As the other comment mentions, I was also not sure what to expect within this game with the title of "Stars in the Daytime." Certainly, I was not expecting the police/senior center/gambling violent drama that ensued. The scene is set for the game with some basic background information about the role the player is stepping into-- a cop that has entered back into the force to help with a certain mission. Once this foundation is set, the player then moves forward in the mission and choices are offered that create different possible scenarios. The setting of a senior center and being told that the situation is not as simple as it seems creates an element of uncertainty and suspense within the game. Then, the player is offered their first choice. They can either be looking for trouble, fun, or Bob. My first choice was trouble. This immediate choice led me through several passages of narrative that eventually leaded to my demise. I was not offered choice within this narrative-- it simply led to my death with no chance of survival. However, this makes sense, as I did say I was looking for trouble. Well, with that being my first choice, I was prompted to restart and tempted to try again, this time saying I was looking for something/someone else. The second choice of looking for Bob also proved not to be fruitful or to lead to any narrative. This was an interesting choice to subvert player's expectations. If you choose Bob, you are simply told that Bob is not there-- plain and simple. Okay, so I guess the next available option is "fun." I restarted and tried this option out, which led to the most narrative development and player choices out of the three. The setting is then revealed to be an illegal gambling place, which contradicts the immediate setting of a senior center. This is an interesting subversion. You can choose to play different moves in the game of Blackjack, and then the dramatic elements of the narrative come into play. A conflict scenario unfolds and the player is offered a variety of choices within this scenario. I think the high stakes of the scenario mimic the critical thinking that would need to come into play if this situation was playing out within real life. Many of the options led to death (like the other two), but killing the man with a spear leads to injury and ending up in an ambulance, but allows the player to reach the end of "chapter one." This definitely leads me wanting to know more about this situation, and it was also revealed that this game was inspired by a book, which is interesting and I would be curious to explore this more. The game, especially when the "looking for fun" option is chosen, utilizes a seemingly rapid pace. You are in a life threatening situation and you need to protect yourself and others, and are forced to make the decisions that will determine everyone's livelihood. However, the affordances of Twine and the game allow for the stakes to be lessened somewhat in knowing that you can choose to restart and try again if you make a decision that leads to death/failure.
When I first read the title of the game, “Stars in the Daytime,” it is so confused me. It reminds me of some famous actors or singers first, like how they shine on a stage or public area. However, the picture attached with the game confused me again. I think it supposes a happy game because there is a star in the daytime. But the picture shows a person being threaded by another man who holds a gun in his back. When I started playing this game, the first sentence displayed was “I am a police,” which hive me a clear direction of the game and predicted what would happen next. The story of police is always like breaking the surround or some dangerous mission. However, with the development of the story, I notice that there is something different than I thought. The main character is an old policeman who joins back to the team again. This is something new than I thought. But for me, I still cannot get the point of the “star.” There is a question left for me as a player, is this old policeman a star or not. By the way, there is only one choice at the beginning of the game, which tells some general background and the story line to players, which helps players to understand the general knowledges about the story first. And then, when the mission start, the player has a chance to decide the main character’s action. Each selection is designed at the right place; it even makes me feel nervous when I choose them. After all, in a dangerous mission, every decision may cause some fatal danger and get the kill or something else. When I continue playing the game, I gradually understand the meaning of the star. There are lots of decision that is reasonable for old police who has lots of experience. Besides, there are some choices that are chosen for all teams; the main character is trying to save another teammate as possible as he can. After all, it is a team mission, and it is not a good idea to lose any teammate at all. The decision even makes a choice to sacrifice himself and try his best to cover other team numbers. The meaning of the star is here, which is to do one’s best to be a hero. In the game, they're a lot of chance that will cause the main character dead, but the play still can go back to the last decision and make a decision again. This action makes cause the game has less challenging because the player can return again and again and get the perfect or happy ending. Even though the player can choose the icon one and once again, it does affect the player to understand the meaning of a star in the daytime. The old policeman uses his experience and skill to do his best to protect people. He is a star in the game. By the way, the attached picture also shows during the game, which fits the game’s setting.
