Emotions

John Nash and others have looked into this. An example is the insight into the "emotion" of being fixed upon a goal beyond what is considered reasonable. The term used was actually "addiction", but the method used to evoke it was simple:

Players are presented with a $1.00 bill, and can bid as desired for it, starting at 1 penny, and continuing from there. The difference is that, while the high bidder pays their bid and gets the money, the second highest bidder pays and gets nothing at all.

This results in cmpletely bizarre results, like players paying $2.64 in order to get $1, in order to avoid paying $2.63 for nothing.

I'm not sure about the correct labelling for this "emotional" game, but clearly it hooks into some other process than pure reason.

If such a mechanism, or better yet, a pair of such mechanisms, could be integrated into an actual game, rather than an excercise, it would be very intruiging.

Cool topic Gamebot,

Axis & Allies - In a 5 player setting, as you start off there is hope as you have plans of conquest, which can lead to despair if things play out poorly. You feel camaraderie with the Russians (also probably sympathy as Germany beats em up) and British as you rush to bring American aid to bear. All these emotions, for me, are magnified by a sense of grandure since the scale is global and there is just enough detail to the scope of battle.

Ticket to Ride - As you pick up the last two trains you need to complete a big destination, you wonder if anyone'll take it before your next turn - Anxiety.

Betrayal at House on the Hill - Exploring rooms together trying to prepare for the upcoming horrors lead to camaraderie, aprehension, terror (muted, of course ;) ). Once the haunt is revealed you're still working together but many times you feel scared/paranoid because the traitor is making rolls and such without you knowing why...only that it can't be good for you...

All of those descriptions were really self indulgent, because obviously many of these emotions are shared by many different games. Team work games will (if they're good) always evoke feelings of sympathy if a friend falls in battle and playing against an opponent without 100% knowledge of just what they have/what they'll do will lead to tension and aprehension... Nonetheless, a useful way to think about game design I say! =)

The thief is among us - when you realise that your brother stole some money from the bank during a monopoly game.

Rage and frustration is another one. My friend play a card game ( with regular cards ) called Mahoo ( Black Magic in japanese).

The rules are simple :

- You are not allowed to talk except when stated by the rules below, if you do so you must draw a card.

- You must draw a card if you forgot to say something when you had to.

- Each time you draw a card you must say `penalty card`. And yes you can draw a card for forgetting saying `penalty card. Which mean that you must now say `penalty card` twice.

- At your turn you must play a card. Sometime you need to invoke a rule. If you forget invoke a rule, you draw a card, if you invoked a wrong rule, you draw a card because you talked.

- If you say `order point` ( a bit hard to traduce ), everybody put his card face down and you can now talk freely.

There is basically 4 rules ( I don`t remember them ) They apply them selves according to the card played and the card on the top of the discard pile. Here are some example

The glasses are broken : Must be sait when playing a diamond card.

It is natural :Must be said when the top card from the discard pile divided by the card you play gives a natural number.

Chance : Invoke when playing a 7.

Now, when a player get rid of all his cards, he wins the round. He now adds a new rules of his own. He does not tell it to anybody. He will only invoke it when a player forget to invoke it. ( Ex : Draw a card because you forget to invoke the rule `I am superior` ). Now the other players must try to find in which situation must this rule be invoked to make sure they don`t draw anymore penalty cards.

I don`t play this game ... too much frustrating.

I played this constantly throughout my last game of college, usually with the same group of 4-5 of us and it was the most BRILLIANT game!!!

I have never been able to play it with anyone since :(

You really need a lot of regular sessions with this, which is tricky, as it is very 'light', so we played during all our free study sessions.

There are many variations, a useful site about it can be found here -

http://www.pagat.com/eights/mao.html

But it is a very hard game to get people into, as there are few people who do not want to talk during a game. But I personally get a big thrill from this game as there is a great satisfaction when you figure out a rule and can use it to good effect against other people who don't know it. Even when you are playing with experienced people you can never be sure that they know all the rules correctly.

But Larienna, I would urge you not to reveal the rules as you have done - though I must admit you play a slightly different version than I. Even websites about the game don't say what the rules are.

Whenever I 'try' to start a game, I follow the same explanation I was given when I learned the game -

1 - You are NEVER allowed to explain a rule.
2 - When you go out, you are allowed to create a new rule and come back in.

Man I so wish I could get people playing this again, so so satisfying, something that can be rare in gaming...