When considering an excellent example of a fast-paced card game that many players widely enjoy, I immediately thought of "Exploding Kittens." Among my friends, we all have a fondness for board games and unanimously agree that Exploding Kittens is one of the easiest games to learn. Their marketing slogan proudly states, "2 minutes to learn, 15 minutes to play."

The game components are straightforward, requiring only a set of cards and an instruction book. Setting up the game involves following the instructions in the book, distributing cards based on the number of players, placing the deck in the center, and that's all there is to it.
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Analyze
Three different kinds of cards are inside the exploding kitten gameplay.

The enjoyment of fast-paced card games lies in the interactions that users create through various card effects. These interactions bring about a sense of tension, teasing, humor, mistakes, and the beauty of probability. It is these elements that make fast-paced card games truly entertaining and enjoyable. Exploding kitten rulebook from the website
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Learnings
In order to create engaging interactions for the users, action cards play a crucial role. The card effects need to offer a variety of options. While some cards are designed for defense only or attack only, there should also be a few cards that can play both roles simultaneously. This creates exciting moments where players may inadvertently put themselves at a disadvantage or even assist other players.

To ensure the optimal game experience, I conducted numerous game playtests to determine the appropriate number of cards to be distributed and the balance of action cards within the deck.

Target audience
The game is planned to appeal to a wide range of age groups, catering to those who seek enjoyable moments with their family, friends, and others. It prioritizes being beginner-friendly rather than targeting hardcore players. By focusing on simplicity and accessibility, the game aims to provide an inclusive experience where everyone can participate and have fun, regardless of their gaming expertise.
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Idea
The idea for this game was born while I was enjoying a delicious custard pudding on my sofa. It struck me that puddings are often displayed by stacking them up, whether American or Japanese. This sparked the idea of combining the concepts of Jenga and card games into a hybrid experience. I wanted to create a unique and engaging game that would challenge players' skills and strategic thinking while incorporating the fun elements of physical ability of stacking elements with card-based gameplay.
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Setting up the rules
Building upon the initial game idea, I created a game plot and established the rules. This involved developing the narrative or concept behind the game and determining how players would interact within the game world. I carefully crafted the rules to ensure a balanced and engaging gameplay experience, considering factors such as player progression, challenges, and strategic decision-making. I aimed to provide players with an immersive and enjoyable gaming experience by creating a solid game plot and establishing clear rules.
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Sketch
I started the game development process by quickly sketching the game materials and creating a paper prototype. This allowed me to visualize the game components, player actions, and the overall gameplay mechanics. I conducted the first round of quick gameplay tests with the paper prototype.

This step was crucial in gathering feedback and insights to refine and iterate on the game design. It helped me identify any flaws or areas for improvement and allowed me to develop my ideas and game concepts further.
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Quick game test play (4 Players)
Conducted a test play with four players using the initial draft of the rules and the quickly prototyped cards. During the test play, I explained the rules as the game creator without a formal rulebook. I printed rough illustrations of the cards, which were quickly hand-drawn, and cut them into card shapes. As for the pudding charms, we used water bottle caps that had to be stacked when players earned more than one.
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---Initial Rule:
2nd game test rule:
Winning state:
Collect 5 puddings.
4 action cards:
● Gift: Give 1 card of choice to other player.
● Happy birthday: 1 free pudding.
● Trashcan: Play it with the cards that you want to discard.
● Draw cards: Draw 1 random card from the other player's hand.
4 color card suit:
Brown, Green, Orange, Blue
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Collect 5 ingredients (Vanilla, cup, sugar, milk, and egg) with same color suite can earn 1 pudding. Use special cards to attack, defend, others and get an opportunity to collect pudding faster.
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Learnings
The gameplay was excessively slow, requiring a significant amount of time for a player to earn three puddings, which was the winning condition. After playing for 20 minutes, only one person managed to obtain a pudding from the "Happy birthday" card, which granted a free pudding. The process of stacking the pudding charms proved to be too complicated for my test players, and they felt like they were playing two different games at the same time. Despite the positive reception of the plot and illustrations, I recognized the need to make adjustments to the game rules.
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Revision 1
Based on the feedback and results of the quick test play, I made adjustments to the game rules and further developed the card designs. Box design is also in progress to align with the changes in the game components.
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2nd playtesting (3 Players)
Took a 2nd game test play with cards that are design in progress, explained the game rules verbally. Lowered winning state pudding numbers to be 3 from 5. Added time limits, added 1 action card. Lowered the ingredients to collect to 4 from 5.

