One Last Thing

Last night I had the opportunity to have dinner with game designer Anna Anthropy. We briefly discussed Death Receptionist and the prospects of making it into both a video game and a board game in addition to the role playing game. If I did decide to follow that path changing the forms would dramatically change the game - the new forms would indeed be new games with the only commonality being a similar flavor. We came to the conclusion that there is no need for it.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I believe the installation and performance went well. People/Players were receptive to the game as well as the space. I was told I successfully transformed the space beyond the white cube. I received some excellent written commentary.

A couple of my favorite quotes:

"Eerie and haunting."

"There's just something about this atmosphere...I don't know how to describe it - it is somewhat relaxing, yet an uneasy familiar feeling. Interesting piece."

Most everyone understood the concept and seemed to enjoy themselves. I am pleased with the way things turned out.

I met again with both James and Steve during and after the show.

James felt it was successful, but that my artist statement was a bit heavy handed in terms of spelling out exactly what the piece is about. I told him the reason for this was that I did not expect that every person who walked into the gallery would play the game and I wanted to afford them the opportunity to understand what the piece was about.

Steve seemed to really like the project and the way it turned out. During the Tuesday evening opening he certainly played the game with an aim to potentially break it. Although he played multiple times and as different characters there was a time he came in and said he had lost his pet. We made a lost pet flyer and posted it in the hallway on the bulletin board.

The Exhibition

Moving!

Today was the day! I went to get all the furniture from Sarah Lowe and the desk from John's basement. Luckily the weather was cooperative! I rented a U-Haul this morning and Rickey and Marek helped me move everything. I drove the U-Haul it is MUCH larger and MORE scary than my tiny honda. We picked up all the furniture from Sarah without event then proceeded to John's house to get the desk. Did I mention that is the HEAVIEST desk on the face of the planet?!?!?! I couldn't have pulled off moving all this furniture today without friends! I am so lucky to have people to help me...

The Particulars

I have been working on the finer details of the gallery installation. Obtaining small, but necessary things like a small radio to play classical music and various cleaners to make the gallery space actually smell more medical/lobby-esque.

In addition I have put up a small white board with scheduled play sessions for people to come play together.

For Tuesday evening I believe that I will need some help as I anticipate the gallery being quite busy. I have recruited DC Spensley to be a "nurse" and to help facilitate the flow of the game and "hospital."

Artist Statement

Finally I finished it:

As an artist, with an interest in sociology, I primarily focus on awareness, interactivity, and social change. The study of sociology is an integral part of my work as I always strive to engage the community regarding public concerns. In addition, I believe in creating the platform for the viewer/user to have an experience which hopefully allows them to see things from a new perspective.

Death Receptionist is an experiential role playing game. My motivation for this project is mostly personal. I have always wanted to create a work that reflected the wide range of emotions being experienced at my 'day job' as a veterinary receptionist in a 24 hour emergency hospital. For me it made the most sense to create a role playing game so that players would be able to experience things firsthand. Every other alternative seemed to dramatically downplay the seriousness of the decisions that must be made regarding lives and regarding money.

The reception lobby in the gallery was created with stage props. It was important to me that people were not only able to play the game in the gallery space, but that a stage was created to promote awareness regarding the complexity of the emotionally charged decisions. I want to encourage a more careful consideration of pet ownership.

For the audience, I am hoping the game offers some insight. I would be delighted if participants walked away with more questions than when they came in to play. Perhaps a discussion will spark about the legality and morality of euthanasia based on financial decisions, or perhaps people will begin talking about what it means to watch a close family member battle with terminal illness, or perhaps there will be a conversation about the financial situation 99% of all Americans face. I am hoping this game sets the stage for a new conversation – one you may not have had otherwise. For me, I am hoping this will add closure to a chapter in my life.

Flyer! Wootz!

ok, ok I outsourced to a professional.
- Hizuru Cruz [BFA Graphic Design SJSU]

The Actual Game; The bulk of It Anyhow

death receptionist.

an experiential role-playing game.

pre-play, the introduction

each player please take some time to answer the following questions and discuss your answers with the others.

1. your name?

2. do you have a favorite kind of animal? why?

3. are you allergic to pets? if so, what kind?

4. have you ever had any pets in your life?

5. what kind? their names?

