Game Idea A Week: Animal Play Kingdom
Week Forty-Six (21/08/2010)
The idea for this week is inspired by Adam Saltsman's talk at Freeplay last weekend (see the Gamasutra article if you weren't lucky enough to be there). He said that animals have been playing long before us humans came along.
So the game for this week is Animal Play Kingdom. A game where you get to pretend to be different animals and play together.
Platform:
Wii
Genre:
Family/Sports
Why it needs to be made:
Animals play from very early stages of life. Different animals play differently and it is all about teaching them how to survive in the world when they grow up. Children love animals and this game teaches them more about animals and lets them have a glimpse into what it would be like if they were an animal.
Description:
The game is set up as a series of mini-games that you can play solo or with friends and family. Games generally involve a human and an animal or at least two animals of the same species playing together. The player gets to choose which animal to play and then which type of play they'd like to do.
A few example animals and games are:
- Dogs
- fetch: throw the ball for a dog. Use the Wiimote to pitch the ball as far as possible or play as the dog and run to catch the ball and bring it back.
- play fight: two puppies tumble together and pretend to fight. Use the Wiimote and the nunchuck to move your arms and perform moves to attack and defend.
- Cats
- ball of string: encourage a cat to chase a ball of string around the screen. Move the ball around the screen by moving a pointer with the Wiimote or play as the cat and catch the ball before it moves again.
- pounce: sneak up on another cat and pounce on them. Move your Wiimote and nunchuck up and down to simulate walking, do it smoothly and evenly to be quiet enough that the other cat doesn't turn around.
- Orca (Killer whales)
- ball throw: toss a ball back and forth between two whales. Use the Wiimote and nunchuck to catch the ball at the right time with the whale's nose, then throw it back to your friend.
- Dolphins
- Swim along: swim quickly through the water, spiralling around your friends and jump to the surface when ships pass by overhead. Use the Wiimote to spin and change direction, press a button to jump to the surface at the correct time.
- Monkeys
- swing through the trees: try to go as far as possible through the trees without falling as you chase your friends. Use the Wiimote and nunchuck to alternate arms and catch the tree branches as they pass by.
The game is set up to be a party/family game. So players can easily jump in and play whichever mini-game they would like to. In solo play, the individual games have levels of difficulty that can be unlocked as the player improves.
The animals are meant to look very cute and stylistic, but otherwise will ressemble real animals and will not have any human attributes. By playing games that real animals play, children will learn more about how different animals live and their environments.
Why it will be a compelling game:
Each mini-game is short, so that children can quickly play another level. If their parents tell them to stop playing, they will not loose any progress, so they can pick the game up again easily. The animals will be cute baby animals and will use slapstick humour if mistakes are made. Competing against friends will be the most addictive part of the game and watching friends make silly movements to mimic the animals they play.
Other thoughts:
A King of the Animals tournament might be able to be added in which all the animals compete against each other to become King. However, this sort of gameplay might be difficult if each animal has its own unique way of using Wiimote and nunchuck and may not be compatible in a competition against each other. For example, it is difficult to imagine how a cat and a dolphin might have a competition together in an at least semi-realistic setting.