now play this

In Unit 2, I had the pleasure of participating in Somerset’s House Now Play This Game Festival. When this project was first introduced, I was discouraged because the timeline didn’t align with my schedule. The brief intrigued me but I knew I would need more time to support a group in developing a game. I didn’t want to underestimate the challenge and bite off more than I can chew.

3 weeks in to the 6 week project, I asked to join and started attending workshops. During this time, I learned more about what each group was working on. I decided to join a group working on a game called “Veil”. My first time meeting the group, the disclosed some concerns about the project and struggles to collaborate. When working with a group of artists, it can be difficult to complete tasks due to creative differences. My new group has a tight story line, mood board, and title, however the gameplay had not yet been actualized. With the festival a few weeks away, the pressure was on.

Initially the group wanted the game to be digital with some physical elements such as cards and a gameboard. Now, we realize it’s a bit difficult to create a digital game with a logic model in the next few weeks. We decided to pivot and landed on a card game that allows for world building. I took the lead of establishing a game logic model and defining each card. We worked till hours before the installation to finish designs and print out a model that attendees would be able to use.

This collaboration was difficult and I felt pressure to step up because I joined the project late. I had the opportunity to showcase my graphic design abilities as well as build boundaries for the world that supported our game.

References:

Somerset House. (2025). Now Play This 2025. [online] Available at: https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/now-play-this-2025 [Accessed 20 May 2025].