Gameplay: Designed for exactly four players, the game revolves around a single, central conversation theme, ideally agreed upon by all players beforehand. Players take turns playing 'the seeker', 'the seer', and 'the scribe' who must listen intently to 'the storyteller', to capture different aspects of their experiences and opinions in 10 words or less. A text-to-image AI model visualizes these collective words into a highly symbolic tarot-card-style image, which players unpack to discover novel insights. As a group, players work their way around a map by co-generating images, eventually unlocking a central point at the ‘crossroads’ of their collective experiences, leading to a unique and engaging conversation about one another's shared and opposing values.
Research Questions:
– During the game players are asked to collectively visualize one another's life events, paying careful attention to spacial and visual details and emotional complexities. Does this attentiveness cause players to disclose stories that contain specific life events, a spatial or visual element, or multiple emotions?
– Do these game mechanics inspire players to ask deeper follow-up questions of one another?
– Is the experience both deep and fun?