Game Development Reference
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of the play mechanics of the two Lord of the Rings games, a tie between the
cult narrative and paratextual game becomes clear, revealing a convergence of
author, player, and game as a constituent of paratextual game play.
Convergence, cooperation, and contemporary media
LOTR was one of the irst popular cooperative board games designed for an
international audience. According to Woods, LOTR was “the irst time that such a
complex European-style design was given wide exposure in the English-speaking
mass market,” and the fact that it has been re-released with subsequent editions
speaks to its continued popularity. 26 he game quite successfully recreates the
“sense of overwhelming dread as great and dark forces wheel around the heads
of the players.” 27 According to Knizia, the elements of cooperation required in
the game become obvious not just because of links to the thematic elements
of the topic, but also because of the structure of the game itself. As Knizia
describes, “even the most competitive players would soon realize that the game
system threw so many dangers at the players that they would naturally have
to support each other.” Much like in the original novel, cooperation increases
chances of defeating the evil Sauron. his play element is echoed by Zagal,
Rick, and Hsi, who analyzed Knizia's game for its focus on collaborative game
play. hey demonstrate how “what is interesting about Lord of the Rings … is
how the tension between the individual rationality and the efect on the group
is highlighted”—in other words, how the cooperative elements of the game
actually relect larger concerns within the culture of he Lord of the Rings in
popular discourse. 28 Further, the cooperation mechanic becomes a prerequisite
for the game's “replayable” nature, as playing the game multiple times inluences
future outcome.
In LOTR , a group of Hobbits work together to take the Ring of Power
from its hiding place in the Shire to be destroyed in Mount Doom. In order
to do this, the Hobbits have to travel through seven diferent stages, from the
most benign (their home, Bag End) to the most severe (Mordor, home of evil
Sauron). Along the way various events occur that require the Hobbits to use
diferent skills (ighting, friendship, traveling, and hiding) to overcome great
odds. By cooperating, players can combine their skills to great efect. In he
Complete Trilogy , the Hobbits are joined by other members of the Fellowship of
the Ring, including Gimli the Dwarf and Legolas the Elf. he many characters
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