“Tic-Tac-Toe 2.0”: Discover reinterpretations of this classic game developed by FGV students

Who hasn’t played tic-tac-toe? This paper-and-pencil classic with simple, easy-to-learn rules that is popular all over the world has just been given two board game adaptations that take players into an even tougher competition, with new rules to decide who completes the classic sequence of matching symbols first. These new versions of the game will soon be released in digital format.

Freshmen on FGV ECMI’s Digital Communication Program were challenged to reimage tic-tac-toe during a workshop held by the school’s Innovation Cube Lab. The students combined theory and practice to develop their products. They came up with both physical board versions and a digital game in the Visual Novel genre, blending a narrative with illustrations, in which players must progress by making choices that will define the path of the story.

Student Pedro “Benji” Bezerra says that this experience was valuable for his professional education. “I was able to develop my creativity in a dynamic environment, as well as gaining experience in group work. This whole process has made me more curious and motivated to strengthen my learning about the creation and development of analog and digital games,” he explains.

The aim was to contribute to the participants’ professional training by introducing them to the basics of game studies, game design and programming in analog and digital game production. The lab’s coordinator, Professor Alessandra Maia, says, “The workshop sought to prepare them to produce rich game experiences, reflecting the discussions of subjects on the curriculum. The students proved very enthusiastic and ended up creating three games instead of one in just two months.”

“The Game Worlds Production Workshop allowed me to develop skills I never imagined I could have. I was able to make a game based on tic-tac-toe. At first, I didn’t think it would work, but in the workshop, I also learned to believe more in my ideas, and that will be important for my professional education. I’m very grateful for this opportunity,” says student Alinne Rohs.

About the games

The students’ creativity during the workshop was remarkable and each one was able to explore their individual characteristics in developing their own games. The meetings allowed the game production work to be guided by a critical perspective, enriching the learning experience.

Find out more about each game below:

Old Lady – In this strategy and logical reasoning game, which combines two classic games (tic-tac-toe and checkers), the aim is to make a sequence of equal symbols in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line. In addition, as in a game of checkers, the players have the option of removing their opponent’s pieces and replacing them with their own.

Old Capitalist – Inspired by the board game Monopoly, players aim to “buy the city,” the centerpiece of the board, with money obtained from actions in the game. They can decide to collect money, clear the forest or mine. The game favors the first option, offering bonuses that raise awareness of the importance of preserving resources. To win, a player must cross the city, forming a sequence of equal symbols in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line, or bankrupt their opponent.

In addition to these reinterpretations, the students jointly created a digital game that combines a narrative and illustrations to tell the story of a little-known Brazil, exploring its culture, nature and folklore.

Echoes of Nature – This narrative game gives players the dilemma of respecting nature and having a harmonious relationship with mythical beings or keeping their job at a logging company and having to deal with the devastating fury of entities that protect and fight for the preservation of one of the world’s most important biomes, the Amazon Rainforest. To create the images, the students used generative artificial intelligence and developed their prompts from a script to ensure a greater connection with the narrative.

Playtest

On Saturday, May 25, during the Rio de Janeiro German Language Festival, held at the FGV Cultural Center, the students held a playtest of the games they had developed. At the event, visitors tested the games and took a short survey to help improve each of the games. Using the data obtained, the students will be able to improve their products, with a view to finalizing them and sharing them on the FGV ECMI website so that an even larger audience can play them and give feedback on these and future productions.

“Together with my two fellow students, Lindsey and Pedro, we created a game and presented it at an event. This experience was very special, as we saw how rewarding the whole process of development and improvement was. The comments and compliments from the event participants also opened us up to constructive criticism and helped us connect better with the public. This motivation is invaluable,” says Alinne Rohs.