Jazz X Rivera
Our prehistoric hunter/gatherer ancestors needed
many skills to survive and flourish; however, the
Pack Mentality was the foundation that led to their
survival. The further along the development of our
ancestors went, the more the families grew. The
larger the families the larger the meals. The larger
the meals, the more the hunters had to work
together to take down these larger animals and
provide. (Jefferson, 2013)
Working as a team, prehistoric men were able to
flank and surround a larger animal, repeatedly
stabbing it until the animal was killed. Hunting as a
strong, singular unit caused prehistoric man to
provide for their families with food and pelts.
Tools such as rocks and wooden spears were used to
hunt these large animals.
Rocks were used to bash in skulls as well as to shape
and sharpen the tips of spears.
The wooden spears were used to stab the animals in
either a thrusting motion or thrown from a distance.
• TOKENS
 The token would be the toddler
since he or she is the one playing the
game.
• ITEMS
 The main item used in the game is
anything that can be used to cover
the older person’s face. The older
person, be it a family member or
friend is also considered an item in
the game of peek-a-boo.
• ACTIONS
 The older person holds a blanket in
front of his or her face and pulls it
away in a fast motion and shouts
“PEEK-A-BOO!”.
• SYSTEMS
 The action of shouting “PEEK-ABOO” causes the toddler to become
surprised and in turn begins to
laugh.
www.Babyzone.com
Peek-A-Boo is a great
game to play to promote
object permanence in
babies (“Why Peek-A-Boo
Is Important”, 2013).
Helping your child to
develop is part of being
the care taker and higher
ranking person in the
pack. Looking after the
young and teaching them
how to grow and promote
learning causes the pack
to become stronger and
closer over time.

Although there are many differences
between scavenger hunts and peek-aboo, there are a few similarities in the
mechanics that carry over.
•
TOKEN

•
SYSTEM

•
The hiding an object system mechanic holds
the same result once that item or face is
revealed. A sense of excitement is received
towards the seeking and a surprise at the end.
ITEMS

•
In scavenger hunts, the game revolves around
the child or teen.
Same as peek-a-boo, any random object may
used in the game. Both games revolve around
household items.
ACTION

The parent or person is the the one who sets up
the game for the children. Hiding objects
throughout the area evolved from simply
hiding the face from the toddler.
New Mechanics of Pack Mentality
•
Tokens

•
Items


•
List
Pencil or pen
Actions



•
Children playing
Checking off list
Hunting items
Finding Items
Systems

The person hiding the objects makes up an
inventory sheet and passes it out amongst the
players. Once a player has found that item
they check it off the list.
These mechanics combined gives all
players involved a common goal. And that is
to find all items on the inventory sheet that
have been hidden. The pack mentality skill
focuses on the ability to synchronize within
a group for a common goal. Scavenger
hunts are fun and at the same time building
team work (Etolen, 2013).
www.tpwd.state.tx.us
Over time new games introduce new
skills. The two skills incorporated in
scavenger hunts are:
• EXPLORATION
 ACTION
 Surveying the field of play and using it to
think of where the items may be hidden.
 SYSTEM
 The more you search an area the closer you
will be to finding the items.
• COLLECTION
 ACTION
 Once items have been found you collect
and inventory what you have found utilizing
the checklist provided.
 ITEMS
 Basic household goods being hunted and
collected.
www.buzzle.com
Paintball builds on scavenger hunts in the
sense that it utilizes pack mentality using
some of the same mechanics.
•
TOKENS

•
ACTIONS



•
Teen or Adult playing the game
The mechanics evolved between
scavenger hunts and paintball due to the
challenging and more fast paced gaming
of paintball. Basic household items used in
the hunts have now evolved to people.
Instead of a pencil to check off your list the
player is now wielding a paintball gun. The
token, although the same, is wiser and
older to think more freely and utilize the
environment in a more efficient manner.
Hunting
Surveying the land
Working as a team
SYSTEMS

