Race Challenge

INFLUENCES: My main thought for this project was to create a game that could be enjoyed by multiple players and that allowed individuals to get to know each other on a more personal level. The game that influenced me for my concept is The Amazing Race, which is a reality television show where people have a starting point and race to get to the finishing point through various clues.
CONCEPT: This game will have a similar concept to that of The Amazing Race in that teams will race from one destination to another. But beyond that, there will be many challenges that teams will have to face in transit, all of which will be trivial questions of some sort. In the beginning of the game “Headquarters” will be established along with 2 main narrators. Each team will be given walkie talkies and will be in communication with the narrators. Every 6 minutes the narrators will notify each team to stop where they are and will be given a random question. If the team is able to answer the question correctly, they will be able to move on to the destination. However, if they answer the question incorrectly they will have to complete a challenge. The team will have to record the challenge via video and send it back to headquarters and if it’s approved they will be able to continue. The team which makes it to the final destination first wins. The title I have chosen for this game is “Race Challenge” due to the fact that players will have to complete challenges in this game to win the overall race to the finish.
AUDIENCE: This game is made for people who like to be adventurous, travel and try new things. There will be challenges that require people to be extraverted and not afraid of a little light-hearted humiliation and humor. Intended for ages 15 and up.
INTENDED RESEARCH: The fieldwork that would be optimal for this idea is to show people a mock-up of this game and ask for feedback. This game would require a lot of moving around so a mock game would be an efficient scenario. I will consult my college peers.
COURSE MATERIAL:
1) "Play as Identity": Sutton-Smith talks about how people can use play to establish a part of their identity. In this case, this is a contested game and during the challenges players will have to be creative and draw from a part of their identity to complete the task. The way in which they complete the task will also reveal their personality.
2) "Rhetorics of Self": This game coincides with the theory stating that play can be seen as a form of individual stimulus seeking. This game puts players in the position of seeking stimulus' because they are challenged to do so.
3) Sutton-Smith talks about how play can increase community and allow for people to have something in common. This game is meant for a group of people and through these challenges they'll get to know one another, especially at the end when they all come together to watch the challenges from their peers.