The Google game

I came up with this game silly distraction whilst working doing silly things online the other day. The object is simple, type the start of a phase into Google’s search bar and see what suggestions it gives you.

Here are a few of my own examples:

• Typing “When will I …” into the search bar gives the following suggestions:

…die, …t snow, …see you again, …pad 2 come out, …go into labor, …os 4.2 be released (among others).

• Typing “do you find …” into the search bar gives the following suggestions:

…value in criticism, …me sadistic, …it painful when i get funky…

Give the Google game a go. Post your search suggestions and results in the comments.

Sony PSP2 – first look

On Thursday, Sony gave us our first glimpse of the successor to the Playstation Portable (PSP1). I have owned a PSP since 2009 and whilst it hasn’t sold as well as Nintendo’s portable system, I love the thing. I was therefore excited to hear the announcement of the PSP2 (codenamed NGP).

When I first saw the images of the PSP2, I thought I was looking at the original PSP1 (PSP1000/2000/3000, not the PSP Go). The reason for this is that like the PSP1, the PSP2 features a brick shaped design. The layout of the PSP2′s controls is also somewhat similar to its predecessor.

Whilst on the surface, there may appear to be a lack of innovation by Sony, the PSP2 has an impressive list of new features. These include:

• Flash memory based cartridges (not USB disks like the PSP1)
• Five inch touch sensitive screen (960 x 544 pixels)
• Touch pad on the rear (mirroring the screen)
• Six-axis motion sensing system
• Front and rear facing cameras
• Built in GPS
• Wi-Fi and GPS connectivity
• Two analogue sticks

There more I think about the PSP2, the more I like it. At first I was quite sceptical about the inclusion of a touch screen. On reflection however, I think the move was a good one, allowing the system to play the sort of mini games so popular on the iPhone. So long as touch controls are not shoehorned into games for which they are not suitable, this in my view can only be a good thing. The touch pad on the rear of the PSP2 can only stimulate innovate game development too.

Overall, my first impressions of the PSP2 are very positive. The fact that it looks similar to the PSP1, in my mind, is a good thing. The inclusion of a second analogue stick is a small but significant development that should bring the controls in line with home consoles. Also, having a front facing camera should make video calls on Skype possible.

 

Michael’s Marvellous Box of Games

Today is the culmination of my four-month long project to gather together a collection of great games you can play for free. Yesterday, I showed how I made a cardboard box. In this post I will present some photos of the finished game box I created. I made this game box as a Christmas present for a few friends and family. Here is the front cover:

The contents of the game box are as follows:

• Instructions for playing 31 great games. You can view a list of all these games here. To download the full instructions in Microsoft Word, click here. To download the full instructions in pdf format, click here. Note that when printed, the instruction booklet should be folded so that the pages are in the correct order.
• Score sheets for many of the games
• Deck of Bicycle playing cards
• Stack of 50 Bicycle poker chips
• 24 dice (16mm)
• Four pencils
• A pencil sharpener
• Some blank cards

Gaming video sites

Today, I wanted to share a couple of weekly video series that I enjoy. Unfortunately I can’t seem to embed them on WordPress.com, so I will just have to provide the links.

Firstly, Extra Credits looks at different aspects of videogame design. My favourite video so far is the one on music in videogames.

Secondly, Zero Punctuation is a no-nonsense and often brutal review series. Here is the review of Final Fantasy XIII. Warning, contains strong language (and strong criticism).

If you know of any others, please share them in the comments.

The great Crokinole project

What with my recent obsession with board games, I have come across a fair few interesting board game ideas. Once such idea was to build a Crokinole board. For those of you that don’t know (most of you I expect), Crokinole is a traditional Canadian game that involves the players flicking small wooden disks across a circular board, trying to land them in the high scoring centre regions. After getting my dad on board this project over Christmas, we went out to our local hardware shop to buy a large sheet of wood. Over the next three days, we cut, glued and sanded the wood into something resembling a Crokinole board. Here is a photo of me putting the finishing touches to the surface of the board.

