Overview

How do I play this game?

Balance your ball (colored red if player one, blue if player two) on the yellow platform using the WASD / arrow keys (I/J/K/L if player two) to gain points. Objects will spawn periodically to throw the yellow platform off-balance so use the weight of your ball to offset the impact of the falling objects by moving around the platform to stabilise it. Sometimes a bonus gem will spawn and grant you more points but this comes with the high risk of falling off. At any point during the gameplay, you can press SPACE to activate your global special skill (which can be chosen in the main menu). If used wisely, your special skill can help you stay on the platform longer. You can also play this game as a local co-op multiplayer which provides a much tougher challenge as you will have to coordinate with a partner.

How does this game improve my spiritual balance?

This game is based on the spiritual belief of balance and flow of movement inspired by Tai Chi. Though the game seems like a simple arcade game on the surface, it is this simple mechanic that allows the player to easily dive deep into the core of the experience - one that seeks to improve the spiritual balance of the player. Leveraging Ian Bogost's Theory of Procedural Rhetoric, which theories that a player can learn through experience and repetition of a procedure in a game, I have crafted the game in a way that will teach you, through repetition, that true balance does not come from staying still but from continuously moving to offset the imbalance. The objects that fall onto the platform are there to symbolise the way life continuously throws hurdles at you on a daily basis and either you act in change to them or they cause you to fall. The bonus gem that spawns always represents a great risk, just as some opportunities in life do, so that object tests your greed and your judgement of risk. The special ability of your player is there to represent the special traits in our life, for some of us may be born smarter or have more monetary means, to which we can use to escape imbalance if we use them well. Lastly, the co-op feature of the game is there to illustrate how hard it is to communicate in a relationship. Balancing your own spiritual self is hard but it gets even harder when you are together with someone else. As such, the co-op feature truly presents the greatest challenge in life. Overall, I have used the Arcade Genre's use of simple and engaging mechanics to create a game that seeks to teach the player the rules of spiritual balance.

Coming soon~

This will be a how to play guide that will not only cover getting better at the game but also how by doing so, it will help you succeed in life (:

BALANCE

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