---2nd game test rule: game rule revision in yellow highlights.
Winning state:
Collect 3 puddings.
Time limits:
15 mins
5 action cards:
● Salt: Collect 3 to stop happy birthday, or else it only can be thrown with the trashcan card.
● Gift: Give 1 card of choice to other player.
● Happy birthday: 1 free pudding.
● Trashcan: Play it with the cards that you want to discard.
● Draw cards: Draw 1 random card from the other player's hand.
4 color card suit:
Purple, Green, Orange, Blue
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Collect 4 ingredients (Vanilla, sugar, milk, and egg) with same color suite can earn 1 pudding. Use special cards to attack, defend, others and get an opportunity to collect pudding faster.
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Learnings
The game continued to be slow, and I recognized the need for more straightforward game tactics to improve the flow.

Players were confused by the "Draw cards" card effect, as they mistakenly believed it required them to draw additional cards from the deck. This provided valuable insights into user expectations and highlighted the importance of finding a way to communicate the different card effects without constant inquiries or reliance on rule books in the future.
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A, B test
I conducted an A/B test to evaluate the card designs and determine which version was better understood by participants. A total of 15 participants took part in the test, and the results showed that 10 participants preferred the Type A card design over the Type B card design.
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Learnings
Type A card was chosen because players appreciated the brief action card effects stated on the cards, which served as reminders of the card's purpose. This was particularly helpful since I had many action cards, and most players were first-timers. Additionally, when the same players participated in the game again after a week, they expressed their appreciation for the "little notes" on the cards, as they helped them recall and reinforce their memory of the game mechanics.
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Revision 2
Since card color is an essential aspect of GIMME MORE PUDDINGS, I decided to include icons on the edges of the cards. This allows people with visual impairments to easily recognize the color suit of each card, even when holding them in their hands. Additionally, I added quotes to activate the action cards, making each card more unique and evoking a stronger impact and emotional response.
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3rd playtesting (3 Players)
Took a 3rd playtesting with cards that are design in progress, explained the game rules verbally. Added 1 action card, and lower the number of card color suite to 3 from 4.

---3rd game test rule: game rule revision in yellow highlights.
Winning state:
Collect 3 puddings.
Time limits:
15 mins
6 action cards:
● Salt: Collect 2 to get rid of 1 sugar from the other chef or collect 3 to stop happy birthday.
● Show some love (ex Gift): Ask 1 card from the other chef of your choice, say "I love you".
● Happy birthday: Get your 1 free birthday pudding, Everyone say "Happy birthday!".
● Trashcan: Throw 2 cards away and get 2 cards from the deck.
● Yoink (ex Draw cards): oink: Randomly draw1 card from the one other chef, say “Thanks bruh”.
● Magic gloves: Stop any action cards except the “happy birthday”.
3 color card suit:
Green, Orange, Blue
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Collect 4 ingredients (Vanilla, sugar, milk, and egg) with either same color suite or all different color suite for the each cards can earn 1 pudding. Use special cards to attack, defend, others and get an opportunity to collect pudding faster.

Learnings
Adding action card vocal quotes proved to be successful, bringing joyful moments during gameplay. Players expressed their emotions, such as shyness when saying "I love you" or happiness when saying "Happy birthday!" These moments created lasting memories for the players based on the feedback from playtesting.

However, participants found the color marker icons doesn't work well. They said it seemed unnecessary since they already recognized the card groups by the color linings. Some of them were even confused if the icon plays any different roles in the game play. They suggested having ingredient names instead of extra color marker icons for better clarity when holding the cards.
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Additionally, players desired more action in the game than simply collecting ingredients. They had a lot of fun with the action cards and expressed their wish for more. In response to this feedback, I decided to assign a role to each icon marker, making them more than just color markers and adding simple yet interactive actions for the players.

Revision 3 + Blind playtest (2 Players)
Users were asked to participate in a playtesting without any explanations. They were required to learn the game solely through the rule sheet and play it based on their understanding.
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Changed winning state as collecting as much pudding as they can from collecting just 3 of them. Added 4 more action cards. Lowered the ingredients to collect to 3 from 4. Changed the card colors that can suit for vision impairment users. Changed the icon rules instead of keeping them as a color marker.

