Next year: Make the game understandable

[archiver]

Posted by Kyle Huang, Student on team #192, Gunn Robotics Team, from Gunn High School and Nasa Ames, Sun Microsystems, Xerox.

Posted on 5/2/99 8:28 PM MST


In Reply to: Next year: Make the game understandable posted by Andy Baker on 5/1/99 11:18 PM MST:



Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this, but wasn't this year's game really fun? The
constant need for strategy made the game (at least for me) a lot more exciting. A team
could win or lose a match depending on whether or not they knew their strategy. This
year's game was very complicated, sure, but it was also a challenge - a big challenge.
Making a very simplified game removes a huge portion of the challenge involved in the
design/construction phase, and removes about half of the strategy. Is it worth
sacrificing a huge chunk of the game in order for people who have nothing to do with the
competition can understand it? Maybe we have to be a little selfish here.

I think it would be great if FIRST became as popular as football, but it can't happen
overnight. I think it will spread far and wide, but only gradually. Sure, robowar
competitions became more popular in a shorter time, but they still aren't anywhere near
football. Also keep in mind that anything with the word 'WAR' attached to it immediately
gets attention.

FIRST has been around for what, seven years (correct me if I'm wrong)?
So some people may argue that it should have gained its momentum already. Well, maybe
FIRST's time has come, or should have come. Just remember, it IS gaining popularity.
FIRST teams on the Donny & Marie show, FIRST in a nationally published comic strip,
ESPN, ect. Our team's plane ride home made a stop in Denver, Colorado. A couple that
got on the plane in Denver had heard about the FIRST competition. They hadn't just
come from Disneyworld where they might have heard about it. They knew, and were very
intruiged. FIRST WILL flourish some day, but being as popular as football is also
an extremely aggressive goal.

Is FIRST ready for prime time?
I don't think so. Robowars is non-stop action. It's violence and carnage, which basically
go over very well with TV audiences. It isn't blood&guts, so parents probably don't have
a problem with kids watching it. Its exciting. And while the FIRST competition may be
thrilling to US, the people that participate in it, the general public won't respond the
same way. Like some other people have said in this thread, people just don't understand
the game. It is hard for people that don't already know the game to understand it.
Explaining it to people is challenging, unless you have pictures or are standing inside an
actual arena. Once the game is popular enough, people won't care if its too complicated,
because they'll know about already. So I suppose what I'm trying to say, is that we just
have to wait.

One other thing: FIRST is supposed to ignite the minds of youngsters - mainly, the people
participating in the robotics competition. Its goal is not to be something you flip your
TV to on Sunday morning instead of football. They want kids to be doing it, rather than
just sitting in front of a TV watching it. Am I correct?