Print and Play Games

  I played a few print and play games for my game design class. The games were called micropul, Shape Up!, and Air Traffic Controller. Here's what I thought of them.

micropul (http://neutralbox.com/micropul/)

  This is a two player game that involves matching tiles together. Players gain points by collecting tiles and claiming groups of black and white dots that are formed as tiles are placed together. If you run out of tiles, then you lose. I enjoyed the logical aspect of the game, and I like how the game makes you carefully consider the spatial relationships of the tiles and how you can make the most of them. The main problem I had in the game was that someone would end up running out of tiles within the first few minutes, causing the game to end. There isn't too much satisfaction in winning just because your opponent ran out of tiles and vice-versa. Maybe this is something that gets better with more practice. A possible way to address this could be to give players a small starting supply of tiles so they don't run the risk of losing too early. This would at least be a good modification for beginners.


Shape Up! (http://www.goodlittlegames.co.uk/games/06-shape-up.html)

  This is a card game where players line up cards based on the displayed shape, color, and solidity or hollowness. At the start, players get a "victory card" with these aspects that he or she must try to line up on the board. It took me a while to understand the rules, as doing so involves breaking the mind's natural tendency to categorize things. Once you wrap your head around it, the game is interesting in the way it gets you to think about the shapes in the cards and line them up in unique ways to gain points. I feel like the concept of this game is difficult to convey in writing, and for that reason, I think the instructions should have made use of more pictures and graphics to more clearly get the idea across.


Air Traffic Controller (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/29084/air-traffic-controller)

  In this game, you get to take on the exciting role of an Air Traffic Controller. The game comes with different scenarios with arrival and departure times for planes, as well as the terminals that they must go to and from. On each turn, the player can order a single plane to stop, continue, turn, or backup. Aircraft will collide if the player is not careful, in which case, he or she loses. My biggest issue with the game is how difficult it is to keep track of the plane movement, scenario actions, turn numbers, and points. Even though this is supposed to be a solitaire game, I think it would be better if there was another player who could be in charge of the scenario and points recording. The yellow text on the board is also very hard to read. I like the idea of the game though. I think it would be fun with a bigger map and more planes, as well as additional hazards on the tarmac. Of course, this would all make the game even more complicated, meaning there would definitely need to be some sort of score-keeper. In a way, though, the complexity of the game did help me sympathize with real air traffic controllers and the difficult job they have. Next time I am stuck waiting on a plane, I'll think back to my memories of playing Air Traffic Controller and realize that they are probably doing a better job than I could ever do.