6. do you have any pets now?

7. what kind? their names?

character creation

there are three types of characters in this game:

1. the client: this character fills out the client information sheet. while in this role the player is free to communicate with the other players in anyway that they deem fitting – so long as it does not result in physical harm for any of the [RL] players. [ie no actual injections of euthanol, hitting or stabbing etc].

2. the pet: this character observes their environment and listens to the client and the receptionist work out the details of their life. the pet may only communicate with the other players via miming and noises appropriate to their species. although this player may not seem to have much to do, aside plead for their life, they are the second most powerful player in the game because they have the option to die at any point they choose. once the pet dies the client, if left with no other pets, is also terminated from the game.

3. the receptionist: this character essentially takes on the role of the gm – more on that later.

character stats

you embody your own stats. there are no charts or tables or graphs for this. you are who you are – bring what ever baggage and experience you have to the table.

game mechanics

** just a suggestion: be nice to the receptionist – they have more power than you may think.

injury and ailment

determining your pet's injury or ailment, you are at a veterinary hospital after all. roll a 1d6 and consult the receptionist.

money

clients receive money at the beginning of the game, based on their finances from the client information sheet. let me just say this – there are not many ways in this game to get more money, but there are ways if you are creative and you come across someone compassionate enough. all decisions regarding money must be approved by the receptionist.

receptionist ONLY information below [aka gm stuff]

if you aren't the gm go play with your pet or manipulate your owner...whichever case fits.

receptionist ONLY information [aka gm stuff]

you are the receptionist at a busy multi-doctor veterinary emergency hospital for dogs and cats. your job is to ensure the hospital runs smoothly. you may see yourself as an advocate for the pets or you may just consider this a job to pay the bills. either way you are here to ensure the other players don't do anything unethical. you are here to facilitate their experience.

kindly tell those players with any type of pet other than a dog or a cat that this hospital does not have a veterinarian that is able to see them. if they are looking to euthanize their pet due to ethical emergent medical problems the doctors here can help with that only.

cost of euthanasia $100.00

cost of cremation with ashes returned to client $250.00

cost of cremation with no ashes returned to client $100.00

if pet is sick or injured, but does not require euthanasia give them the phone numbers to a couple other veterinary hospitals [you know those hospitals do not have veterinarians that will see their pets, but that is all you can do – i wouldn't recommend telling the clients that].

illness/ailment chart

Dice Roll	1	2	3	4	5	6
Canine	diarrhea	BBBD	rat bait toxicity	GI FB	CHF	hemangiosarcoma
Feline	abscess	UO	fibrosarcoma	diabetic crisis	RF	lymphoma

illness/ailment descriptions

feel free to add any circumstantial or situational information as you deem appropriate [ie “you came home to find your dog had explosive diarrhea all over your brand new white carpet and you rush to the vet” etc]. additionally, there are sometimes options other than the recommended treatment: euthanasia, home hospice care, surrender to the hospital, and AMA [leaving against medical advice].

euthanasia: a client may elect euthanasia at any point in the treatment process however it is up to you to inform the client whether or not it is an ethical decision. if you feel like it is medically appropriate and you don’t think the client is unnecessarily euthanizing their pet then have the client fill out a euthanasia form. don’t forget to discuss care of remains.

cost of euthanasia $100.00

cost of cremation with ashes returned to client $250.00

cost of cremation with no ashes returned to client $100.00

cost of home burial $0.00

home hospice care: this option is only available to clients that have terminally ill pets.

if additional home hospice care is elected roll 1d6 – number rolled represents number of months left to live. each month requires home care medications.

cost of home hospice care $100.00 per month

surrender to the hospital: the receptionist is the only player that knows this is an option. this

option is only available to one client for the entire duration of the game so choose wisely.

have the client roll 1d6 and if the roll is 3 or greater the surrender is complete.

surrendering the pet to the hospital requires that the client pay any incurred charges prior to this point. this results in game termination for this client player. the pet will be cured and can be re-adopted out to any other willing player, if no such player exists game termination for that pet player.

if 1 or 2 then surrendering is not an option.