When a person is found and shot, they are
taken out of the game, and the hunter
continues on to his or hers next item or person,
just like items in scavenger hunts
www.wardway.com
New Mechanics of Pack Mentality
•
Tokens

•
Items








•
Paintball gun
Paintball balls
Hopper
Feeder
CO2 tank
Mask
Opposing players
Cover
Actions






•
The individual teen or adult on the field
The mechanics involved bring the pack mentality
to another level. I feel that paintball is the closest
you can get to master the pack mentality without
joining the military. Working together as a team
and communicating in a quiet manner not to reveal
your position needs very like minded individuals.
Professional paintball players eat, sleep, and
practice with their teammates. They already know
the next move their teammates will make on the
field by noticing small hints in the body language.
The pack mentality deals with the mind and
reading into more than just the obvious.
Using the paintball gun and cover, the token is
able to give cover fire to their buddy ensuring that
they stay alive and in the game while moving
around the battle field. Team work is vital to
overcome and claim the victory. (Pfau, 2012).
Shoot
Dodge
Jump
Evade
Utilize cover
Reload
Systems

Within 5ft of an enemy, the enemy will either
become a hostage or killed. That will be entirely up
to the player.
www.afuntab.com
Other new skills added to Paintball are:
•
EVASION

ACTIONS





ITEMS


•
Dodge
Jump
Slide
Roll
Trees for camouflage
Bunkers for shelter
REACTION TIMING

ACTIONS



Determining enemy position by incoming fire
Shooting at direction of incoming fire to gain
firing superiority.
TOKEN

The player needs to be able to think of the
current situation and very quickly determine the
best route to take before he is flanked and
pinned down.
www.disclose.tv
• TOKEN
 The token is the spaceship in the
asteroid field
• ITEMS
 The spaceship’s photon cannons
 The spaceship’s warp drive
 Asteroids
 Alien robot saucers
• ACTIONS
 Rotate
 Fire
 Utilize warp drive
 Move the ship forward
• SYSTEMS
 Utilizing the warp drive, the spaceship
has a chance of exploding
 Shooting an asteroid causes it to break
apart into smaller pieces.
www.yourentertainmentnow.com
Although playing Asteroids
solo will not strengthen the
player’s skill of the pack
mentality, playing
cooperatively will. Asteroids
was one of the first to bring
in cooperative play to video
game consoles (Allie, 2010).
Sharing the reserve ships,
the players had to work
simultaneously to ensure the
lives weren’t used right
away. Utilizing the
cooperative play, each
spaceship can cover 180
degrees of the screen,
covering all sectors of the
screen.
Some of the few mechanics
carried over from Asteroids
to Super Mario Bros are the
firing at enemies action as
well as the dodge and evade
action.
The systems differ greatly;
however, the system
mechanic involving points
being received by defeating
enemies and the fact that
there are a set amount of
lives given to the player at
the beginning of the game
are alike.
www.gamingsymmetry.com
New Mechanics of Pack Mentality
•
Tokens


•
Items






•
Koopa Troopas
Bowser
Coins
Super Mushroom
Fire Flower
Goombas
Actions




•
Mario
Luigi
Pressing the A button causes Mario or Luigi to jump or swim
Pressing DOWN on the directional pad causes Mario or Luigi to
duck, or climb down beanstalk, and enter pipes.
Pressing B causes Mario or Luigi to throw fireball, and dash.
Pressing UP on the directional pad causes Mario or Luigi to
climb up beanstalk.
Systems




