Game concept

For my Art 104 class we are making up a card game, and here is my attempt.  This is going to be tested this weekend, so hope it works!


Suits:
Supplies Needed:
1 regular pack of playing cards- including jokers
4 players
Chips
Instructions:
Shuffle all cards and deal 8 cards to each player.  The goal of this game is to end up with cards from all one suit.
At the beginning of the game, each player chooses 3 card to pass to the person to the left. Starting with the player to the left of the dealer, each person will draw a card, and then discard one of their choice. After each discarded card, each other player will bid on the card.  The trick is to get all the cards needed without letting others know what suit is needed.  Jokers are a trump card over any bet.  Chips bet go to the player who discarded.
Players will not have more than 8 cards in their possession at one time
How to win:
The easiest way to win is to collect 8 cards of one suit.
If there is a tie, the way to determine a winner is to count chips, and look at the hand.  Any player possessing a straight will win, unless the other player has a better straight.
If there is a partial straight (meaning 4-7 of the cards are in sequence), then chips are included in accumulation of points.  Each chip represents the value decided by players in the beginning, but each straight is given a point value of the total points in the partial straight.  (1-2-3-4-5 would equal 15 points, while a 10-J-Q-K would equal 30).

Rules of the game

Texas Hold ‘em: a 5 card poker variation

What is needed:

A deck of cards, jokers removed

Button: a marker to identify the dealer

Chips for betting

Rules:

The marker called the button indicates which player is the nominal dealer for the current game. Before the game begins, the player immediately clockwise from the button posts the small blind, the first forced bet. The player immediately clockwise from the small blind posts the big blind.

The big blind is the same as the small bet, and the small blind is typically half the size of the big blind but may be larger depending on the stakes.

In Hold'em the available actions are fold, check, bet, call or raise. Each poker player always has the option to fold, to discard their cards and give up any interest in the pot. If nobody has made a bet at this point, then a player may either check (decline to bet, but keep their cards) or bet. If a player has bet, then each other player can fold, call or raise. To call is to match the amount the previous player has bet. To raise is to not only match the previous bet, but to also increase it.

After seeing his or her hole cards, each player now has the option to play his or her hand by calling or raising the big blind. The action begins to the left of the big blind, which is considered a ‘live’ bet on this round. That player has the option to fold, call or raise.

The Flop

In Hold'em, the three cards on the flop are community cards, available to all players still in the hand. To place the flop, the dealer "burns" a card (discarding it to the side) and lays the three cards face up. Betting on the flop begins with the active player immediately clockwise from the button. The betting options are similar to pre-flop, however if nobody has previously bet, players may opt to check, passing the action to the next active player clockwise.

The Turn

When the betting action is completed for the flop round, the ‘turn’ is dealt face-up on the board. The turn is the fourth community card in Hold'em and is dealt similarly to the flop.  The dealer will burn one card before playing the turn. Another round of betting ensues, beginning with the player immediately clockwise from the button.

The River

When betting action is completed for the turn round, the ‘river’ is dealt face-up on the board after the dealer burns another card. The river is the fifth and final community card in a Hold'em game. Betting again begins with the player immediately clockwise from the button, and the same betting rules apply as they do for the flop and turn, as explained above.

The End Game

If there is more than one remaining player when the final betting round is complete, the last person to bet or raise shows their cards, unless there was no bet on the final round in which case the player immediately clockwise from the button shows their cards first. The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot (see Ranking section below). In the event of identical hands, the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands. Unlike other games, in Hold'em all suits are considered equal.

After the pot is awarded, a new hand of Hold'em is ready to be played. The button now moves clockwise to the next player, blinds are once again posted, and new hands are dealt to each player.

Ranking:

1. Straight Flush

The Straight Flush (see #4) is the highest ranking hand in poker. If there are two straight flushes, the hand with the highest card (see #9) wins. A royal flush is A-K-Q-J-10.  A's may not round the corner such as 3-2-1-A-K.

2. Four of a kind

Four cards of any same rank. If there are two hands with four of a kind, the highest ranking hand wins (see #9).

