Tower of Straws

Last week in Game Design class, our assignment for the day was to team up with other classmates and build a tower out of straws. The team that build the tallest tower would be rewarded by our professor.

Each team was given the same amount of straws and some scotch tape to use for building their tower.

It was interesting to see how each of the teams went about constructing their towers. Straws were put together from end to end and held together with the tape and bent every way possible. Somehow every teams towers managed to stand on their own, even if only for a few seconds.

The tower of straws exercise is an example of meaningful play.

Player action began with everyone who was selected for a certain team, came together and formulated ideas and techniques for building their towers. Each team came up with different methods for putting their towers together. Everyone was competing to be the best in the class and also for the reward that was promised by our professor. The rules were made by her. Instead of making the tallest tower, she could have rewarded the person with the "best looking" tower.

I assume that as straws were put together to create a taller tower, this would be discernable action because students could see the tower get taller as more straws were placed upon it. Other straws were placed as support pieces to keep the tower from falling over.

Players knew if placing straws in certain places would help to create a taller tower. This could be both a disernable and integrated action. The player could perceive if by placing straws in certain places would hold it up or if would cause it to fall. It is an integrated action because the placing of the straws could hold it up the entire time or if they would have to be placed differently and strategically to hold the tower up.

I noticed that one group started out by making their tower by bending straws into the shape of triangles. They started with a wide base and quickly ran out of straws. In my opinion, if they were allowed to have straws, their tower would have been the best looking. Sometimes action that are carried out in the beginning can be detrimental in the end.

Overall, the tower of straws exercise was a fun experience. Even though my team did not win the challenge, it was still interesting to see how each team went about designing their tower. If I am ever faced with this task in my life again, I will be prepared.