Eating a mushroom gives Mario and Luigi the ability to break
bricks as well as a defensive barrier to enemies before
reverting back to the small Mario or Luigi.
100 coins gives you an extra life
Fire Flowers give the player the ability to throw fire balls.
Star Power blesses the player with invincibility for a few seconds
These mechanics work together to create an amazing game.
The enemies and obstacles put in place by Shigeru
Miyamoto and his team were implemented in a way that it
wasn’t too hard nor too easy. Like everything in life, there is
a cause and effect. The power ups gained by utilizing the
simple but very important action of jump in the game
helped Mario and Luigi immensely on their journey.
Knowing down the line that although your lives are low and
close to a GAME OVER, a few more coins and an extra life
will be heading your way. The power ups hidden in the
blocks gave the player a much needed sense of security. A
Super Mushroom gave you that extra line of defense before
dying. The game also had many little secrets and glitches
throughout the world. My favorite being at the end of World
3-1. Jumping on one of the Koopa Troopas shell after hitting
him on the steps prior to the flag, you can jump on it at the
right angle and continue having it bounce back and forth
giving you a vast amount of extra lives. (Workman, 2014).
All of these things combine make for a fun and fulfilling
game that set up the video game industry for success.
Although the game is played cooperatively by taking turns
and not on the same screen, the players share the same
goal in rescuing the princess. Huddled together in front of
the television set, the players take turns in guiding the one
playing. Reminding them of hidden locations, glitches, and
warp pipes, the two players are using the pack mentality to
work together and assisting when needed to find Princess
Peach.
New skills added include:
•
PATTERN RECOGNITION

ITEMS



ACTIONS


•
Warp Pipe locations
Enemy movements
Dodging obstacles
When to jump on and off lifts
Reaction Timing

ACTIONS



Jumping on an enemy then directly to another to
avoid being hit
When to throw fire ball at incoming Goombas or
Koopa Troopas
ITEMS


Extra lives are quick to run off the screen.
Grabbing them quickly is key.
The obstacles are tricky to dodge. Reaction
Timing goes hand in hand with Pattern
Recognition.
Streets of Rage carried over a few of the same system
mechanics from Super Mario Bros such as the score
system mechanic, pre-set amount of lives at the
beginning of the game, and boss battles. The
jumping action is also shared between the two
games to evade enemies.
The system mechanics changed drastically between
the two games. Although Streets of Rage and Super
Mario Bros share the basic jump action, it is done for
different purpose. In Streets of Rage the player uses
the jumping action to set up for a flying high kick for
instance and in Super Mario Bros it is needed to
maneuver around the game. Another difference
between the two are the level layouts. Super Mario
Bros gives you the option to simply run through the
level without having to jump on every single
Goomba you encounter, whereas in Streets of Rage
you can not continue a portion of the level until all
enemies on the screen have been eliminated. The
fighting system mechanic is a complete difference
between the games. On one hand you defeat
enemies mostly by jumping on their heads and on
the other you have full on jab and kick combinations
as well as grapples. Super Mario Bros only offers
Super Mushrooms and Star Power as a defensive
mechanic to avoid losing a life whereas you actually
have a health bar and are able to find and pick up
health to regenerate in Streets of Rage.
New Mechanics of Pack Mentality
•
Tokens



•
Items






•
Street Thugs
Enforcers
Bosses
Turkey (Health)
Baseball Bat
Shattered Glass Bottle
Actions




•
Axel Stone
Blaze Fielding
Adam Hunter
Pressing A uses the special move.
Pressing B causes the token to attack
Pressing C makes the token jump
Pressing C then B in mid air causes a flying kick
Systems



Once the special move is used the player will need
to wait to respawn once killed to receive another.
Shattering phone booths or kicking over trash cans
can reveal weapons, money bags which convert to
points, health, or extra lives.
The health meter goes down once hit and goes up
by finding food.
Streets of Rage is a great game played
cooperatively. The pack mentality skill used by
players are very rewarding. In the game you are
able to throw each other for a very strong offensive
move, knocking down multiple enemies at once.
The special move mechanic and action used
correctly can make or break a boss battle. When
playing together there are now two replicas of the
boss you would usually encounter playing solo
which means there are two of them flailing and
attacking viciously around the screen. Being aware
of one another’s health bar will determine who will
need health when it is stumbled upon. Playing
cooperatively as a team allows you to cover both
sides of the screen at once allowing each partition
of the level to be cleared effectively and efficiently.
“While Streets of Rage could be played alone on
the Genesis, where this game truly excelled was
when you and a buddy sat down to pound the hell
out of denim-clad thugs and whip-carrying S&M
queens. You'd argue over who got which weapon
when an enemy dropped it. That was an awesome
way to spend an afternoon.”(Buchanan, 2009)
New skills added to Streets of Rage
•
EVASION

