Recognisable Play

A lightweight competitive game designed for trust, tension, and conversation.

1. Core Intent

The game is designed to:
- Run fully unattended if needed
- Create shared tension before and during play
- Transition into a relaxed, social discussion after the game
- Be easy to join, hard to abuse, and safe to trust

The facilitator is optional. The system itself is the primary host.

2. The Recognisable Pattern (Brand Feature)

Every game follows the same emotional and temporal rhythm:

1. Invite – Common screen shows QR code, join URL, game code (AUTO_LOBBY)
2. Wait – 5-min lobby timer, +30s per new player when <30s remain
3. Commit – Timer expires or 40 players → game starts (COUNTDOWN)
4. Tension – Timed questions, visible response pressure (PLAYING → REVIEWING, repeats)
5. Release – Results, fun facts, discussion (RESULTS)
6. Reset – Brief pause, then new game auto-creates (COOLDOWN → AUTO_LOBBY)

This pattern never changes. The cycle repeats indefinitely.

Players learn to trust the rhythm.

This is a brand feature: when the counter appears, everyone knows what happens next.

3. UX Consistency Rules

• One global countdown at a time
• One authoritative screen state
• Same transitions every game
• No surprise pauses or hidden waits

Timers are sacred. If time runs out, the system acts.

4. Player Trust Model

Trust is built by:

• Transparency
• Scoring model is open
• Statistics are shared

• Privacy where it matters

• Scores are private
• Response-time pressure is public

• Predictability

• Same rules every game
• Same timers, same outcomes

5. Identity & Sessions

• Identity is session-based
• Sticky via cookie/session storage
• Email is optional
• Email may be attached to session summary
• Late joiners:
• Attach to running game
• Cannot score on completed questions

No permanent accounts required.

6. Automation First

There is no facilitator. The system is the host.

• Root URL visit creates a new game automatically
• Lobby timer starts on first player join (5 min)
• Game auto-starts, auto-advances, auto-restarts
• Player disconnects:
• Auto-answer with defaults
• After two auto-answers, stop waiting

The game never blocks indefinitely.

7. Competitive, but Feelgood

• Game is individual & competitive
• Goal is not winning — it is engagement and reflection
• Time pressure prevents overthinking
• Discussion after the game is part of the experience

Winning feels good.
Learning feels better.

8. Technical Design Guidelines

For developers:

• Single authoritative game engine
• Event-driven state transitions
• Idempotent joins
• Deterministic timers
• Explicit game phases (state machine):
• AUTO_LOBBY → COUNTDOWN → PLAYING → REVIEWING → RESULTS → COOLDOWN → AUTO_LOBBY
• FINISHED (terminal, via Halt only)

No hidden states.

9. Non-goals

• No long-term player ranking
• No monetisation hooks
• No dark patterns
• No artificial delays

10. Summary

This game is not about complexity.

It is about:
- Rhythm
- Trust
- Tension
- Release

Recognisable Play is the product.