In the end, I was quite pleased with how it all turned out. Needless to say, me and my dad spent much of the remaining time I was home playing Crokinole.

List of games you can play for free

If you have been visiting this blog recently, I am sure you will have noticed the many games I have been writing about. Over the last four months I have featured over thirty games. All of these are available to play with just the use of minimal equipment. So, grab a pack of cards, some dice, some chips and have fun!

Card games

• GOPS
• Thirty One
• Kemps
• Spoons
• Chinese Ten
• Delphi
• President
• Karma
• Animal Snap
• Cheat

Dice games

• Perudo
• Reiner Knizia’s Decathlon
• Chicago
• Octo
• Little Max
• Yahtzee
• Mice and Men
• Catego
• Liar Dice
• Ten Thousand
• Six Hundred
• Counter-Cameroon

Other games

• My Word
• Telepathy
• Dictionary Dash
• Sprouts
• Racetrack
• Eat Poop You Cat
• Poorman’s Trivia
• What On Earth Were You Thinking?
• Pixit
• I Collect Pencil Sharpenings

Games you can play for free – I Collect Pencil Sharpenings

Continuing with my project to create a list of great games you can play for free, this post features my own creation. I got the inspiration for this game from the BBC game show ‘ Would I Lie To You?‘.

I Collect Pencil Sharpenings

Number of players: 4 – 20

Playing time: 25 minutes

You will need:

• A pen and paper

Players split into two groups of roughly equal numbers. Prior to the start of the game, each player writes down, on a piece of paper, a true fact about themselves. The fact should be something unusual or surprising. Most importantly, it must be something about yourself that none of the other players know. For example, “I collect pencil sharpenings”. Both groups should collect together into a pile, all the player’s pieces of paper.

Play alternates between both groups. Each round, the group whose turn it is (the factors) randomly selects one of the pieces of paper from their pile. Each player from that group then reads out the fact written down. After listening to each person state the fact as their own, the other group (the questors) may then ask them questions. Each player from the questor group gets to ask one question to one person from the factors. Questions can either attempt to deduce whether someone is lying, or try to mislead the other questors. When asked a question, the person to whom it was addressed must respond. After all questions have been asked, each questor must vote (by writing down on a piece of paper) for the factor which they think wrote down the fact. The person who wrote down the fact then reveals themselves. Points are scored as follows:

• Each factor receives one point for each vote they got. If however, one factor got all the votes, they receive no points. Instead, all the other factors get one point.
• Each questor who voted for the correct factor receives one point.

The game ends when all facts have been read out. The player with the highest score is the winner.

- If the number of players is small, extend the length of the game by having all players write down two facts instead of one.

Games you can play for free – Pixit

Continuing with my project to create a list of great games you can play for free, this post features a variation on the fabulous board game Dixit. In Dixit, or Pixit, players try to describe illustrations on cards to the other players using only a title or phrase. The catch… you don’t want all players guess which card you are describing.

Pixit

Number of players: 4 – 6

Playing time: 30 minutes

You will need:

• Blank cards
• Pens for each player
• Paper for scoring

At the start of the game, each player takes ten blank cards. On each card, players should draw an illustration. Illustrations can be as realistic or as abstract as the player wants. Feel free to instead use cards that were created in a previous game. When all cards have been finished, deal out six to each player and place the remainder in a face-down deck.

In each round, one player takes the role of the storyteller. The storyteller selects one of their six cards and announces to the other players, a title or phrase to describe that card. Without anyone else seeing, the storyteller places the card they have chosen face-down in the centre of the table.

All other players selects the card from their hand that they feel best matches the description given by the storyteller. These cards are also placed face-down in the centre of the table. The storyteller takes all cards placed in the center or the table (including the one from their hand) shuffles them and lays them out face-up in a line. All players (except the storyteller) chooses the card that they think was placed by the storyteller. This should be done in secret, perhaps by writing down the position of the card in the line. Once all players have chosen a card, the storyteller reveals which was their own card and everyone scores as follows:

• The storyteller receives three points if at least one player chose their card and at least one player didn’t choose their card. Zero points are scored by the storyteller if either all players chose their card, or no player cho0ses their card.
• If all players correctly choose the storyteller’s card, everybody (apart from the storyteller) receives two points. The same happens if no players choose the storyteller’s card. Players (apart from the storyteller) receives three points if they correctly chose the storyteller’s card and at least one other person did not.
• Players (apart from the storyteller) receive one point for each player who chooses the card that they themselves placed.