ACTIONS





SYSTEMS


•
Dodging hits from bosses
Avoiding friendly fire
Eluding thrown objects such as knives from
enemies.
Countering grabs
The health bar decreases with each hit.
Points are added at the end of the level. The
more health you have, the more points earned.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

SYSTEMS



Special moves are only available once per life
Health is scarce and needs to be consumed by
team member who needs it.
ITEMS




Health
Weapons
Specials
Extra Lives
The jump from Streets of Rage to Tom Clancy’s
Rainbow Six is a big one. The point system
mechanic is no more and the genre has
completely changed. Rather than a side scrolling
game like Streets of Rage, the informally named
Rainbow Six is a first person shooter. Although both
games revolve around law enforcement, the cops
in the early 90s preferred hand-to-hand combat
rather than assault rifles and hand grenades like in
Rainbow Six. Instead of going through a level and
fighting crime, as the team leader you are in
charge of carefully planning points of entry,
utilizing maps and radar, risk assessments, and
ensuring hostage and team survival.
The mechanics had evolved so much that the
infamous Streets of Rage looked like a Saturday
cartoon in comparison. The realism introduced
into the game was able to suck you in and give you
reason to continue playing. There are no more set
amount of lives in the game. Instead of having to
start the entire game over, you simply start at the
last checkpoint or at the beginning of the mission.
An honorable mention of the evolution between
the games is the ability to change difficulty as well
as choose which mission you would like to play.
New Mechanics of Pack Mentality
•
Tokens


•
Items





•
Terrorists
Hostages
Assault Rifles
Armor
Grenades
Actions





•
Recruit John Clark
Rainbow Team Member
C-Buttons move the character around
A Button zooms in
B Button switches weapons
D-Pad night vision and action
R Button is to shoot
Systems




The planning rooms allows you to view floor plans of the
building you are about to encounter and allows you to create
paths for your teams.
The player is able to switch back and forth between teams
during the campaign to make sure plans go through
accordingly.
Aiming reticles
Loading bar for actions such as grenades and picking locks
The systems on this game in my opinion were a bit ahead of its
time in a sense that it was hard to manage and perfect on the
Nintendo 64 platform. All of the good mechanics were there
but I can imagine it being very hard to do with the platforms
available. The loading bar system mechanic really slowed the
game down a bit but you can see what they were trying to do.
Before throwing a grenade for instance, you had a loading bar
while switching grenades as well as while throwing it.
Although you cannot see the rifle in your hand, the aiming
reticle system mechanic is pretty neat. Like a lot of modern
games the reticle spreads out while moving quickly making
your shots less accurate while on the move. The game gets
tough over time and you realize that it is mostly trial and error,
remembering where enemies are throughout the maps. This
game was a fantastic strategy shooter which really tested the
gamer’s ability to think things through .
The co-op on this game was amazing. Although the mechanics
are a bit off compared to the modern versions of Rainbow Six,
the foundation was still there. Being able to work together
covering different sectors and door wars, the pack mentality
kept the two teams alive. If played right this game would feel
more like a simulation rather than a video game. One of the
very few actual co-op games in its era, Rainbow Six opened the
doors for the more adult gamers.
“Seriously, the two player co-op mode will lead to some of the
best gaming you and a friend of your choice will have on the
N64 because of the constant interaction, teamwork required
and sense of accomplishment.” (Boulding, 1999)
Other new skills added to Tom
Clancy’s Rainbow Six.
• COMMUNICATION
 ACTIONS
 Shooting assigned targets
 Breaching rooms
 SYSTEMS
 Planning Room
 Radar showing team position as well enemy
positions
• RISK ASSESSMENT
 ACTION
 Flanking
 Cover
 Determining routes
 SYSTEMS
 Planning Room
 Load outs
www.tgldirect.com
HALO: Combat Evolved carries on some of the same
mechanics from Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six such as:






Radar
First person shooter
Co-op play
Grenade and weapon switching
HUD
Strong enemy AI
www.vg247.com
The gameplay between the two games have evolved
immensely. The foundation is there being that it is a first
person shooter and utilizes the radar and similar HUD. In
HALO: Combat Evolved the health system mechanic has
evolved from a one shot one kill system to a shield and
health bar. The enemies are not as easy to kill as in Rainbow
Six. Instead of human terrorists the player is now fighting
hordes of alien warriors called the Covenant whose AI has
evolved so much that the replay value of the game is very
high (Fielder, 2001). The radar is now more accurate as is
the offensive side. Instead of waiting a few seconds to throw
a grenade, open a door, or switch weapons; you can now do
all of the mentioned actions right away. The gameplay is
sped up and the levels are vast. The action mechanics have
evolved such as implementing melee attacks and jumping.
The co-op campaign shares a lot of similarities to Rainbow
Six such as working as a team to reassure survival
throughout the maps, especially on the Heroic or
Legendary difficulty. Using tactics such as flanking and
getting the attention of enemies are the same as Rainbow Six
except the AI is programmed to really make the players
think more on their feet rather than planning your next
move in a planning room with a teammate. Playing as a
team makes the game that much more enjoyable. Using the
different vehicles spread out across the world with a friend
makes it easier than relying on the human marines AI to
shoot where you really want them to aim at. Playing the
campaign by yourself is amazing being able to have the
entire screen to yourself; however, the joy of sharing the
experience with a friend takes this game to an entirely new
experience.
New Mechanics of Pack Mentality
•
Tokens

•
Items




•
Covenant
Magnum Pistol
Flood
Warthog
Actions







•
Master Chief
The mechanics work flawlessly together to make this game
a hit. The actions are precise in that there is no lag between
playing. The actions are swift and feel realistic. The systems
in place such as the enemy AI allows the player multiple
scenarios if having to repeat a certain part of the level. The
overall presentation of the items are wonderful. In certain
situations a certain weapon is superior. The Shotgun for
instance against the Flood is best compared to using a
Plasma Rifle. It allows the player to enjoy each weapon
instead of ignoring them and using only one throughout the
game.
Right Trigger is to fire weapon
B Button melees enemies
X Button reloads weapons and main action button
A Button causes Master Chief to jump
Left Trigger throws grenade
Right Analog Click zooms in
Left Analog Click crouches
Systems




The HUD features health and shield, ammo supply, and radar
Radar shows enemies and marines within a certain proximity
Each vehicle has a certain feel to it. The Scorpion tank utilizes
both joy sticks in order to maneuver as well as fire where as
while driving the warthog the two joysticks are only used for
precise movements.
Enemy AI
www.dealspwn.com
Other new skills added to HALO: Combat Evolved.
•
EXPLORATION

ACTIONS





SYSTEMS



•
Driving
Searching corridors
Scouting enemies
Walking
Using the melee attack you can soften your landing
from a high point to cover the level quickly.
Finding dead marines offers health and ammunition
Throwing grenades at the indestructible Warthog can
cause it to reach places where it usually wouldn’t be
able to to explore the land more efficiently.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

ACTIONS



Swapping weapons
Killing Elites before they get in vehicles to give you
the opportunity to climb on board
ITEMS