AMA: this is not an option that is encouraged or even suggested, but this happens when the

client elects to take their pet home [without hospice care] or to another veterinary

facility. be sure to have the client sign the AMA paperwork. this action results in game

termination for this client and their pet.

below are the list of ailments and treatments and costs. as the receptionist you do have the liberty to change things as you see fit based, but remember that your most important job is to ensure player satisfaction.

diarrhea: there are many causes of diarrhea in dogs. the less aggressive method of

treatment is to give SQ fluids [fluids under the skin] to help with dehydration and to prescribe a medication called metronidazole or flagyl (fla-jill) which is an intestinal antibiotic given orally at home. the dog should also be placed on a bland diet of boiled skinless boneless chicken [no spices or oils] and cooked white rice. if no better or worsens have the pet rechecked for further diagnostics.

cost $200.00 for initial treatment

if treatment is elected roll 1d6 – if 3 or higher then treatment worked.

if 1 or 2 then re-evaluation and further diagnostics are recommended.

cost for further diagnostics and treatment $600.00 – then cured.

BBBD [bit by big dog]: laceration and puncture wound on left side of abdomen

just behind the shoulder. an anesthetic procedure is recommended to clean the area

place sutures [stitches] to close the wound. the dog will also be prescribed clavamox (clav-uh-mox) which is an antibiotic used to prevent infection.

cost $500.00 for treatment

if treatment is elected roll 1d6 – if 3 or higher then treatment worked.

If 1 or 2 then anesthesia complication occurs and life saving measures

are recommended.

cost for life saving measures $850.00

if life saving measures are elected roll 1d6 – if 2 or higher pet survives

and has no further complications.

if 1 then pet dies – game termination for this client.

rat bait toxicity: pet is exhibiting signs of rat poison ingestion [pale gums, coughing,

weak]. recommend diagnostic blood work to reveal blood clotting time, hospitalization, fluids and vitamin K therapy. prognosis is good as long as pet receives treatment.

cost for treatment $1500.00

if treatment is elected roll 1d6 – if 3 or higher pet recovers without further complications.

if 1 or 2 pet requires blood transfusions and longer stay in the hospital for further treatment.

cost for further treatment $1300.00

if further treatment is elected roll 1d6 – if 2 or higher pet recovers without further complications.

if 1 then pet dies – game termination for this client.

GI FB [gastro intestinal foreign body]: pet presents with history of vomiting and not eating for

last three days. x-rays are recommended for diagnostics.

cost for x-rays $400.00

if x-rays are elected they show some sort of foreign material in the

intestinal tract which does not look like it will pass through on its own.

surgery is recommended to remove the foreign body.

cost for surgery $3500.00

if surgery is elected roll 1d6 – if 2 or higher foreign body is removed successfully without complications.

roll 1d6 to see what the material was

1 = tampon

2 = corn cob

3 = bloody maxi pad

4 = rubber duckie

5 = wine cork

6 = underwear

if 1 then a mass on the liver was found during surgery and it is recommended that it be surgically removed while the pet is under anesthesia.

cost for mass removal and biopsy $700.00

if mass removal and biopsy are elected roll 1d6 – if 2 or higher mass is removed and biopsy results show that it is non-cancerous. pet recovers well without any further complications.

if 1 then surgical procedure goes well, but biopsy results show that the mass was cancerous. chemo therapy is recommended.

cost for initial chemo treatments $2000.00

if chemo treatment is elected roll 1d6 – if 4 or higher pet goes into remission for remainder of the game.

if 1,2 or 3 then additional chemo treatments are needed, but prognosis is guarded [not good chances of survival].

cost for additional chemo treatments $1800.00

if additional chemo treatments are elected roll 1d6 – number rolled represents number of months left to live. each additional month requires home care medications.

cost for one month supply of home care medications $150.00

CHF [congestive heart failure]: pet presents with coughing and respiratory distress. oxygen

therapy, hospitalization, x-rays, and IV medications [enalapril (en-all-uh-prill) and lasix] (lay-sicks) are recommended.

cost for treatment $1500.00

if treatment is elected roll 1d6 – if 4 or 5 then stabilization is successful

and patient continues to be stable for the remainder of the game.

if 3 or 4 then patient is stabilized for now, but will require additional time in the hospital and follow up care over the next 6 months or more.

cost for additional care $4500.00

if additional care is elected roll 1d6 to see how much longer patient

survives number rolled represents number of months left to live.

