Cards Against Chico

(I know this post is early, but since this is still fresh in my mind, here it is.)

First, I just want to mention how excited I am for EPIC! The idea of designing a game specifically for our incoming Wildcats absolutely excites me. I can’t wait to show what Chico has to offer and to excite them for their upcoming college years.

I was just browsing through some ideas in class on popular games. Obviously, Cards Against Humanity is huge right now! I was just playing around with titles when I mentioned “Cards Against Chico”. Teri thought it was super clever, so I kept the title in the back of my mind.

Today, I got some resounding “ooooo’s” around the classroom, so Teri, Megan, and I playfully browsed ideas of what the white and black cards would say. Obviously, they aren’t going to be as raunchy like the original game. The examples of the black cards would pertain to different places around the campus and town (i.e. Meriam Library, The Bear, Bidwell Park, etc.) Then, for the white cards, different verbs and nouns would be on the white cards (silly ones, of course.) We only talked about this for a few seconds, so brainstorming hasn’t really taken off.

At the places that are mentioned, mentors will be at the location to let them choose white cards. When the groups first start, they’ll be given the black cards. How would these be distributed? This is what we could brainstorm as a class.

The central idea I have for this game is the team aspect. A way each team can be divided is by each person having a color or number, and those with the same ones will be placed in the same group. That way, they’ll get to work with others and meet new people. Like Jane McGonigal mentions, it gives them a sense of purpose.

The goal? Could it be the number of funny cards? Maybe the mentors can determine the funniest cards in the ending as a whole jumbo group? Whoever has the most funniest cards wins the ultimate prize? I know there are more clever, creative minds in our class that could explore ideas or tie in other ideas to make this a blast they’ll remember.

The trouble I have with this is some of the quests from last year that were fantastic ideas, especially the “Travel Through Space and Time”. Before we can determine any design, my group (and Derek) mentioned we should ask last year’s participants if there was anything they wish we could’ve included when they participated in EPIC.

No matter what design we choose, all I care about are the ideas that students develop through their game: teamwork, discovery, optimism about college, and happiness. College may seem scary, but it’ll be far better and more enjoyable than high school. I can’t wait to see what designs we come up with!