3. Full House

A Full House is a combination of three of a kind and a pair such as 3-3-3-5-5.  If there are two flushes in play, cards are ranked by the three cards and not the pair.

4. Flush

Five cards of the same suit. When comparing two flushes, the highest card determines which is higher. If the flushes are identical, the hands tie.

5. Straight

Five cards of mixed suits in sequence. When two hands are compared, the highest hand wins. Ace can count high or low in a straight, but not both.

6. Three of a Kind

Three cards of the same rank plus two mismatched cards. When comparing two threes of a kind the rank of the three equal cards determines which is higher (See #9)

7. Two Pairs

In a hand with two pairs, the two pairs(See #8) are of different ranks and one mismatched card. When comparing hands with two pairs, the hand with the highest pair wins.

8. Pair

In a pair, 2 cards in the hand are matched or paired up, with the other three cards mismatched. Higher pair always wins, but if the pairs are equal, the high card (See #9 ) rankings apply.

9. High Card/Nothing

Cards rank in order from highest to lowest A-K-Q-J-10 etc.

SJSU Comm Events

For those interested in communication studies and live, go to or expect to go to SJSU, make sure you check out SJSU Comm's Blogspot for information about upcoming events.  Also, don't forget about Communication studies events page.  Both places have great information and great events happening throughout the semester.




For those of you who are in Comm 101C, remember that you have to do a blog post about a comm event.  Don't get stuck at the end of the semester needing to go to an event only to find there are none left to attend!

Passage Analysis: Formal

Passage: The game
Player: 1 person/self
Goals: Timed points collection
Rules: 5 minute time limit
          gather points
          spouse generates a double point collection
          8-bit linear game- while map allows for multi-directional  movement,moving in a "backwards" direction             does not allow for movement back in time.
         resolution is death of self (and spouse if achieved- spouse dies first)
Information availability:  Public game.  Game information is hidden (time limit is known only after play).
Sequence:  "Real time" play.  Time (though sped up) moves as does in real life.
Theme: Life journey.  Map system exploration (map is hidden).

Passage is a simple game in conception.  Player uses a male avatar and travel through the game.  The object of the game is found in the first few seconds, as the player start moving and receives points.  Soon after, the player comes into contact with female avatar and a hidden choice is available.  Either the player "collects" the woman as a spouse and receives double points for less manuverability, or the player passes up the X2 points and retains greater movement.
As the player moves thought the map he is confronted with obstacles and treasure chests.  As said above, as a single avatar movement is less restricted than if you pick up a spouse, which allows for greater treasure collecting.  However, the score is not just calculated by the treasure chests, but for distance traveled as well. Throughout the game, the player (and spouse) grow older, and after about 4 minutes, the spouse dies.  This leaves the original avatar to "finish" the game alone and die.
This game is repeatable and the only thing that can change is how many points are accumulated (with spouse bonus or not), because the outcome is always the same.

What is important about games?

I am a female gamer.  I received my first computer at 11 years old, and I saved my money and bought my first Gameboy at the age of 12.  As I was growing up, I did not know what a gamer was, I just knew I was different from other girls. I played water polo, and once I went to college I took my love of the strategy of sports and started playing Counterstrike, Half-Life and Warcraft II and III.  Once World of Warcraft came out in 2004, I had embraced my identity as a gamer, but I was afraid as so many people are that a game of that magnitude would encompass my life.  I started playing a year later, when the gamer inside of me could no longer be held inside.  Now, I have three characters that I play on a regular basis as I go to school, work and write my thesis.  However, I would say that I have “gamified” my life as on one single character I have spent over 57 days playing.  1,300 hours spent playing on one character means that gaming is a part of my life, not just an unimportant pastime.  If nothing else, playing World of Warcraft has changed the way that I think about what the world and how I function within that world.

The way that I have come to view games is that they have potential. Part of what makes games fun and interesting is that they challenge the mind or body in ways that are not monotonous, and that are not so hard that players become discouraged. The average player spends an average of 13 hours a week, with hardcore gamers spending up to 45 hours a week in virtual worlds (McGonigal, 2011, pp. 3-4). I feel that if we can harness the power that games have into a classroom setting, we can change education for the next generation.