Week-06: Social Deduction Games

Social deduction games are actually one of the funnest games, in my opinion. The way they work and operate makes them unlike any other basic board game. Unlike sports which rely on physical skill and sometimes strength, social deduction games rely on social interaction and the deduction skills of each player. Ankit Buddhiraju states in his article On Games Pt. 2, Social Deduction games, “…there is some information to make some deduction but not enough information to make game-winning deductions with certainty. The gap must be bridged with social interactions.” Combining these two things have made an entirely different genre of game that requires players to interact (or maybe possibly not interact) in order to win the game. This can result in strong team bonding or possible friendship wrecking, depending on what happens in the game. Macklin and Sharpe’s six elements of play are also found in these games. For starters, in order for the social part of the social deduction games to take place, you must have players. These players do not need to be good at lying to make the game interesting. Speaking from experience, sometimes wearing emotions on your face can lead to the funniest moments in play. Buddhiraju states, “Social games are centered on narrative structure, collaboration, and interactions between players…” What happens in the game socially is just as if not more important than the deduction part because a lot of deductions can happen when reading other players. The rules of each social deduction game are what dictate what people can and cannot do. The restrictions/privileges are what make the games interesting. The actions taken by the players also add to the fun. Buddhiraju says, “People who do enjoy them enjoy the particular flavor of influence that they offer: the emotional rollercoaster of reading, and being read by, other people.” Each round in a game provides new circumstances and storylines between players and provides the “emotional rollercoaster” for the players. This rollercoaster is sometimes one that people don’t want to partake in due to some stress that can arise (can speak from experience I suck at being calm during these games). Objects of the game are usually unique to the design (if you need any at all). Playspace is one that I think should be taken into account more often; separating the players is Two Rooms, and a Boom added kind of a mysterious feeling to the game, and experimenting with location in other games can add to them. The goals of the game are also unique in each game.