---Blind test rule sheet: game rule revision in yellow highlights.
Winning state:
Collect as many puddings as you can.
Time limits:
10mins.
(2 players for 10mins, 3 players for 15 mins)
10 action cards:
● Salt: 2x salt: Get rid of 1 sugar from the other chef, 3x salt: Stop any of the special cards
● Present (ex Show some love): Ask 1 card from the other chef of your choice, say "I love you".
● Happy birthday: Get your 1 free birthday pudding, Everyone say "Happy birthday!"
● Trashcan: Throw 2 cards away and get 2 cards from the deck.
● Yoink: Randomly draw1 card from the one other chef, say “Thanks bruh”.
● Magic gloves: Stop any action cards except the “happy birthday”.
● Free: Draw 2 cards for free.
● Sieve: Give back one of the any action cards’ effect “Right back at you”.
● Borzoi dog: Give 1 card from the hand to the other chef, force them to make a set, “Let me do it for you”.
● Outage: Electricity outage!pick a chef and re-shuffle their hands in the deck. (Yes! You can pick yourself as well).
3 color card suit:
Green, Orange, Blue
Icons: On the card discard pile, if top two of the icons are match to each other tap the discard pile to claim 1 free action card from the discard pile.
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Collect 3 ingredients (Sugar, milk, and egg) with either same color suite or all different color suite for the each cards can earn 1 pudding. Use special cards to attack, defend, others and get an opportunity to collect pudding faster.
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Learnings
The game proceeded smoothly overall. Users encountered confusion with some of the action card effects, but they referred back to the rule sheet and successfully figured out how they worked. This experience highlighted the importance of clear illustrations and detailed explanations for the action cards, as players took their time to understand certain effects.

Color system
Once again, the color of the cards plays a significant role in the gameplay. To ensure accessibility for players with different vision standards, I made sure that each card color is distinct and easily differentiable from others with constant checking on most common visual impairment view points during the progress.
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Typography
Used Chunk Regular, Red Hat Display Regular, and Marian Text 1800 Italic font as Title 1, title 2, body text, and sub heading. Title 1+2 font was used to give out round chunky pudding like visuals, body text for legibility, and sub heading for an accent. Some of the texts are outlined and drop shadowed for legibility.
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Icons + Illustrations
Icons and illustrations play a crucial role in establishing visual standards within the project. I made a deliberate effort to create consistent visuals for each of them, ensuring that everything aligns with the same IP and maintains a cohesive aesthetic.
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Game box
The game box had to accommodate a wide range of information, including titles, illustrations, game descriptions, creator details, age ratings, play times, number of players, catch phrases, manufacturing information, barcodes, and government-required marks.

I carefully designed the box, considering design space limitations, user display preferences (allowing for any side to be shown and able to read the game title), and color contrast to ensure optimal readability and visual appeal. The box was handcrafted using an illustration board, laser-cut, and covered with printed sticker wraps.
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Final card printing
During the game playtesting phase, I focused on developing the design of the cards based on user feedback and preferences.

As these cards were handcrafted by me, I had the freedom to customize them according to my preferences. I carefully selected the size of the cards based on both comfort and aesthetics. I wanted the cards to feel comfortable in players' hands while also looking visually pleasing. To enhance the overall quality and appearance of the cards, I decided to add a special touch to the edges. I achieved this by printing the cards on matte inkjet papers and assembling them as a sandwich with colored paper in between the front and back layers. Using a Kongsberg machine, I carefully cut the cards, resulting in beautifully finished card sets with distinct edge colors.
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Research (Guidebook)
The experience of explaining the rules to the players during each game playtest was valuable in determining how to approach the design of the game guidebook. Additionally, I studied several board game rule books to ensure that all the necessary information was included and to gain guidance and inspiration.
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Learnings
The problem is very urgent. We need to ensure that technology is designed in a way that is inclusive and accessible to all, including the elderly population. Elderly user experience and interface design would benefit those in need and ultimately help everyone in the future.

Guidebook Final
The guidebook was created based on the rules that were refined during the blind playtesting. The research and observations from each playtesting were instrumental in determining what information to include and how to present it in the guidebook.

The goal was to provide a smooth learning experience for the players and make it simple for them to refer back to the guidebook whenever needed. I realized that many players have different learning styles, such as being visual, kinesthetic, or multimodal learners, and may not rely solely on text-based explanations. To accommodate this, I made a conscious effort to incorporate visual representations throughout the guidebook. This way, players can grasp the concepts more easily and engage with the game using their preferred learning style.
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All components inside of the box
There are four components included in the game box: a pot cooking timer, resin-crafted pudding charms, the guidebook, and a total of 70 cards.
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