each additional month requires home care medications.

cost for one month supply of home care medications $50.00

if 1 or 2 patient dies – game termination for this client.

hemangiosarcoma: patient transferred from general practice veterinarian (RDVM) where they

have already had some initial diagnostics done to determine the need for surgery.

hemangiosarcoma is a form of cancerous tissue that arises in the lining of blood

vessels. This form of cancer tends to be aggressive, recur locally, and spread widely. predisposing factors include radiotherapy [x-rays], foreign materials [such as steel and plastic] in the body, and environmental agents [such as arsenic solutions used to spray grapevines and vinyl chloride in the plastic industry].

cost of RDVM $500.00

cost of surgery $4500.00

if surgery is elected roll 1d6 – if 3 or higher surgery is completed without

complications and chemo therapy is recommended.

cost for initial chemo treatments $2000.00

if chemo treatment is elected roll 1d6 – if 4 or higher pet goes into remission for remainder of the game.

if 1,2 or 3 then additional chemo treatments are needed, but prognosis is guarded [not good chances of survival].

cost for additional chemo treatments $1800.00

if additional chemo treatments are elected roll 1d6 – number rolled represents number of months left to live. each additional month requires home care medications.

cost for one month supply of home care medications $150.00

if 1 or 2 pet dies during surgery from unforeseen complications – game

termination for this client.

abscess: pet presents with golf ball sized swelling on hind end. history of cat fight.

recommend mild sedation, lance, and drain. Also send home on oral antibiotic clavamox (clav-uh-mox).

cost for treatment $350.00

if treatment is elected roll 1d6 – if 2 or higher then procedure goes well

and patient is cured.

if 1 then patient pulls out the drain once back at home and it needs to be

replaced.

cost for drain replacement $250.00 then cured

UO [urinary obstruction]: pet presents straining to urinate howling and crying.

immediate anesthetic procedure to unblock the urethra is recommended.

Hospitalization, SQ fluid therapy, phenoxybenzamine (fen-oxy-ben-za-meen) [sphincter relaxer], and antibiotics recommended. males are more prone to this problem since their urethra is much narrower.

cost de-obstruction $1500.00 [for females add $200.00]

if de-obstruction is elected roll 1d6 – if 4 or 5 then stabilization is successful and patient continues to be stable for the remainder of the game.

if 2, 3 or 4 then patient is stabilized for now, but will re-obstruct within three days and will require additional care.

cost for additional care $2000.00

if additional care is elected roll 1d6 to see how much longer pet will

need to be hospitalized. number shown is equal to number of days

hospitalized.

cost for one day of additional hospitalization $350.00

if 1 is rolled then patient dies of ruptured bladder – game termination for this client.

fibrosarcoma: pet presents with walnut sized lump above right shoulder. Aspirate to see what

the lump consists of is recommended. Fibrosarcoma is a cancerous mass that many times is induced by vaccination injection – specifically from the FELV or feline leukemia vaccination.

cost for aspirate $150.00

if aspirate is elected then results show confirmed diagnosis of

fibrosarcoma. x-rays to determine if cancer has spread is recommended.

if x-rays are elected roll 1d6 if 2 or higher the cancer has not

spread. chemo therapy is recommended.

if 1 then cancer has spread and hospice care or euthanasia

is recommended.

if hospice care is elected roll 1d6 - number rolled represents number of months left to live. each additional month requires home care medications.

cost for one month supply of home care medications $150.00

cost for initial chemo treatments $2000.00

if chemo treatment is elected roll 1d6 – if 4 or higher pet goes into remission for remainder of the game.

if 1,2 or 3 then additional chemo treatments are needed, but prognosis is guarded [not good chances of survival].

cost for additional chemo treatments $1800.00

if additional chemo treatments are elected roll 1d6 – number rolled represents number of months left to live. each additional month requires home care medications.

cost for one month supply of home care medications $150.00

if 1 or 2 pet dies during surgery from unforeseen complications – game

termination for this client.

diabetic crisis: patient presents comatose. Immediate life saving measures [IV fluids, glucose

test, possible administration of glucose recommended.

cost of life saving measures $800.00

if life saving measures are recommended roll 1d6 and if 3 or higher

patient is stabilized. Further hospitalization is recommended.