Once points for the round have been allocated, each player draws a new card from the deck to bring their hand size back up to six. A new player then becomes the storyteller for the next round. When there are no cards left in the deck, the next round played is the last. The player who has the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

- To ensure that all players become the storyteller for one round, have players instead create nine blank card at the beginning in a four player game and eleven blank cards in a six player game.

- As a variation, give each player the opportunity to create one new card during the game, following the announcement of the description by the storyteller.

Games you can play for free – Dictionary Dash

Continuing with my project to create a list of great games you can play for free, this post features an adaptation of the classic party game Absolute Balderdash. In this game, players attempt to guess the real definition of a word, whilst attempting to convince the other players that their made up definition is the correct one.

Dictionary Dash

Number of players: 3 – 8

Playing time: 30 minutes

You will need:

• A pen for each player
• Some paper for each player
• A dictionary

Players take in turns to be the dictioner. In each round, the dictioner selects and reads out a word from the dictionary. The word chosen should be obscure so that none of the other players are likely to know its true meaning. All of the players (apart from the dictioner) writes up a made up definition for the word onto a piece of paper. The dictioner also writes, in their own words, the real defination onto a peice of paper.

The dictioner collects together and reads out all the definitions, including the correct definition. They should be careful not to give away who wrote down which definition. Note, if one of the other player’s definitions matches or closely resembles the true definition, the dictioner should, instead of reading it out, remove it from the game. Going clockwise from the dictioner, each player (apart from the dictioner) chooses which of the definitions they think is correct. This is indicated by writing each player’s name onto the definition they have chosen. Once all players have chosen a definition, the dictioner reveals which one is correct. Scoring is as follows:

• All player (apart from the dictioner) receives one point for each other player that chooses their definition.
• All players receives one point if they guessed the correct definition.
• All players (apart from the dictioner) receives two points if their definition matches or closely resembles the true definition.
• The dasher receives two points if none of the other players chose the true definition.

The game continues for a pre-defined number of rounds. All players should become the dasher an equal number of times. The player with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

Games you can play for free – Cheat

Continuing with my project to create a list of great games you can play for free, this post features a card game where it pays to cheat… or rather, cheat unchallenged.

Cheat

Number of players: 3 – 10

Playing time: 20 minutes

You will need:

• A standard deck of playing cards

The cards are shuffled and dealt amongst players. Play progresses clockwise. On each player’s turn, they play face-down into a discard pile, any number of cards from their hand. When they do so, that player must announce the number of cards they are playing and a single value for all those cards. The first player to play must announce “Ace”, the second “2″ and so on up up until “King”, followed by “Ace again. The catch of course is that players can lie about both the number of cards they are playing and the value of those cards. Indeed, players will be forced to do so if they do not have any cards of the value which they are forced to announce. If for example, if a player must announce 5s, they could play a 2, 3, 6 and 8 whilst announcing two 5s. Outrageous cheating, but allowed in this game!

Play continues in this manner until someone calls “cheat!”, which any player can do after a card/cards have been played.  When cheat! is called, the cards just played are turned over. If the value and number of the cards played was as announced, the player who called cheat! must take all cards in the discard pile into their hand. If however, either the value or number of cards is different to what was announced, the person who played them must take all cards in the discard pile into their hand. Following a call of cheat!, play resumes to the left of the challenged player.

The winner is the first player to get rid of their hand.

- As a variation, allow players to announce any value that is of higher rank than what was announce by the previous player. Following a player announcing “King”, the next announcement can be of any rank.

- As another variation, allow players to announce the same rank or a rank one higher than the previous announcement.