GAME STUDIES - Project 1: Propose a Table Top Game Design

✩ 22/9/25 - 7/11/25 (Week 1 - Week 7)

✩ WONG MEI YEE 0367857

✩ Games Studies / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

✩ Project 1: Propose a Table Top Game Design

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Lectures
2. Instructions
3. Project 1
4. Reflection




Lectures

Game Studies - Lectures by angel




Instructions




Project 1

WEEK 1 - Indivitual General Research
Each group member find and research one old or traditional game that could be reinvented. This helped us gain a better understanding of different games, allowing us to identify which game concepts had the most potential for reinvention.

Cho Dai Ti

Origin and history :
1. Origin: Cantonese/ Hong Kong region; widely spread across East and Southeast Asia.
2. Popular throughout China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
3. Evolved into many local variants and house rules; frequently played casually and as a gambling/social game.
Original Audience:
1. Originally played in Cantonese-speaking communities; popular across family gatherings and social meetups.
2. Audience: casual players across all ages; often played by friends, family reunions, and as a gambling pastime.

Core Rules:
1. Deal: All cards are dealt evenly (usually 4 players, 13 each).
2. Lead: Player with the lowest card (usually 3♦) starts.
3. Play: Each turn, play a higher combo of the same size (single, pair, triple, or 5-card hand).
4. Pass: You may pass; when all pass, the last winner leads the next round

WEEK 2 - Initial Ideation
We picked Cluedo as our main inspiration because its core ideas, hidden information and deduction, which fits really well with the kind of interactive gameplay we want. What makes Cluedo stand out is how players need to pay attention, remember details, and make smart guesses based on limited clues.
Instead of using a crime scene like Cluedo, we wanted something lighter and more playful. So we shifted the setting to a friendly cooking competition, where players work toward completing a dish rather than solving a mystery.
To add more character to the concept, we grounded the gameplay in Malaysian food culture, highlighting its rich diversity in a way that remains fun and approachable.

WEEK 3 - Play Week

This week, our group had the chance to spend some time playing games together at the Student Life Centre. Although the selection of games was limited, we still tried out a few different ones. It was a good opportunity to explore various board games and gather ideas that could inspire our own project. Through playing, we also discussed what worked well in these games and what can we learn from them.

WEEK 4 - Initial Game Design

Makan Mania

Makan mania is a 3-4 players fun and lighthearted cooking card game inspired by Malaysia’s rich food culture. Players must use their strategy, memory, and observation skills to plan their moves, complete their own meals, and cleverly disrupt others from finishing theirs. By observing and guessing other players’ dishes, you can gain an advantage and race to be the first to complete three meals to win the game! The game takes inspiration from Cluedo’s rich player interaction but reimagines the “crime scene” as a lively, bustling kitchen. Its card system, inspired by UNO, keeps the gameplay fast-paced, exciting, and full of surprises.

WEEK 5 - Mock Test

This week, we carried out our first mock-up test, and the playtest was done within our group only. Using our prototype, we played through the game to see how the mechanics worked in practice.

During the internal playtest, we focused on:

• understanding the flow of turns,
• checking whether the rules made sense,
• testing the action cards and their effects,
• and seeing if completing a meal felt achievable and balanced.

Because we were testing it ourselves, we were able to quickly notice issues and discuss them on the spot. Some action cards were a bit confusing, and certain ingredient/tool combinations felt unbalanced. However, the core gameplay was fun, and the interactions between players worked as we expected. Overall, the internal mock-up test helped us identify what needed refinement before testing with external players.

WEEK 6

After completing our internal test last week, we identified several issues with the gameplay. This week, we focused on refining the game based on those findings before finalizing the card visuals.

Our refinements included:

1. Adjusting Card Quantities
2. Simplifying the Rules
3. Finalizing the Card Designs

In the class, we presented the our initial game design including the components, mechanism, and rules.

We Continued working on Final Card Design as shown below:

Project 1 Slide Desk

Reflection

Experience

This project transformed my understanding of game studies from theoretical analysis to practical application. The journey began with researching traditional games like Cho Dai Ti, but the true challenge lay in reinterpreting those mechanics for a modern audience. Developing Makan Mania required us to synthesize two distinct inspirations: the deduction logic of Cluedo and the fast-paced action of UNO. Moving from the initial ideation of a "cooking competition" to the physical reality of Week 5’s mock test was eye-opening. It was demanding to balance the cultural storytelling of Malaysian food with functional rules, but seeing the game mechanics come to life during our internal playtest was incredibly satisfying.

Observations

I observed that a game’s concept often looks perfect on paper but creates unexpected friction in reality. During Week 5, we noticed that while the core loop of completing dishes was fun, specific action cards caused confusion and disrupted the flow. I also realized how crucial "theming" is to accessibility; by shifting from a Cluedo "crime scene" to a "kitchen," the deduction mechanics became less intimidating and more playful for casual players. Furthermore, I noticed that playtesting is not just about finding bugs, but about checking the emotional balance—ensuring the game feels fair even when players are sabotaging each other.

Findings 

I learned that game design is fundamentally an iterative cycle of "design, test, and refine." The shift from Week 5 (identifying issues) to Week 6 (adjusting card quantities and simplifying rules) proved that a game is never truly "finished" in the first draft; it requires constant tuning. I also discovered that incorporating familiar cultural elements, like local food, serves as a powerful tool for engagement, making abstract rules easier to understand. Ultimately, this exercise taught me that successful game design lies in the delicate balance between strategy (planning moves) and chaos (action cards), requiring both creativity and logical problem-solving.