Cost of hospitalization $1200.00

if hospitalization elected patient recovers without

complication and home care treatment with insulin is

recommended.

cost for home care per month $50.00

if 1 or 2 then life saving measures fail and patient dies – game

termination for this client.

HBC [hit by car]: pet presents not walking, obvious bleeding wounds on left shoulder, possible

broken left front leg. pain medication and x-rays recommended.

cost for x-rays and pain medication $450.00

if elected pain medication is administered and x-rays show front left limb

is fractured in two places. surgery is recommended.

cost for surgery $2500.00

if surgery is elected roll 1d6 – if 2 or higher internal bleeding is

discovered during surgery and immediate life saving measures are recommended.

roll 1d6 – if 2 or higher bleeding is stopped and pet is

stabilized.

cost for additional stabilization $600.00

if 1 then surgery to repair the limb with pins is successful.

RF [renal failure]: pet presents severely dehydrated with history of decreased appetite for last few days. pet also noted to be drinking excessive amounts of water and urinating more than normal. hospitalization and IV fluids are recommended.

cost for treatment $1500.00

if treatment is elected roll 1d6 – if 4 or 5 then stabilization is successful

and patient continues to be stable for the remainder of the game.

if 3 or 4 then patient is stabilized for now, but will require additional time in the hospital and follow up care over the next 6 months or more.

cost for additional care $4500.00

if additional care is elected roll 1d6 to see how much longer patient survives number rolled represents number of months left to live. each additional month requires home care medications.

cost for one month supply of home care medications $50.00

if 1 or 2 patient dies – game termination for this client.

lymphoma: intestinal lymphoma [cancer] is now the most common form of lymphoma in cats. pet presents with a history of vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and appetite loss.

recommend chemo therapy.

cost for initial chemo treatments $2000.00

if chemo treatment is elected roll 1d6 – if 4 or higher pet goes into remission for remainder of the game.

if 1,2 or 3 then additional chemo treatments are needed, but prognosis is guarded [not good chances of survival].

cost for additional chemo treatments $1800.00

if additional chemo treatments are elected roll 1d6 – number rolled represents number of months left to live. each additional month requires home care medications.

cost for one month supply of home care medications $150.00

if 1 or 2 pet dies does not go into remission and dies two days later from complications – game termination for this client.

Bouncing Ideas and a Desk

I FINALLY HAVE A DESK! I have been soooooo worried about obtaining this crucial piece of furniture for my installation, but now I need not worry anymore.

Last night, I was super productive. Not only did I secure the perfect desk for my show, but I also had a good conversation about my spacial predicament. I have decided to fill the space as best as I can with the furniture that I have. The focal point will be the reception desk. For the overall aesthetic I want the room to be minimalistic - just enough to imply a lobby without taking away from the game itself. I think if I pull the bookshelves off the wall and use the space behind them as the "back" of the hospital it should work in the performance. So far I am happy with my decision to recreate the lobby as a stage using theatrical props. Hopefully this will all hold up once I get the furniture in there and see how it looks. It is hard to visualize things in a space without actually having everything already.

**side note regarding the book shelves: I wanted to have them filled with pictures of files, but after printing some of the images I had I realized that it would look cheesy. So I am keeping with my minimalist idea and leaving them empty. After all I just want to imply a lobby, not recreate a complete one since the art is really about the game and not solely about the space...

Also, on another note, Sara is going to bring her pastels of animals down from Sacramento so I can hang them in the gallery. What veterinary lobby is complete without cozy images of cute little furries??

Adaptations

Today I spoke with Shannon Wright about my spacial emergency. She suggested only using part of the room and making the part I do use the focus. I am not sure how I feel about that. For me that solution does not transcend the space. Actually the more I think about it - it places the work neatly packaged in the white cube. This is interesting conceptually because I have been thinking a lot about the way games are packaged in general, however, I'm not sure I want that aesthetic for this exhibition. I need to bounce some ideas off people and attempt to figure out my game plan for installation given that my show is looming near.

HOLD IT HOLD EVERYTHING!

Tomorrow I leave for Istanbul. I have been working on another project that is going to be shown in Turkey! Unfortunately for my BFA Show it means everything will most likely come to a screeching halt for the next 3 weeks. If I am lucky I will be able to discuss my show with my collaborators from this other project and possibly squeeze in a play test or two??

