Themes and Flavor

I am currently developing a casual-style card game, and I have to say that it is shaping up nicely.  The mechanics are simple, the learning curve is shallow, but there is a discernable level of strategic play.  Play testing has been pretty good so far.


But I was hung up on a different level: Theming.  It's interesting to me that the core of the game (let's say the "game engine") can be nicely tuned and working great, but without a proper theme it can still feel lacking.


At first, I chalked up the notion of theming as simply a marketability issue.  And even now I will say that for the most part it is.  I have to say that I kind of frown when I try to picture someone walking through a game store (or game aisle in a big-box store) and look at my product.  What is going to make them want to play it?  Not much, yet.  Not because the game isn't enjoyable or well tuned, but because I haven't made something that stands out.

But let's take it past marketability.  There is something else that theming does to the game; it facilitates the emergence of a subculture.  Theming, at the most basic level, provides a discrete language (jargon, if you prefer).  

Now, indulge me in a short aside.  I am wary of jargon in most of my socialization, game design included.  It can be a barrier.  For instance, I have in my game used the words "withdraw" and "spend" in the place of "draw" and "discard" respectively.  Is it awkward at first?  A bit.  But, the game instructions explain the terms rather plainly, and ultimately I think it will serve the game.  Nevertheless, it is unabashed jargon for its own sake.

Jargon is the language of exclusivity.  And while most games don't aim to exclude potential players, exclusion can be a means of draw.

I know.  It sounds counter-intuitive.  Well, it IS counter-intuitive, but consider this: if you could not differentiate players from non-players would you want to become a player?  Would you even know there was a game?

Any group that would like to grow should be both exclusive and inviting.  What I mean is, there is a division between being in and out, but it is a line not a wall.  If you want to be "in," you can be "in."

There may be multiple levels of "in"-ness (consider the acrimony between casual gamers and hardcore gamers), but they will all share in the same sub-culture at some level.  A casual player may not have facility will ALL jargon, but he will have facility with some.  He will grasp the basic tenets, even if the minutia escapes him.

Can a game have no theming at all?  I don't think so.  I think a community who plays will spontaneously discover their own jargon, their own rituals, their own narratives.  But by intentionally theming a game, a designer has a guiding hand in the process (which is not, strictly speaking, a positive thing).  However, this guidance should facilitate the rise of culture.  Proper theming can, in some cases, even help bridge the gap between nominal interest and excitement.

So, as you may have guessed, I did work out a theme (though the question is by no means settled in my mind).  I've decided to use a world currency theme, and use some very basic economics terminology.  Verbally, I think it hangs together satisfactorily.  Visually, I'm not there yet, but I can see some potential.

Guess we'll find out when I print out v1.03 (hopefully soon).