Can you help your players notch up some naches? Not to be confused with a popular corn based food of mexican origin (mmm… nachos!), naches is a Yiddish word that [...]

Can you help your players notch up some naches?

Not to be confused with a popular corn based food of mexican origin (mmm… nachos!), naches is a Yiddish word that means taking pleasure or pride in the accomplishment of a child or a mentee. Gamers unlock this emotional reward when they teach another gamer how to play and coach them to level up. Game researchers have identified naches as one of the key emotions that motivates gamers to keep on playing– even long after they have mastered a game themselves.

So, Monsters, here’s your challenge: can you design a game where leveling up involves teaching/mentoring someone else to play the game?

Notice the intentional ambiguity of that word, “involve” — you get to decide how central this mechanic is to your game. Are you designing an educational game where teaching is the whole point? Or is mentoring another player just a small (but cool) step in a game of a totally different genre?

Other things you get to decide:
- How will the mentor/mentee find each other? Can a player mentor a newbie who is already signed up for the game, or do they have to go out and recruit a fresh victim? If so, who? Friend, family, stranger? Can someone mentor their dog?
- How will you measure success?

Also, wouldn’t it be TOTALLY META if you mentored a newbie monster to rock this challenge? Solo entries are welcome, but any monster who teams up with another monster– particularly a monster of a different experience level– would definitely have a leg (paw? appendage?) up on the competition in this challenge.

Rules:
• ALL game genres are eligible, including high-tech, low-tech, or no-tech.
• Original games only, please.
• All games MUST be prototyped and playtested in some way, shape, or form (if your game requires software/tech you can’t build, jot down your best representation on paper). Be sure to share your playtesting notes: What worked? What didn’t work?Photo or video evidence of playtests for extra credit please!
* All team members must be Gameful members!
* Let’s make sure we’re totally clear on this: your game does not have to involve refried beans or cheese in any way, shape or form. Even if it’s a really warm gooey, ultra-nommable form.

Rewards:
• $600 for the most innovative, feasible, and inspiring entry as determined by THE AWESOME BOARD
• $400 for the Gameful members’ choice, as determined by community vote on Gameful.org.
• Up to 10 top entries will be tweeted by all four Gameful founders (reaching more than 25,000 people) to help your game go viral!

How to Play:
1. Join the NOTCHING UP NACHES Group.
2. Discuss what you’re up to.
3. When you’re ready, but BEFORE September 23, 2011, start a new forum topic for YOUR entry. (The forum topic is the easiest way for judges and contestants to see all entries in one place.) Describe what you’ve created. Include a link to a blog post, or photos, or videos, or a PDF, or a download, or a website, or anything else that can help us imagine or see your game in action, or play it ourselves!
4. When you’re ready to officially submit your game, fill out this form.
5. Await game-tastic feedback from your fellow Gameful monsters.
6. Winners will be announced by October 23, 2011.