the virtual world can find their way into the playgrounds of the world (assuming that there are playgrounds and that children are allowed time to play on them), and vice versa.
The vice versa part, actually, has been a pet fantasy of mine ever since I started designing computer games, back in '81. In fact, a game I developed for Children's Television Workshop, called "Light-Waves," was loosely based on a kids playground game called Streets and Alleys. In the playground game, kids stand in rows and columns with their arms joined. Two other kids play tag. And another kid tells the players to make "streets" or "alleys" - turning 90 degrees and rejoining hands. The idea is for the caller to try to help IT tag not-IT. In my computer version, the bars would turn 90 degrees every time a button was pushed. A light-blob would follow the bars. The object of the game was to guide the blob towards the goal in the center. Then a new array of bars would appear. It turned out to be a fascinating little game. One of my favorites, actually, since it all could be played with just one button. All of which makes me think that there is an actual plethora of children's games that would prove to be virtual fodder for the creative computer game designer, whilst wondering if that very same person could in fact be you.from Bernie DeKoven, funsmith
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