Ava Arledge
Advanced Topics: American Language and Literature
100 Things Project
Overview:
The 100 Things Project tasked us with presenting a book in a genre other than its original format. We were free to explore any creative ideas as long as they incorporated 100 essential elements from the text (people, locations, quotes, objects, etc.). Initially, I found this project daunting, as creativity does not always come naturally to me, and frankly, the book - a lengthy historical novel - did not initially grab my interest, often sending me into fits of dozing off and having to reread multiple times. However, my perspective on reading this book changed when I decided to transform it into a board game. This approach forced me to distill the book's content into playable elements, and as I worked on adapting the narrative and facts into a game format, I found myself becoming increasingly absorbed and excited by the story I had once found tedious.
Inspiration:
Over winter break, I discovered the Game of Life with my brother, AJ. I played it for the first and seventeenth time, all in the same day. He had randomly purchased it at Target out of sheer boredom, and we ended up playing it repeatedly over just a couple of days. When assigned the 100 Things Project, the concept of the Game of Life immediately sprung to mind as the perfect model, as it encapsulates a long journey filled with various challenges and milestones, which aligned perfectly with what I needed for the project. Inspired by our countless games, I decided to create something similar that would incorporate the 100 key elements from my book into a board game, reflecting the unpredictable twists and turns of "The Wager" by David Grann.
My Project:
For this project, I began by writing out my list of 100 Things. I began by naming each character and then going through and making sure to include significant locations, events, objects, and much more. At first, I was having a hard time coming up with enough things to include, but in the end, I actually ended up having 114 things on my list! I engaged in an extensive process of sketching, erasing, and planning. My goal was to optimize the layout of the game board, ensuring I had enough space to draw and convey my 100 things effectively. I meticulously planned out how to represent each significant location on the map, striving to make it clear and engaging. This phase was crucial in laying a solid foundation for the project.
As I mentioned previously, I am an extremely organized person - sometimes too much for my own good. My toxic perfectionism came out as I attempted to draw a board game with lots of visuals and detail, despite lacking artistic skills. I was so obsessed with getting each square to be the same size, I went through about four poster boards, hoping to make it visually flawless. Finally, my mom, tired of watching my discarded poster board pile grow, chimed in and yelled, "Ava, you can't spend the entire weekend trying to make it look pretty! At some point, you've got to do the actual work!"
I put a tremendous amount of effort into my 100 Things Project, dedicating several consecutive days to perfect every detail, and even creating an instructions sheet for my game. Although I endured a miserable 36-hour migraine from the intense Sharpie fumes, the outcome was rewarding and I was super proud of how my board game came together.
Each space on the board game had different meanings. Spaces with colors aligned with colored cards. Each color card had it's own meaning! Swipe through the slideshow to see examples of each.
Strengths
My spin on "The Wager" into a board game was very unique, transforming the serious and intense novel into a fun and engaging game. Considering creativity is not my strongest suit, I am particularly proud of this work. My favorite part of the project is the playing cards I created. They stand out as unique and entertaining, giving the feel of an authentic board game. I successfully transformed real events experienced by the crew in the book into a game, which added a playful dimension to the historical adventures described in the narrative.
Weaknesses
One area for improvement in this project is my ability to convey a deeper understanding of the text. While my board game captures some events from the book, it just skims the surface rather than diving into intricate details of the text. I wish I would have enhanced the game by incorporating more complex concepts from the book.