Code Break

Will you be able to crack the code that will save your spacecraft and the lives of your crew from destruction? Made for a school project – CRWR 312

Are you interested in a brain game? A challenge that tells a story? Do you want your creativity and your problem-solving skills tested? Then give this game a try!

Artist Statement:

This game was heavily influenced by my curiosity of playing with mechanics and bounds within interactive storytelling. My Craft of Play – which is my unified theory of interactive storytelling – explores the way storytelling can take place in between a set of bounds and the impact of the player/reader's choices when interacting with a story. In this game, I wanted the story to depend on the effects of the players choices and attempt to emulate a sense of reality and immersion through the storytelling elements. This game rewards correct choices with more storytelling elements, and limits actions when there is failure. The mechanics of the game are the main part of it, and it is up to the players to make the correct choices to get to interact more with the story. 

Components of class that influenced Code Break:

1. One-Page RPG Zine

The theme of my game is based on the One-Page RPG Zine theme my playgroup and I developed. The game I created was a code breaking RPG where the mechanics were dependent on a D10 die. I wanted to try and bring that game to life through a “choose your own adventure” style of storytelling. This style has more limits for the players than the original one-page RPG does, but I wanted to take that theme and try and raise the stakes.

2. Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility by James P. Carse

The concepts, explored in Finite and Infinite games, helped me understand the difference between a finite and infinite game. This game is definitely a finite game, as the mechanics and boundaries are very much a part of the play. But I wanted to incorporate infinite play with the choice between options, and the fact that success allows for more options than failure does. I wanted failure to limit the players, while success gave them more choices and advantages to play with. I wanted the inclusion of choices to add infinite properties to a finite game. 

3. Gods of Rock

I was inspired by the formatting of Gods of Rock and the outcome being based on the flip of a coin. I wanted to do the same thing with success and failure, and that the mechanics would determine how the story would go. It is still up to the player's choice, and not so much about chance, but I liked the component of prompted storytelling from God’s of Rock and I wanted to include that in my game. 

The theme of this game is about decision-making under pressure, leadership and teamwork, and the impacts of success and failure in storytelling. I wanted this game to have a sense of immersion in the challenge at hand, and to give the players a sense of stress and urgency so they could feel like more a part of the story. I wanted the game to reward good leadership and team effort with greater advantages and information, and limit them when they decided to do things themselves. This game is about using intellect and challenging the mind while leading a crew to safety, and I wanted the player to feel the impact of both.