Out of the 7 prototypes, the most promising one was the idea to create a board game. Upon receiving feedback, that was the one that resonated the most with people. There was also positive feedback for the pet stories.

Initial Idea

The initial idea of the game was to help children understand the variables that affect animal adoption. The game would take them through a journey of collecting things which then prepare them to adopt their own pet. These would include pet food, pet toys, insurance, house or space and so on. The players in the game will face ups and downs during their journey and gain a sense of responsibility. The game would work in three levels with each level being a little bit more challenging.

 

Testing – 1

In the first playtest, I wanted to get an idea of how the players are relating to this concept, if they can associate the journey of the animal adoption process to the game they are playing, how the game is paced and what elements they find missing or unnecessary in the game. I created a first draft of the board which I printed out.

For this test, I had to be present to explain the rules of the game, understand any loopholes or confusing elements as an observer as well as a creator, and guide them through the initial stage of the game play.

I put out index cards for players to write down their feedback and doubts while I also made my notes. I also captured photographs and videos of the players to document the playtest.

 

 

Testing 1 – Observations

Some of the observations and feedback for the first playtest are:

1. The pace of the game was too slow and it took a while to go through just the first round.
2. The educational aspect of the game was not coming across as clearly.
3. There were not enough opportunities to understand the responsibilities and problems that could occur during an animal adoption process.
4. There was a lack of specifics in the game which made it difficult to relate to the topic.
5. The game needed more visual elements to differentiate different types of activities.
6. There was a lack of interaction and cooperation between players.
7. “What is really important?” should be more clear.

 

Changes for the next playtest

1. Reorganize the spaces in a way to make the game faster and reduce the number of spaces.
2. Add more elements that inculcate a sense of responsibility like – “walking the dog” or “picking up dog poop”
3. Make it more specific to one animal – eg.: dogs would have a completely different set of requirements
4. Simplifying the goal – the game is such that we want everyone to win, hence, make it more collaborative and easy to reach the goal of adopting an animal
5. Provide more educational elements – eg.: dogs shouldn’t eat grass, chocolate, etc.
6. Create significance for the levels in the game – eg.: preparation, foster, adoption
7. Consider scenarios like pet friendly apartments, size of dogs, allergies, etc.

Testing – 2

Coming soon