EMERGENCY!!!

So, I just pulled an all nighter. Then I went to the gallery sign up so I could get gallery 2. IT WAS NOT AVAILABLE!!! I waited and waited since 4:45am in the art building for sign up! Apparently people signed up at 12 midnight and left so I was certainly not even close to being the top person on the sign up. This created a disaster! I have already gone to see Sarah Lowe and pick out the furniture I need to fill a gallery the size of gallery 8 or gallery 2. Now I have gallery 3? It is the largest of the galleries, but it was the only option available on the first floor of the art building by the time I was allowed to switch my gallery space. I need to re-evaluate my layout and my show is very very soon! But for now I neeeeeeed sleep...

Room Layout??

Lately I have been making some sketches of room layout. These are speculations because I intend to switch galleries. Originally when I signed up for my gallery space I was limited because some of the galleries are reserved for MFA students. I currently have gallery 8 on the 3rd floor of the art building. I am concerned about this for a couple of reasons.
1. There are two doors into that gallery. I could make this work to my advantage, but I think this might unnecessarily complicate the space.
2. Heavy furniture! I really need to be on the first floor so I do not have to lug large heavy furniture up 3 flights of stairs. I am not sure exactly how much furniture I need or if it will fit in the elevator.

I would prefer gallery 2 which is the medium sized gallery on the first floor. I have designed possible layouts for both gallery 2 and gallery 8.

Executive [Artist License] Decision

I have had to make some difficult decisions regarding the rules of my game after receiving copious amounts of feedback.

Some of these choices have been:
1. I am keeping pets as people; not hand drawn pets. I gave pets the agency to die whenever they wish and also instructions to get petted as many times as possible by the other non-pet players.
2. There are no strict turns. The receptionist decides who has a turn based on critical need.
3. I added a line to the rules to allow the receptionist to make the game up as they go along if they so choose.
4. I left the option on the client information sheet for the client to choose "other" as their pet despite not being able to have their pet treated at this particular hospital. Only dogs and cats are seen here.

It is my game, I am the designer, I feel I should have the agency to make these decisions because it is the way I want the players to experience the game.

At the beginning of this semester I met again with Steve and we discussed the overall tone of the project. I had wanted to incorporate audio that played sounds from the "back" of the hospital to make light of the situation because there are frequently people back there making jokes and having fun even during very serious situations. We decided against this as it will take away from the focal point of the show - the game. Hopefully I can reduce things so there are not many distractions.

Successful Play Session

Tonight I was finally able to play test again. This time I had loads of players and most of them game design savvy to boot!

My favorite quote from this evening "I feel like there needs to be some better form of turn taking, but that being said I love the chaos!"

Things I need to consider post play test:
1. pets need more agency or at least more to do?
2. do I still allow for the pet option "other"?
3. should I change the game up to have more strict rules in terms of turn taking or do I leave things in the chaotic state they are currently in?

OMG - people had fun!

Vegas!

Sitting in the air conditioning of my VEGAS hotel room, rolling around in bed with my computer thinking about what? ...death receptionist. Shouldn't I be having fun? Fine - back to editing documents... =P

FURNITURE!

Earlier today I posted on the devil, I mean Facebook, because I need furniture for my installation. Sarah Lowe has graciously offered help since she works at a theatre rental company. I am the luckiest artist on a budget EVER!!!

In addition, I have acquired book shelves from a friend of mine which I think will be perfect!

Not So Sure

I had a meeting with Stan Welsh today about my BFA idea. Previously I had discussed with him other ideas for a BFA show and this game is certainly different from what we had discussed then. Apparently he thinks it lacks a certain something. A certain political punch to be precise. I suppose most of my other work up until this point has been a lot more along the lines of activist or at least that seemed to be where I was headed.

I am hoping that proceeding with this game idea is not going to be a mistake. It appears I am going to have to take that risk though.

AHAHAHAHA

It was suggested that THIS chick be invited to my BFA Show!

Physical Space

Way back when I first started this project, before I knew it was going to be my BFA Show, I viewed this piece differently. I was originally thinking about displaying it with medical supplies. This would be ok if it were a piece in a gallery space NOT the only piece in the gallery space. I must rethink how I am going to present this piece considering that right now it consists of a stack of papers. The game itself is more about the interactions between the people and that is really where I believe the art is.

