Rationale & Evaluation For Monopoly - PLL Edition.

Rationale For Board Game

   My group and I decided to come up with an edition of monopoly based upon the television series Pretty Little Liars. We changed near enough every aspect of the traditional board game, adapting it to our own preferences of what we wanted it to aesthetically look like and how it would be played. We set off with the goal of creating an impressive board game that put a twist on the traditional Monopoly board. Doing so by gathering different information and facts about the TV series and incorporating it into the game. The target audience for the game would be those who regularly watch the television series and are familiar with the locations and characters, however this could also be played by audiences who have not seen the show before as the game is still able to be played without having any knowledge of the show, for example those who are interested in horror and the game Cluedo, because of this the game is available and appealing for all audiences.

    Before creating our edition of Monopoly we done some research of exiting board games and the audiences that they're aimed at etc, that can be viewed here. The design decisions were made as a group, all being assigned individual tasks to complete (rules, logo, layout of board...) this allowed us to be individually creative whilst still collaborating together.
       Our board game successfully fulfils the requirements and manages the parameters of the brief, for example our game includes traditional elements ( playing pieces ) however our edition include murder weapons (knife , gun, bleach...) as opposed to a race car, dog, boot etc. This again appeals to people who are fans of Cluedo and other classic board games for the older generation.

 In addition to these points we also created new logos, one for the centre of the playing board and one for the back of the box. The one for the back of the box I created on photoshop, I included the traditional Monopoly Logo, however added blood drips as well as the original font for the 'PLL' title.        As well as this for playing cards I incorporated the stencil of iphones, adding text and imagery to the inside, this made the game more visual and puts a twist on the original 'chance' and 'community chest', again adhering to the brief. As well as this we created a slogan 'Bring your A game', this adheres to the brief and makes the game original, relevant and memorable.

Evaluation

For our board games we were each assigned individual tasks in which we would complete.  I was given the logo for the box (front & back) as well as the 'Chance' and 'Community Chest' cards and playing pieces. I done these all on photoshop, meanwhile Lola created the hotels and wrote up the rules, finding the appropriate fonts. Emanuela made the logo for the centre of the playing board, lastly Chanel made the playing board, altering the places you will land on to make it appropriate and fitting.

  As a group we worked well together and were able to create a prototype using cardboard and printing out the appropriate parts that we had made. In comparison to an existing version of Monopoly our sizes were off. The size of the board was too small in comparison to the box and playing pieces. The pieces were too large and the board was too small as there was little space to move on it, therefore next time if we were to create a game again I would suggest enlarging the board and I would make the playing pieces a lot smaller. In addition to this I also thing the 'Chance' and 'Community Coffin' cards were again too large in comparison to the board itself as they did not fit, however reviewing this they were the correct size in relation to the size of the box A3, so again if we were to do this again I would like to have more specific measurements to make it work more effectively. 

   When looking at the other prototypes created, the majority of them were big enough to play including all the pieces which was good as it gave an idea of how the real product would perform. In response to the brief, as mentioned above, we met near enough all of the parameters successfully and if the measurements were altered I think the product would be a success.

Questionnaire

After I had completed my board game prototype I carried out a questionnaire on google forms asking multiple questions regarding the game itself and opinions on the changes that were made. This allowed me to be more particular on the points in which I can improve on as feedback let me see what was good and bad about the game. A few examples of questions asked are shown below:

Below are a few of the examples of the responses received ( some more helpful than others)

After creating this questionnaire I was able to pin-point the part of the game that worked and did not work, this was a good way to receive opinions to include in my evaluation and what I would improve next time. To evaluate further, the results from the questionnaire roughly give me an idea that the majority of those who tested out the prototype enjoyed it, they would describe it as unique and original too. On the contrary to this, some results showed me that not all of the audience enjoyed the game, this could be if they haven't watched the show before etc so is therefore understandable.