'Lights Out' - Cultural & Societal Relevance
This game exists as a departure from the traditional independent board game created as ‘Lights Out’. It serves as a competitive resource management-focused experience which includes the performance of drivers, staff and finances in an extremely competitive season of motorsport. No existing board game covers these areas in this niche market. The NFC component of the experience can be updated to reflect the racing series the players chose to compete within. This offers rapidly evolving gameplay with physical and digital interaction working in partnership. This allows for expansions in various formats.
When designing the case scenarios and overall experience of playing ‘Lights Out’ there are numerous biases to take into account to ensure that the experience is as accessible as possible to the broad target audience. When ‘gamifying’ an average season of open seat racing it requires simplifying and omitting the lesser components which could be seen as not as ‘fun’ to experience. If poorly designed the player leaves the experience with a perception which could be extremely far from the truth. Accessibility in board game design very much like in the video game industry has become a requirement in the development process rather than an optional extra if the budget allows it.
It’s vital that accessibility features in ‘Lights Out’ cover all areas of interaction within the gameplay experience, this includes dice rolls, card selection, miniature design and case scenario designs. In the article ‘How do you measure accessibility’ (Stegmaier 2022) a game designer reveals how their design process has been shaped when taking into account players with visual impairments.
I remember receiving the first sample copy from Panda in late 2012 and testing it in low-light conditions; it was then that I discovered that I would need to change the color I play in games–red–because it was simply too easy to confuse with the orange and purple colors. (Stegmaier 2022)
There is a fine line between accessibility and over-complication when simplifying a concept which can ruin the experience.
Increasing system realism allows you to communicate a deeper message but typically makes for a less accessible, less fun play experience and thus less people will want to play the game. Decreasing system realism typically makes a more accessible, more fun play experience (and thus more people will play it). However, the message that you can communicate is typically much more shallow. (Swain 2007)
Immersiveness will work in tandem with the accessibility features which will be included in this product’s final version. The ‘table presence’ is a major selling point of any tabletop game, thus the approach to be taken will have to accommodate without drawing too much attention at any given time. Through this ‘table presence’ if progression through the game can’t be explained easily or remembered it won’t be implemented in that particular format as indicated in the article ‘Supporting Blind Gamers’ (Reed 2021).
Procedural Representation - how a game simulates an activity operates to enhance immersion within the experience. Every action will have a meaning within the game creating an environment where the whole group competes against each other at the table are all thinking strategically in the same direction.
Desk research was conducted in this area to produce the best possible outcome which accounts for all areas of navigation within the game's ‘season’. ‘Lights Out’ sets itself apart through its low preparation, high collaborative features, and player-driven emergent narrative in gameplay. A minimalist universal system with simple traditional elements and the narrative flexibility of story-focused board games. The resource for player input is contained within the use of cards and resource management. The players' abilities are individually advanceable and assigned to the discipline of the team principal role the player chooses.
They become invested and interested in concepts when they are active participants. And games allow people to engage in concepts through play and excitement while generating moments that won’t be forgotten. (Swain 2007)
