I’m genuinely very glad that I had the opportunity to play this game again. The first time, my group was entirely lost and the other group members just did not seem to enjoy the concept of the game in general. I did not realize we were playing this game this week, so I showed up to class unprepared, but the game demonstration helped a lot. I think although my group was very lost the first time we played, having at least a little knowledge of how the game works was reassuring when we were trying to figure it out again. The first time I played TIME Stories, I left with more questions than answers, but I appreciated the artwork and mystery element to the game. This is definitely the most immersive game I’ve played, and because of that, I think it’s a new favorite. Playing this game feels like I’m in a video game or movie, but I like that we have choices and can come back to rooms or decide as a group how we want to go about playing the game.
I was not the time keeper while playing the game, and to be honest, I still don’t really know how that part is played. It seems like every time we engage in combat, or switch to a new location we have to move the time pieces, but I don’t understand the concept enough to do it on my own without clarification. It also seems a little unclear who receives the object if two people are in the same room at the same time. Does it really matter? It seems like either everyone wins or everyone loses together in this game. I also feel unsure about what the different characters really mean and how our character choice impacts the story. If you have played the game before, is there a strategy to pick certain characters? Or are all the characters pretty much equal and just have slightly different strengths and weaknesses that end up balancing out in the end.
This game taught me that it’s important to not rely on other people to know what is going on because someone has to take on the leadership responsibility/ role and instruct others in that situation. The first time I played this, nobody knew what was going on, so nobody was really able to take on a leadership role. Part of leadership is being prepared and taking initiative. I’m glad we were able to collaborate better the second time around and I think everyone took turns coming up with strategies about what our next move in the game should be.
To be honest, I don’t think most of my friends would be able to sit through an entire game of Time Stories due to the time commitment. I think I understand it enough now to where I can explain how to play, and they won’t feel too overwhelmed by the complications, but convincing them to play a 4 hour long game with me is asking a lot. I think in order to convince them, I would have to explain to them how the game works in advance, and give them a few details of the plot to gauge their interest. However, my friend Josh might enjoy the game because he enjoys video games and I feel like this game demonstrates some video game-like qualities. Josh also likes to fully commit to things he’s doing and doesn’t like giving up and also does not like losing, so I feel like he would be more likely to sit through this game than other people because of the challenge. I am looking forward to finishing the game next week!