Game Design Friday

omg teh interview!

Designing omg teh interview!

Concept:

The original plan was to have a singular mini-game played by all job candidates during their interviews. The mini-game's direction changed quickly, however, after a consult with Zynga game designer Dave Rohrl.

Design:

Rather than devising a singular interview mini-game, which engineered the idea of randomly selected microgames (think Wario Ware, but with your future success at stake). The games were conceived over several rounds of creative brainstorming, with each representing a different point of anxiety for job interviewees:

1. getting asked about a past job transgression.
2. getting asked to enumerate your weaknesses, and explaining them in a way that doesn't make you seem useless.
3. making sure to stay humble, and, well, kissing ass.
4. failing to pay attention to details during an interview, and messing up an important fact.
5. Out-talking the interviewer, or remaining too quiet.
6. Misjudging the interviewer's opinion of something and giving the "wrong" answer to a question of opinion.

Considering Dave interviewed me for my current, formulating these games was enlightening, and unnerving (no, Dave, I did not kiss ass during our interview).

Result:

Awkward conversations with my boss, and some new tricks to scare future job candidates. Oh, you wanted to know about the game...