Target Audience: Ages 12 and Up
Played by 3-5 Players
EAT, PLAY, GO!
Overview
EAT, PLAY GO! is a modification on the popular fast-paced card game Sushi Go!, that encourages strategic quick
thinking and and mathematical skills to gain most points over opponents.
The modified version seeks to improve the competence and relatedness players through the impact of the
modifications, eventually attaining the goal of the game:
“To instill knowledge about positive eating habits and educate on the the different dietary life choices and habits.”
Game Script
Goal of the game is to assemble the best Meal and leave opponents
with leftovers.
Roles: Before the dealing of cards, each Player is given a specific role,
according to which they choose their optimal meal plan. Roles are not
revealed till the end of the game.
The number of cards you start with depends on the number of players
you have. If there are 5 players, you deal 7 cards each, then add an extra
card for each missing player.
Junk Cards: Deep Fry and Add Sugar are to be among the cards dealt at
random to players; those 2 cards will add to 33 other Food Cards dealt
equally among 5 players, 30 other Play Cards dealt equally among 4
players and 25 other Play Cards dealt equally among 3 players.
Gameplay starts with a hand of cards, and each turn you just pick one
card to play.
Once everybody has made their choice, players flip over their chose
card together and play them, then pass the rest of the hand to their left.
Player takes new hand from their right, and repeat.
The players yell, “EAT, PLAY,” while passing and choosing their card, and
shout “GO!” while flapping and playing their chard of choice.
Players choose their card, play, and pass until all the cards run out, then
the round is over.
Game ends after three rounds
Pace of gameplay needs to be quick.
Decisions and choice of cards are to be made in terms of strategy.
Modifications
ROLES: Each player draws a Role Card at random that dictates their gameplay in
a way that resembles a known dietary lifestyle and habits. This imparts
knowledge about the choices made by people on how they approach nutrition
and makes players aware of the various eating habits and dietary restrictions.
Roles are not revealed till the end of the game. This mirrors the personal
choice that is made by people or participate in said lifestyles. In game, this
element of suspense and surprise encourages players to manipulate the hand
in order to limit choices available to opponents.
JUNK FOOD CARDS: Junk Food cards are introduced to the playing deck before
set number of cards are shuffled before they are all dealt. They serve to make
players aware of poor dietary choice, whose impact mirror those that might
happen in real life. They incur penalties in game of they do not execute the
strategies to work around them.
For example, to avoid the penalty of Add Sugar card, they must avoid having
the least number of Water cards. This mirrors the real-life need for hydration
after high sugar intake.
Survey Questions
1. How much do you enjoy the game?
2. How engaged/focused were you during gameplay?
3. How likely are you to play this game again?
4. How quickly did you think and play? Can you go faster after playing more
often?
5. How much of luck or strategy is involved in the progression of the game?
6. What is the estimated proportion of choices made that were planned and
calculated?
7. Do you feel the Roles made the game more interesting?
8. Are the Junk Cards
9. How much of luck or strategy is involved in the progression of the game?
10. Do you feel one could learn more about dietary intake and different eating
lifestyles?
11. In your opinion, what skills are fostered in think Eat, Play, Go!?
Playtester's Information
Srilatha, 45: Home Maker (likes to play classic board games like Monopoly and
Snakes and Ladders; plays once every two months)
Seenivasagan, 53: Software Engineer (likes to play card games with
mathematic intuition like Poker and Rummy; plays monthly)
Deepikaa, 16: Student (likes to play board games, including Sushi Go and such
as Munchkins, Codenames, plays with friends weekly)
Reflections
on results and design decisions
The players showed a greater degree of motivation to get to the end of the game
and find out the outcome of the game, compared to the original SushiGo!. As
such, they were more intrinsically motivated, leading to a more overall
involvement and enjoyment in the game. There is also the element of luck
introduced to this modified version where the Junk Cards could be at any player’s
hand at the beginning of play and depending on the hands draws, the Role of the
player can either reap benefits or have grave consequences to the scores.
Observations
Pre-Game
Surprised by the incorporation of
Roleplaying as the limitations and
perks of each Role were
discussed
Impressed that the Junk Food
cards have dire implications over
the outcome of the game, just as
what they represent would have
on their health
Feedback
During Game
Tense body language and eye
contact with one another that
there is increased relatedness as
players seek to plan sabotage by
predicting Roles of opponents.