James gave me the idea of filling the space with theatre props to literally transform the gallery into a "stage" for the players act upon. I really like this idea.

If the art is the players interacting, role playing, or acting out a version of reality what should the stage be? Maybe what I should do is recreate an area that puts the game in context. Like a veterinary lobby.

IRL Pets vs Hand Drawn Pets

Originally, I had elected to have real people play the part of the pet. After some play testing players seemed to not be as attached to their pets as much if they were real people. Instead they seemed to latch on to and have more of an emotional connection with their pets if they drew them on a "cage card." The role of the pet was to observe the conversations taking place and their only way of communicating with the other players was through miming and noises appropriate to their species. This proved somewhat uninteresting to the pet players.

After much consideration, although people seem to prefer the drawn pets, I feel it is necessary to have a real life person playing the role of the pet. I have had many discussions with people and have come to the realization that the pet role just needs to have more options. So I have elected to add the ability for the pet to die whenever they wish. Once I have re-vamped the client information sheet I will begin play testing again.

Both James and Steve were at the play test where we discussed the role of the pets. I got interesting feedback from both of them. James prefers the hand drawn pets and Steve [although he feels like the pets need more to do] prefers the pets to be played by players.

Translations

When I spoke with Dr. Bowen she was very excited about my project. I really respect her and I am very happy she likes it. Off the cuff she mentioned a few things which could expand the project, but I think they may need to wait until a further date due to time constraints.

We discussed commercial games and what they teach us. She thinks it would be very interesting to have the game in many forms - role playing, video, and as a board game. We also talked a great deal about packaging - that is to say having a dialog with packaged games sold in stores. How they appeal to consumers and what the games teach the players.

I am concerned about how my message would translate across each platform. Prior to ever considering making a game I have played games. For me games are successful when the game does not get in the way of the game. This is a huge concern for me in terms of design because if you notice the game in a way that takes you out of your experience with it there is more work to be done. I mention this because I would not be able to use the same rule set if I made also a board game and a video game of Death Receptionist.

I think her points will be filed away and thought about post BFA Show when I am working on creating the other versions. I do like the idea of having the game in three completely different forms. There is something interesting about each one:
1. role playing: interaction between the players is the best way to mimic that which is happening in real space.
2. board game: just the idea of dealing with such a heavy subject, but playing it out with little cheap plastic pieces
3. video game: not sure if I would make it multi player, most likely would have it be single player with the computer generating the outcome. this is interesting to me because there is no emotion being brought to the game from the side of the computer. How would that effect the game and the player experience??

Side note: Dore and I also discussed blurring the boundary between humans and animals. What does it mean to be asked whether or not you are going to euthanize your friend??

Death Receptionist DR: Game; Installation

Over the course of the past semester I have been developing a game which I hope will dig deep into one aspect of my life: my day job. For the past twelve years I have been working as a receptionist in veterinary medicine. As with everyone in this profession I deal a lot with life and death situations. I stand by and lend what support I can to people making difficult decisions - decisions that deal with the cost of a life.

Death Receptionist DR is a pseudo role playing game which aims to engage its players emotionally, educationally, and through experience. I feel that games as a medium to convey a message are high underutilized by artists. Though there are examples of Indie Game Designers doing this such as Anna Anthropy, Brenda Brathwaite, Cactus, and Jason Rohrer to name a few.

I have elected to show this piece for my BFA Show - a requirement for graduating from the Digital Media Program [CADRE Laboratory for New Media] at San Jose State University.

Thus far I have created the initial game document [though it needs revision] and have had conversations with multiple professionals in various fields including game design, new media, and art history. Hopefully I will also be able to discuss my ideas with spacial and sociology folks.

The conversations I have had sparked many ideas that I will be incorporating into the piece. Moving forward will be additional play testing and alterations of the game itself, package design, and installation design. In addition, I will be researching ways to further blur the boundary between humans and animals.

It's Official

Today I turned in my proposal paperwork. It was titled "Death Recpetionist DR"
The overall concept that I proposed was an installation, performance, and game.
I have chosen James Morgan and Steve Durie as my advisers to the project.

