Re: Question for Clark Rodeffer

[cdrodeffer@...]

Tim,

The short answer for your question is that co-authoring or
co-designing requires more from co-authors than them just helping play
test, but the co-designing doesn't have to be split 50-50 (or 33-33-34
or whatever). I could never enforce that anyway.

Scenario One: You bring your design in for play testing, and the play
testers say what they like and don't like. You then take your design
back and try to work on the things they didn't like. Repeat. That's
clearly NOT co-designing.

Scenario Two: You bring in your design for play testing, and the play
testers say what they like and offer suggestions to improve upon or
change the parts they don't like. You then take the design back and
implement some or all of the changes suggested by the play testers.
Repeat. This is sort of a gray area between co-design and effective
play testing. It isn't really what I had in mind for this contest, but
would probably be permissible under the rules as long as you clearly
document who contributed to what parts of the design.

Scenario Three: You bring in your design for play testing, and the
play testers say what they like and offer suggestions to improve upon
or change the parts they don't like. You then let one or more of your
play testers take your bits and rules and edit it into an improved
game, then they bring it back for more play testing. Repeat. This is
clearly co-designing and co-authoring in action, and is one
possibility for what I intended for this contest.

Scenario Four: You and one or more others sit down together with a
bunch of bits and begin to play with them, brainstorming and taking
notes about what kind of game you could create using them. You divide
the development task among the group members, go your separate ways
for a while, then come back together and try it. You then say what you
like and offer suggestions to improve upon or change the parts you
don't like. Repeat. This is also clearly co-designing and co-authoring
in action, and is another possibility for what I intended for this
contest.

Does that answer your question?

Clark