Values-based games follow unconventional gameplay mechanics and persuade the player to be more conscious about the events in the game. One potential idea is a game that functions similar to Mario Party or WarioWare, by featuring fast paced party minigames. However, the main focus is on cooperation between players rather than competition. For these minigames, equal input might be required from each player in order to complete the game, or players will have to quickly figure out their role within the game, such as with on screen directions. The fast paced timer would prompt players to have to rush their cooperative discussion sessions, bur at the same time skipping the opportunity to discuss would make it more difficult to complete the games. It would emphasize the value of cooperative play and fast thinking in order to complete a task.
Another game idea would fit a type of “Robin Hood” narrative where you play as a thief infiltrating a mansion to steal riches. In order to obtain the riches you must sneak through several hallways and large rooms that contain guards, and avoid the line of sight of these guards. At the end of these hallways is a vault that requires a keyword to be opened, and this keyword must be obtained through carefully listening to the dialogue of the guards. They will give hints as to the number that makes up the keyword, and the order. At the same time, they will also reiterate to themselves how important it is to guard the treasure due to the punishment they will face from the boss of the mansion. This adds some “stakes” to the narrative in a way, as the actions of the players will also have an effect on what happens to the guards, who are not portrayed merely as nameless enemies. It could communicate to the player that taking this Robin Hood like approach also yields consequences that harm people in addition to helping less fortunate people with the wealth of the more fortunate.
Another possible game could be a game the functions like Pacman, but the player controls a sea animal such as a dolphin or a turtle. They navigate through a maze being chased by boats, which function as the “ghosts” of the game. Along the way, the player collects food that can allow them to destroy the boats, but there is also a chance that trash will spawn along the path, and this trash will temporarily stun the player’s movement. There will be several stages, and as the stages progress the rate at which trash can appear increases, and the game becomes more dangerous. This progression reflects the environmental message of waste effecting our oceans and consequently, the lifeforms within it. As time passes, navigating the oceans, or the mazes in this case, become more and more dangerous as trash becomes more of an issue, like how waste products can negatively affect the movement and navigation of animals in the water. To win the game, the player will have to make it to the last level and acquire enough points while avoiding the boats.