Over shields
Active Camouflage
Certain weapons for certain situations
www.halo.wikia.com
Where our current games
succeed or fail in evolving
mechanics.
Instead of going with the first Gears of War, I chose the
sequel due to its Horde mode. This mode gives up to five
players the chance to ward off wave after wave of enemies.
A mode that revolutionized cooperative play causing many
developers to incorporate it into their games.
“A must is five people with five headsets who stick
together, communicate, and work cooperatively, no room
for Rambo.” (Bloom, 2008).
As Derrick Bloom from IGN mentions above, the ability to
work as a team and share that pack mentality to fight
countless enemies is needed in order to survive the horde.
The system mechanics are roughly the same as earlier
games such as HALO: Combat Evolved except this game
really captures the essence of a third-person shooter. The
camera zooms in a bit when the player crouch runs to
cover. The player slams into the wall or pillar and is able to
then choose which cover to run to next or simply stay put
and provide suppressive fire by either blind firing or
throwing grenades. The game also evolves the mechanics
in a whole by utilizing the active reload mechanic. Pressing
the Right Bumper reloads the weapon; however, pressing it
again at the right time results in a faster reload time and
provides a boost of damage to the enemies.
Gears of War 2 evolved gaming in a way that it allows
games to be fast paced but still allows the gamer to enjoy
the time playing.
www.en.wikipedia.org
Destiny will be by far the best game game
to incorporate the pack mentality skill.
“Public events will pool players into
specific areas with similar goals, though
these can be seen and ignored by those
with better things to do.” (Sheridan, 2013).
The system is an always-connected
universe which allows players to meet up
with friends without having to go thru the
hassle of waiting rooms and load screens.
Destiny is more than just a FPS. It
incorporates RPG elements, customization,
challenging content, all the while running
across real players during several modes.
Destiny is evolving the gaming industry in
that the developers at Bungie haven’t just
created a game; they created a universe.
www.theguardianofdestiny.com

Allie, M. (2010, January 2). Co-Op Classics: Asteroids. Retrieved from http://www.cooptimus.com/editorial/378/page/1/co-op-classics-asteroids.html

Bloom, D. (2008, December 4). Gears of War 2: Horde Mini-FAQ/ Guide. Retrieved from
http://www.ign.com/faqs/2008/gears-of-war-2-horde-mini-faqguide-935771




Boulding, A. (1999, November 24) Rainbow Six: It's streamlined to fit your N64, but this is
still a great PC to N64 conversion. Retrieved from
http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/11/25/rainbow-six-4
Buchanan, L. (2009, July 20) Streets of Rage Review. Retrieved from
http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/07/20/streets-of-rage-review
Etolen, N. (2013, May 16). What Fun Things Can Children Find on an Indoor Scavenger
Hunt? Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/1002704-fun-things-canchildren-indoor-scavenger-hunt/
Fielder, Joe. (2001, November 9). Not only is this easily the best of the Xbox launch
games, but it's easily one of the best shooters ever, on any platform. Retrieved from
http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/halo-review/1900-2823816/

Jackson, J. (2013, September 18). Where We Came From and Why It’s Not As Far As We Think. Retrieved
from http://hubpages.com/hub/Where-We-Came-From

McKie, R. (2012, September 22). Humans Hunted For Meat 2 Million Years Ago. Retrieved from
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/sep/23/human-hunting-evolution-2million-years

Pfau, N. (2012, June 4) Paintball Offers Stress Relief, Builds Teamwork. Retrieved from
http://www.army.mil/article/81056/Paintball_offers_stress_relief__builds_teamwork/
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Sheridan, C. (2013, October 2). Destiny’s Cooperative Play Is Built On Three-Person Fireteams.
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Wilson, R. (2009, December 9). The Main Ingredient: Getting Out of My Comfort Zone. Retrieved from
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Why Is Peekaboo Such An Exciting Game For My Baby? (2013, May). Retrieved from
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Workman, R. (2014, February 6). Top 10 Super Mario Cheats and Tips. Retrieved from
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