I have a lot of work to do for this project, but I think it will definitely be worth it in the end. I have so many ideas and directions to take it. I need to discuss things with my advisers and with my peers.

Things to consider:
1. How to flesh out the installation
2. How to best display the game
3. Will there be video?
4. Will there be sound? What sound?
5. How do I make it both serious yet somewhat light hearted without depreciating the reality of the situation?
6. Posters? Pamphlets? Distribution of information?

BFA Death Receptionist?

Over the past few couple of weeks I have been play testing my Death Receptionist game. It has gotten mostly good feedback. In fact, many have recommended that I pair the game with a performance in the gallery for my BFA show. I'm not completely convinced that it is BFA show worthy, but that will be determined at a hopefully sooner rather than later date.

Kill Puppies for Satan

So, I read it. The entirety of it - and it is actually awesome! Well, that is if you can get passed the title and the underlying plot. It really is all about killing puppies for Satan. However, there are some very interesting things I have taken away from this game:

1. the over all snarky tone of the game designer - love it.
2. everything is written in lowercase. not sure why, but i like it.
3. this gave me a much clearer understanding of role playing games and the way the players interact.
4. it seems like it can be played on the fly

info re kill puppies for satan

There are traits that I really like about it (things I want to use to help inform my game) and things which I don't think are appropriate or necessary for my game. The fact that players can create their characters quite easily and quickly was a huge plus for me because in a gallery setting I do not want people to have to spend an hour or more making their character. This seems to be the case in many role playing games.

I paid close attention to the way players were to have their turns and realized that I want something a bit different for my game. I want something that more closely resembles the reality of a veterinary hospital - critical need takes priority.

I feel like I need some of the snarky or sarcastic tone for my rules because I really am walking a very fine line and risk the whole game being incredibly depressing. That being said, a lot of it IS really depressing, but when I am at work it isn't ALL tears.

Games as Art vs Experience

Decisions decisions. Where to begin? All this time I thought I was making a game, but perhaps I'm not. Just because it has a system is it a game? I think yes in this context, but there have been some discussions that I must work out. Games are fun, games are not sad. Games are played willingly by players. Educational games are boring. These comments, among others, have been brought up and they are all things which are racing through my brain.

Research! more and more and more research!

D & D = O.o

Tonight I got some people together to play D & D, I mean research role playing games. We never even actually played...or did we? I spent the better part of four hours creating my character. There has got to be a more efficient way of doing this!

...and It Begins

Lately I have been contemplating the rules for the game. Since the whole idea is to make art about my day job I need to figure out the best way of conveying what it is that I would like to convey.

First, perhaps I should spell out what the desired message is, although that seems to be difficult for me. Is it grief, difficult decisions, or the feeling you get when you need to ask a client for $5000.00 after "Fluffy" died? I am really not sure. That being said I feel like the best way to potentially evoke all of those things is to somehow mimic the overall veterinary experience.

Recently James gave me a copy of a role playing game to research. I am really not sure how I feel about it, though I do trust the source. The game is called "Kill Puppies for Satan" - designed by D. Vincent Baker. I'm sure you can now see my certain reservations about this game. I will at least read through the rules though and see if I can figure out some of the game mechanics.

For now, I will just begin work on my game with respect to illness and injuries - I mean there certainly wouldn't be a need for veterinary hospitals if all the pets in the world stayed healthy and happy all the time, right?

A Game?

For a really long time now I have wanted to make art about my day job as a receptionist in an emergency veterinary hospital - specifically the potential emotional stress (for everyone involved) of each case. Because of the nature of my job I decided that it needed to be interactive art. After much brainstorming I finally came to the conclusion I should make it a game.

I was inspired to make a game by the recent exhibitions curated by James Morgan and John Bruneau Learn to Play as well as Craft and Punishment. One of the artist talks that I went to was Brenda Brathwaite, who designed the game Train. I believe that Brathwaite is at least partially responsible for my decision to make this game. Above and beyond traditional game design [as in corporate industry design] Brathwaite designs games that are considered "art games" or "serious games." I have definitely been inspired by her and am grateful to James for the opportunity to meet her and talk with her.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been trying to figure out the rules of the game. I have spoken to James about this and I think it would be best represented as a role playing game. As far as construction of the game is concerned, I would like to use medical supplies to construct the physicality of it. More on this as it progresses.