In week three, we had our first 1/4 walkthrough for feedback and idea refinement. We introduced the team goal, user research, and technical development on Apple Watch function testing. We received feedback and questions for our gameplay and overall project goal. Game Content: What will the social gameplay be specifically about? Since the Apple Watch has limitations and does not enable users to play video games on its small screen, we need to consider how we can leverage the watch’s capabilities, such as haptic feedback, to reinforce the social aspect of the game.

Hand Gestures: Hand gestures are a unique function for the Apple Watch, and implementing them into gameplay could be an interesting idea. However, if we decide to use hand gestures, we need to think about how to introduce these gesture instructions to players, as many may not be familiar with this function.

Existing Transitional Game Research: Research on existing traditional social games that people played before smartphones or PCs. Consider how simple and interesting games like hide and seek are, and explore how the Apple Watch can be integrated into these traditional games to create a new, revitalized version. Keep the game simple but engaging, allowing players to move and interact, marking it as an interesting social game.

Location choice: Try not to create location restrictions and ensure the game can be played by anyone with an Apple Watch. Based on the feedback, our team’s current goal is to create a “hot potato” game demo played with the Apple Watch, utilizing haptic feedback, hand gestures, and heart rate functions.

Playtesting 

Function Testing: Our team conducted playtests during the program development, including distance detection. In this test, we paired an Apple Watch with an iPhone to track the distance between them. A couple of observations: the largest distance for signal detection is around 15 feet, and if there are objects blocking the signal between the two devices, like a wall, a person, or if your hand is covering the watch, the calculation varies and becomes inaccurate. 

Geo-Caching: Since the original game idea is a treasure hunt, we wanted to try out Geo-Caching, finding treasures placed by other Geo-Caching users in Pittsburgh. We searched for two caches and successfully found both. Some interesting things we discovered during this process: firstly, the unknown location and nature of the treasure make the process of finding it intriguing, especially when near the treasure point and guided by nearby navigation. Secondly, when playing with people you know, the experience is not boring, as everyone is viewing the map and searching for treasures. However, this may not apply to interactions between strangers. Lastly, treasure hunts may not be suitable for the Apple Watch, as following navigation on its small screen can be challenging compared to using a phone screen.

-2024.2.2