Noshing on Naches

Nov 11, 2011 at 9:59 pm by Laurel

I sponsored Gameful Challenge #4: Notching Up Naches.  The goal of this challenge was to design a game where leveling up involves teaching/mentoring someone else to play the game.  (“Naches” is a Yiddish word that means taking pleasure or pride in the accomplishment of a child or a mentee.

There were several fun entries to choose from. (You can check them out here!) The topics ranged from goal-setting to devising dance moves, and it was clear the Monsters had fun with designing and playtesting their ideas. It was also great to see the Monsters help each other develop their ideas in the forum.  Ultimately, I chose I Am The Genie, a game that rewards master gamers for mentoring newbies that is adaptable to almost any kind of game (think chess where you can call a lifeline!) I liked the simple but well thought-out and neatly executed mechanics.

from Tito Slack on Flickr

I hope all the Monsters continue to develop and playtest their games, and take this as inspiration to find more opportunities for integrating naches into gameplay.