The Game Runners Project: Games Explained
The Game Runners project with PlayStation was introduced to yesterday. My name is Niamh, I am a Game Runner and I’m going to tell you a little bit more about the three games we’re developing for PlayStation.
Hoops is essentially a cross between basketball and a treasure hunt – hoops are hidden across a broad area, as are balls and the areas from which one can shoot. Teams work together to locate all the elements and score as many points as possible. It’s pretty great, as there are a variety of different roles, suited to all ages and energy levels. Simple to grasp, fun to play and with lots of room for variation.
Flags, on the other hand, is more difficult to get your head around; it is a sort of team based, life-sized noughts and crosses, where inscribing the traditional symbols is replaced by raising a flag. Don’t be put off by the initial unfamiliarity of the game, as soon all becomes clear. Reaching a perfect balance between running around and genuine strategy, flags has been the most challenging to develop, but is so accessible and easily changed that I have no doubt it will make a brilliant, versatile final product.
Blocks is the least active of all the games, involving two people working to create a tower according to certain patterns, with the person who knocked the tower over emerging as the loser. It is deceptively simple and utterly addictive, easy to grasp but difficult to master, relying in equal parts on strategy, luck and spatial awareness. Blocks promises to make for an awesome, utterly unique event.
So, that’s me and the three games, and I look forward to keeping you all updated on the progress of the project.
