Berman, B. 2017. Minionate: The Collectible Card Game.

Abstract

Video game players experience opposing motivations to cooperate and compete in multiplayer games. The most pervasive multiplayer games today—massively multiplayer role playing and team-based competitive games—rely on a common compromise: they stratify players by their skill and in-game resources. This design choice limits a player's most meaningful forms of cooperation: participating in novel tactics and strategies, writing her own story, and being part of another player's journey towards greatness in the game. This thesis presents "Minionate," a digital collectible card game that transforms one-versus-one competitive matchups into a multiplayer experience. It introduces new mechanics that enable meaningful and asynchronous interactions between players of different skills; a radical improvement on existing competitive games. Based on an analysis of cards using these mechanics, Minionate gives players new ways to interact in highly competitive games.