Creative work by UW-Stout students in the game design and development program was on display Jan. 20 in Bloomington, Minn., during a Protospiel game expo.
The expo, one of several of its kind held around the country, including Madison, features prototypes of playable games by independent designers who gather feedback from peers and the public.
UW-Stout students unveiled three games made during a fall class, Introduction to Game Design, taught by Assistant Professor Kimberly Loken; and one from a Winterm class, Board Game Production and Processes, taught by Jay Little.
The games and their creators are:
- The High Seas, a three-player game of naval might. Movable waves on the board affect aim as sloops, frigates and warships attack each other.
Designed by Trevor Livingston, of Wisconsin Rapids; Emily Shaffer, of Eagle; and Kenley Smith, of Manitowoc.
- Nightmare Heroes, a cooperative card game for two to five players who portray kids at a slumber party, when suddenly their make-believe monsters come to life. Players have to use innovative teamwork mechanics to fend off as many monsters as they can before bed time.
Designed by: Doug Gafner, of Oshkosh; Kaelyn Lang, of Black River Falls; Nat Poss, of Lake City, Minn.; Evan Schweighart, of Glenview, Ill.; and Tyler Sommerfeld, of Litchfield, Minn.
Nightmare Heroes will be available via on-demand printing through The Game Crafter.
- Runoff, a two-player resource management and spatial strategy game that requires shared responsibility for watershed management as cities grow in population.
Designed by Mary Benetti, of Elm Grove; Noah Miller, of Osceola; and Simon Meyer, of Mound, Minn.
- Revolution, a four-player card game that examines the maxim that absolute power corrupts absolutely. The dealer plays as "the people"; the other three players are various "rulers" whose actions affect the fear and anger of the populace, as well as their personal wealth.
Designed by Jacob Karr, of River Falls; Ash Patterson, of Minneapolis; Ashley Ritter, of Lakeland, Minn.; and Christian Towalski, of Sauk Rapids, Minn.
The High Seas, Revolution and Runoff, all from Introduction to Game Design, used the Discovery Center Fab Lab's laser cutter/engraver to make the prototypes.
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