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Blindspot recap on the multiplayer experiments
This blog covers our development progress in creating a scalable digital game about unconscious biases. In Blindspot 2.0 you will step into the shoes of a team of investigators. It is up to you to solve as series of mysteries that is taking place on hidden island. Each mystery contains suspects that are highly biased. Figuring out how this biases work are key in solving the mystery. Playing this game provides the player with insights in the workings of these biases. The game acts as a stepping stone for an valuable discussion about the presence of biases in real life.
In the last development blog we recapped on a series of experiments that we carried out to validate the game’s usability and instructions. We learned how to simplify the game and what is required to bring the mystery theme closer to realistic topics. The last few weeks we hosted a new series of experiments in which we tested the game in a multiplayer setting. We will cover our learnings in this blog.
Insights from the multiplayer experiments
- Multiplayer effect: As intended the multiplayer setting creates a group discussion which provides the required focus on the biases in the game level. Discussing the clue’s and how they provide insights in the characters biases support a more active learning about the bias at hand.
- Framing is key: The game is supposed to be a platform where you can learn about multiple biases in a safe and engaging matter. First you play the game and learn about biases in a neutral matter (so it is not about your own biases). Afterwards you reflect on these biases and have an open discussion on how they can be present in your own working environment (which is about you) and what you can do to diminish the effects. We learned that it is of key importance to set up this flow on forehand to prevent people to be confused during the game.
- Debriefing and bringing the message home: We are still experimenting with the proper way to reflect on the game and how this discussion should be structured to help players translate the learnings of the game to their own working environment. We thank the community for their ideas and insights. We will keep experimenting with this in our next version of the game to get it right.
- Technology and usability: This recent series of experiments also provided us with a lot of insight in what happens when four people try to get into the game and play at the same time instead of one person. A lot of bugs and design flaws to go through, but hey, that’s part of the game. Thanks for your patience during testing 😉 Our developers are working hard to provide the required solutions for these issues.
With the last series of experiments under our belt we are moving towards the first live version of the game. This will be a fist official version of the game, ready for use and which will act as a baseline product to keep improving on. We will provide you with more information on this in the next blog.