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As the other comment mentions, I was also not sure what to expect within this game with the title of "Stars in the Daytime." Certainly, I was not expecting the police/senior center/gambling violent drama that ensued. The scene is set for the game with some basic background information about the role the player is stepping into-- a cop that has entered back into the force to help with a certain mission. Once this foundation is set, the player then moves forward in the mission and choices are offered that create different possible scenarios. The setting of a senior center and being told that the situation is not as simple as it seems creates an element of uncertainty and suspense within the game. Then, the player is offered their first choice. They can either be looking for trouble, fun, or Bob. My first choice was trouble. This immediate choice led me through several passages of narrative that eventually leaded to my demise. I was not offered choice within this narrative-- it simply led to my death with no chance of survival. However, this makes sense, as I did say I was looking for trouble. Well, with that being my first choice, I was prompted to restart and tempted to try again, this time saying I was looking for something/someone else. The second choice of looking for Bob also proved not to be fruitful or to lead to any narrative. This was an interesting choice to subvert player's expectations. If you choose Bob, you are simply told that Bob is not there-- plain and simple. Okay, so I guess the next available option is "fun." I restarted and tried this option out, which led to the most narrative development and player choices out of the three. The setting is then revealed to be an illegal gambling place, which contradicts the immediate setting of a senior center. This is an interesting subversion. You can choose to play different moves in the game of Blackjack, and then the dramatic elements of the narrative come into play. A conflict scenario unfolds and the player is offered a variety of choices within this scenario. I think the high stakes of the scenario mimic the critical thinking that would need to come into play if this situation was playing out within real life. Many of the options led to death (like the other two), but killing the man with a spear leads to injury and ending up in an ambulance, but allows the player to reach the end of "chapter one." This definitely leads me wanting to know more about this situation, and it was also revealed that this game was inspired by a book, which is interesting and I would be curious to explore this more. The game, especially when the "looking for fun" option is chosen, utilizes a seemingly rapid pace. You are in a life threatening situation and you need to protect yourself and others, and are forced to make the decisions that will determine everyone's livelihood. However, the affordances of Twine and the game allow for the stakes to be lessened somewhat in knowing that you can choose to restart and try again if you make a decision that leads to death/failure.
When I first read the title of the game, “Stars in the Daytime,” it is so confused me. It reminds me of some famous actors or singers first, like how they shine on a stage or public area. However, the picture attached with the game confused me again. I think it supposes a happy game because there is a star in the daytime. But the picture shows a person being threaded by another man who holds a gun in his back. When I started playing this game, the first sentence displayed was “I am a police,” which hive me a clear direction of the game and predicted what would happen next. The story of police is always like breaking the surround or some dangerous mission. However, with the development of the story, I notice that there is something different than I thought. The main character is an old policeman who joins back to the team again. This is something new than I thought. But for me, I still cannot get the point of the “star.” There is a question left for me as a player, is this old policeman a star or not. By the way, there is only one choice at the beginning of the game, which tells some general background and the story line to players, which helps players to understand the general knowledges about the story first. And then, when the mission start, the player has a chance to decide the main character’s action. Each selection is designed at the right place; it even makes me feel nervous when I choose them. After all, in a dangerous mission, every decision may cause some fatal danger and get the kill or something else. When I continue playing the game, I gradually understand the meaning of the star. There are lots of decision that is reasonable for old police who has lots of experience. Besides, there are some choices that are chosen for all teams; the main character is trying to save another teammate as possible as he can. After all, it is a team mission, and it is not a good idea to lose any teammate at all. The decision even makes a choice to sacrifice himself and try his best to cover other team numbers. The meaning of the star is here, which is to do one’s best to be a hero. In the game, they're a lot of chance that will cause the main character dead, but the play still can go back to the last decision and make a decision again. This action makes cause the game has less challenging because the player can return again and again and get the perfect or happy ending. Even though the player can choose the icon one and once again, it does affect the player to understand the meaning of a star in the daytime. The old policeman uses his experience and skill to do his best to protect people. He is a star in the game. By the way, the attached picture also shows during the game, which fits the game’s setting.