By: Elaine Best, Editor
In a push to garner more prospective students to Wofford, the Office of Admissions has unofficially set computer science majors to the task of creating a virtual video game based on the average Wofford student’s experience in their four years. The Old Gold and Black was able to have a sneak peek at the video game. These were our findings:
Level 1: First Year
At the beginning of the game, each player creates a realistic avatar of themselves and chooses what their special tool will be. The tools boost certain traits of the player. There are three options for special items: a bottle opener that grants creativity, a pair of Sperry’s that grants agility and an oversized t-shirt that grants invisibility.
In our simulation, we chose to go with the bottle opener.
After choosing a special item, players begin the game in their dorm room. Their starting resources include 100 terrier bucks, a notebook and a high level of motivation. Terrier bucks are used to purchase vital items for the player such as caffeinated chocolate and paper towels. The notebook is a reference for players to remember what tasks they are supposed to complete, though it is easily lost throughout the game, causing players to face sudden waves of due dates at unexpected times.
Motivation levels play a key role in the game and must remain at 50 percent or higher. Otherwise, the player will begin to lose life points. If a player loses too many life points, they have to deliver pizza to a Furman graduate.
Throughout Level 1, the player faces multiple obstacles that they must overcome. Such challenges feature having to move someone else’s laundry, classes that are discussion-based only, finding edible food in Burwell and scoring higher than 75 points during a Zumba or ab lab class.
One scenario we encountered was the Roommate Rumble where our virtual roommate started disrupting our happiness levels, decreasing our life points. We had to either choose Confrontation or Passive Aggressive as our methods of attack. We chose the latter, opting to borrow their things without asking, make backhanded comments about their stuffed animal collection and play loud music at odd times of the night. Motivation levels increased by 10 percent, energizing us to complete a lab report in one night.
The final boss, or in gamer lingo, the final challenge, has the player facing their first college party. Insecurity thwarts the player’s Social Skills, and Annoying Drunk Student (ADS) keeps yelling and dancing atrociously, trying to get the player to do David Bowie karaoke with them. If the player does not successfully avoid this task, the player loses all social points, all motivation points and loses the game.
We were able to defeat ADS using the bottle opener of creativity, telling ADS that David Bowie was on campus in Leonard Auditorium. ADS bought our lies, and we brought our social life back. The reward for defeating the boss is an animal companion, Boss the Boston terrier.
Level 2: Sophomore Year
The player now enters sophomore year—a trying time of self-doubt, reassessment and bloated confidence, served with a hot dish of reality. Resources have increased for the player—they have 200 terrier bucks and a new backpack for their burdens. Levels of motivation have decreased, starting at 60 percent.
The sophomore is now also in charge of Boss’ health. The dog requires food twice a day, cuddles and a chance to release a lot of pent up energy. The design team suggests letting Boss play with Zoe, the Samhat family dog (though don’t play with her after midnight – that’s when her laser eyes are activated).
The sophomore must continue their uphill battle and choose a major. The player must ward off different majors they are considering or being told to do. In our simulation, the player wanted to be a government major, but giant chemistry monsters starting chasing us. One of our staff fainted from stress. The computer science majors may have done too good of a job on this game.
The final boss in this level is the Sophomore Slump, against blob monster that sinks levels of motivation to a dangerous 13 percent. The player must use their burdens from their backpack and fling them at the Sophomore Slump. We failed three times before passing this level.
Level 3: Junior Year
This level has a choose-your-own adventure: players can stay on campus or go abroad.
Players that stay on campus have lost all their friends to the rest of the world. They must fight e-mails from The Space that remind them time is closing in on finding an internship. They must battle the drudgery of time—too much time awaits them before graduation, and yet not enough time stands between them and the real world.
Players abroad face similar challenges, except now they are in a different time zone with strange money. Many of their peers will groan every time they post yet another photograph from their experience. Players must defend their study abroad blog. We chose this option in our simulation and had to steal the cheat codes off the desk from one of the designers. We regret nothing. The final boss turns out to be Impending Doom. We used our bottle opener to uncap happy thoughts from the future. They were drowned out horrendously, and we had to cheat again.
Level 4: Senior Year
This level repeats many of the same types of challenges. Levels of motivation are at a stagnant 50 percent, and it is very difficult to increase them. Boss wants more attention than ever before, and in our journalistic view, he is a stinky little brat for the end part of this game (too many times did he play with Zoe after her laser eyes were engaged, as well as her fire breathing respiratory problems).
The final boss of this entire game was perhaps the most frightening of all. After having defeated a pile of resumes and graduate school applications, we thought we were done. But no. At the very end, the player is staring into a mirror. And who is reflecting back?
Level 1 Freshmen Year version of the player.
Horrifying flashbacks consume the player, and we had to desperately fight back against the cringe-worthy memories. Our staff member fainted yet again. We almost weren’t able to bear it, but we did.
Once players win the game, they receive their diploma and go out into the world to find jobs. Whether there will be any left is not touched on. Game over.