If you don’t follow football, you probably wouldn’t have heard about this game called Spot The Ball. But if you are a football fan, then you would certainly be aware how fresh this virtual game is in terms of conception and execution. Let’s learn a bit more about the game, the behind-the-scenes action, and all the effort and thought that has gone into creating this game.
Inspiration
According to the maker, the idea for the game wasn’t completely original. It draws heavy inspiration from the 1970s where cash prize competitions were run by local newspapers in the UK. Spot The Ball Game UK is simply a modern take of this game. However, this newer version doesn’t come with cash prizes. The new game’s design started with a prototype and once it was approved, multiple revisions and iterations came about.
The improvements focused on making the images bigger and adding more fun elements to the game. In other words, the interface was made a bit more playful besides being informational. The idea of user rewards were introduced accordingly. Thereon, it was all about fine-tuning things to make sure the entire package is both fun and intuitive.
Gameplay
The makers wanted to ensure people had a tough time finding where the ball was. Easy gameplay could mean a boring game. If the game is tough enough, people will not get bored easily and the challenge element would make them return and try the game multiple times. This is why the photos chosen for the game have complex backgrounds. At times, spotting the ball takes an eternity. The Photoshop (PS) aspect of the game is so well done, people trying to locate PS errors in order to find the ball would be hard-pressed, to say the least.
Spot The Ball is increasingly becoming popular. The team behind the game didn’t anticipate users picking up the game so quickly. Though this development has not had any effect on the actual gameplay, it has certainly led to the instructions copy getting curtailed. The manual is now quite succinct and short and users can start playing almost instantly after launching the game.
Like every game, there are multiple rounds and the game obviously gets slightly more difficult with every progression. From the look of things, the game may look easier but only those who play would understand how tricky things can truly become. Unfortunately, the makers know where the ball exactly is and they cannot be part of the fun.
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