PENTE.IO: EXPLORING GAMES, PLAY, AND SOCIAL BONDS
Pente.IO is a web-based game crafted during the height of the pandemic to delve into the role of games and human connection. This interactive platform encourages players, whether strangers or friends, to engage in Pente, accompanied by a game-aware commentator reflecting on play, games, and social ties.
The game utilizes a full JavaScript stack, ensuring seamless real-time interactions via web browsers without downloads or installations. This choice aims to make gaming accessible to diverse audiences.
During its development, Pente.IO served as a canvas for exploring audience engagement. Through iterative campaigns and feedback mechanisms, the user interface and thematic elements evolved, guided by user insights.
The narrator of Pente.IO. They let players know what turn it is... but also constantly muses on "what is play" and the player's relationship with it.
INSPIRATION AND DESIGN
The concept emerged amidst personal transitions and the pandemic's isolating impact. Observing a surge in online gaming among friends and colleagues during a period of physical isolation highlighted the significance of trust and social connection fostered through gameplay.
Pente, the game at the core of Pente.IO, embodies simplicity and broad appeal, aligning perfectly with the goal of sparking conversations about the role of games in our lives.
Selected page from my design notebooks while working on the project. I keep a system of two notebooks for projects like this: one for finished thoughts and one for scratch/creative openness.
DEVELOPMENT PHASES
The game's evolution unfolded in distinct phases: from establishing the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) focusing solely on gameplay functionality to refining user experience elements. The inclusion of a narrator, pivotal in adding depth and engagement, underwent multiple iterations to enhance player interaction and thematic coherence.
FINAL TOUCHES
Despite its initial release gathering minor traction, refinements such as an online indicator and replay option were added based on user feedback. The aim was to prompt players to contemplate their relationship with games while enhancing the game's allure for continuous play.
Pente.IO encapsulates not just a gaming experience but a journey exploring the interplay between gameplay, social bonds, and the deeper meanings games hold in our lives. Its evolution continues to inform my research and practice, persistently addressing the challenge of crafting meaningful user experiences.
Screens from the game: the beginning of the game, the end of the game, and how players can randomly join or join a specific "table"
My Goals:
- Have a fully playable implementation of Pente
- Write a real-time multiplayer game that lets anyone in the world play together
- Use a simple game to get people thinking about the complexities of play and digital systems
- Playtest to determine future direction
Lessons Learned:
- Multiplayer, Networked Games using Sockets.
- The "state" programming pattern - the game renders and acts depending on how I set "states" of different objects throughout the canvas
- Marketing is hard - I implemented analytics and tried some SEO, but driving traffic to the site was difficult to sustain. I am currently looking into better ways to develop a "presence" with the games I release.