Visible expressions of despair and
relief as the penalty of Junk Cards
takes effect and is evaded,
respectively.
Post-Game
Generally, players experienced more enjoyment, engagement and
motivation to complete the game as they were eager to know the outcome
of the game, after the three rounds.
Due to the incorporation of Roles, players felt
A need to plan and strategize more, compared to SushiGo! as Roles
dictate their manner of gameplay
An element of suspense and surprise as they tried to predict each
other’s Roles to change the hand being passed around to restrict the
choices of opponents
More relatedness as the combination of the two aforementioned
aspects of the games meant they had to pay attention to their
opponents' moves on top of building their own Meal
Due to the incorporation of Junk Cards, players cold
Make an instant connection to the real-life implications of poor dietary
choices and lifestyles as they are detrimental to health, as Junk Cards
are to their game
See the impact of Healthier Choice in the improvement of their game
and draw parallels to the Healthier Choice symbols found on food
products that would help them improve their dietary intake
The Junk Cards improves the competencies of players as it forces them to use Healthier Choice in game, which is hopefully translated in
life, and better strategize despite the shortcomings of the Junk Cards themselves. The Role cards enhances the relatedness among
players who try to predict their opponents’ roles and plan their play so that the hand they pass around is disadvantageous to others.
Autonomy has always keen the keen element of both versions given the active choice of play from various options.
One improvement to the game design could be the inclusion of more food groups, such as dairy, to better educate the younger
audience and Eat, Play, Go! Has the potential to be impressional on children who begin to develop eating habits
Annex
Cards Breakdown
Total Number of Cards: 105 Cards
Add Sugar (1 card) - JUNK CARD
Card does not carry any point
Player must play this card off the hand when the first round commences
Minus 3 points if the player has the least Water
Deep Fry (1 card) - JUNK CARD
Introduced to the pile of playing cards before gameplay
Minus 5 points for player who has Deep Fry, at the end of the play
Strategy: Players can play Healthier Choice and swap out Deep Fry to bypass the order which would dictate the last holder of
Deep Fry
ROLE CARDS
Normal Diet (1 card)
Vegetarian – cannot play Meat and Meat Cards hold no point (1 card)
Keto – cannot play Carbohydrates (1 card)
Pescetarian – cannot play Meat (1 card)
Diabetic – cannot play Sweet cards (1 card)
Athlete – if most Water is collected, resulting in 6 points doubled to 12 points (1 card)
Influencer – for every Healthier Choice played, player gets 5 points (1 card)
Water (10 cards) - Play Card
Evaluated at the end of the game, after the three definitive rounds of play, the player with the number of Water collected in
the deck over the three rounds gets 6 points
The player with the least number of Water will lose 6 points.
Healthier Choice (4 cards) - Play Card
Healthier Choice do not carry any point.
Card is introduced to the pile of playing cards before game play.
Strategy: When played on the deck, they allow for the exchange of one card from the hand that the player receives for a onetime swap.
Player returns the Healthier Choice to the hand he receives in a later round since they have played Healthier Choice.
Player can then play any card he wants from the hand they receive.
This move cannot be executed during the last play right before the round ends.
Sweets - Play Card
The player with the most sweets on each round forfeits all the Water cards.
Ice Cream – 1 point (7 cards)
Soda – 2 points (7 cards)
Fish (14 cards) - Play Card
- 3 Fish = 10 points
Carbohydrates (14 cards) - Play Card
2 Carbohydrates = 5 points
Only multiple sets of 2 (i.e., 4,6,8 Carbohydrates) count.
Incomplete sets (i.e., 3,5,7 Carbohydrates) do not count.
The lowest common multiple of 2 adds to the points tally.
For example, from the abovementioned, (5-1) = 4 Carbohydrates gives 10 points
Meat (6 cards of 1 Cut) (12 cards of 2 Cuts) (8 cards of 3 Cuts) - Play Card
Meat Cards contain 1,2 or 3 Cuts per card.
At the end of each round, the player with the greatest number of Meat in their deck gets 6 points and the one with the second
most number gets 3 points.
The rest of the players would get no points.
Fruits and Vegetables (14 cards) - Play Card
1 Fruits and Vegetables = 1 point
4 Fruits and Vegetables = 10 points
5 Fruits and Vegetables = 15 points