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Journal Entry - 01
Name of Game:
"Trash" Card Game. Also known as, "Garbage".
Game Author:
The origin looks to be unknown. The only statement that I could find is that according to online casino reviews - the game is believed to have originated in America.
Original Platform & control mechanism
The cards are the platform, and you use your hands as the control mechanism to play the game on a flat surface. A traditional deck of cards is the original platform.
Describe game play and mechanics
Trash is a sequencing card game in which the objective is to organize your cards into a sequential order from one (Ace) to ten. The first player to win ten rounds wins. I was introduced to Trash on the first day of class. It's fun, easy, and quick to setup/learn. Starting with a full standard shuffled deck of cards, cards are dealt one at a time until every player has ten cards each. The cards are then setup in two rows of five face down. After further research, it's recommended that you lay the cards out in one row of ten if you have the space. The rest of the deck is then stacked face down in the center of the play space, accessible to all players.
The primary goal is to be the first player to have all of your cards face up in sequential order from Ace to ten. The gameplay starts with the first player drawing a card from the face down stack. If the card revealed is one through ten, then you will place the card in its designated slot replacing the face down card. From your face down cards, the top left slot is the one-card position, and the bottom right slot will be your ten-card position. The card that you replaced will then determine you next move. If you flipped over another one through ten card that isn't currently occupied by a face up card, then you replace the face down card in the new cards designated slot. The gameplay will continue like this until you flip a card that cannot be placed down - a Queen or a King or you flip a card that is already occupying a face up slot. Once this occurs, you place the card that isn't usable on your board in a discard pile. This will end your turn and allow the next player an opportunity to play.
The subsequent players will then begin their turn by either drawing a new card from the stockpile or using the card discarded by the previous player if the card corresponds with a face down card in their two rows of ten cards. They continue the play from there in a similar format, playing until they cannot place a card down. This gameplay loop repeats until a player has all their cards face-up in each appropriate slot. Once a single player has all ten cards face up, the remaining players have an opportunity to finish out the round in hopes to complete their face up sequential card goal - allowing for multiple winners each round.
After each round, the cards are then shuffled and redealt. However, the winner(s) of the previous round will start with one less card face down. So now they only have the one-card slot through the nine-card slot faced down on their board and the ten-card becomes unplayable. The winner of each round starts each round first.
Another game mechanic is that the Jack cards are wild - allowing it to be placed face up in any card slot location. The game continues this loop until a player has one slot left and it's filled with an Ace or Jack. The win condition will then be met, and that player wins the game.
Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
I believe this question is non-applicable here as the art & design will be determined only by the style of card deck you have and play space.
What made it fun?
There were rounds where I was so close to meeting the win condition, however, the card I either revealed from the stockpile or was available from the discard stack - was unusable. This often happened back-to-back and not only to me, but everyone on the board. Although frustrating, the randomness and uncertainty of each round made the game fun to play with others. Hoping each round that a player doesn't get their desired card and on the other end - hoping I do. The game of chance was very present here and in my opinion is a key pillar to why this game is fun. With that said, I understand the player perspective that there is just too much luck involved. I can see this leading to an unenjoyable experience for all. Luckily, I had a fun group of students to play with, so it was very lighthearted, and we had a fun time playing.
Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
It is very easy to play and onboard new players. This, combined with its accessibility (only requiring a deck of cards), makes it clear why the game may be influential. For a younger audience, it also serves as a simple yet fun way to learn how to count numbers. Any game that is accessible, easy to play, and viable for a wide range of audiences holds a significant place in the evolution of games. Complexity is wonderful in all its forms; however, it often becomes a bottleneck for many aspects of gameplay. In the evolution of games, Trash belongs to a universal category - one that can be played anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. That’s a tough category to stand out in, but Trash could easily join the ranks of other popular card games.
How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I would give Trash two ratings, one for the younger audience and another for an older audience. For the younger audience, I'd rate the game a four out of five stars. It's fun, easy to play, and great for learning. For an older audience, I would rate Trash a three out of five stars. Potentially even two out of five stars. It can get repetitive, frustrating (too reliant on the luck factor over a gained skill overtime), and depending on the players - I can see it getting a bit slow and potentially boring after a while. When we played, after about three rounds we tapped out. We did have fun playing though, it just became a bit too repetitive, and once we understood the gameplay mechanics and loop - the novelty of playing a new game disappeared I believe.
Name of Game:
"Trash" Card Game. Also known as, "Garbage".
Game Author:
The origin looks to be unknown. The only statement that I could find is that according to online casino reviews - the game is believed to have originated in America.
Original Platform & control mechanism
The cards are the platform, and you use your hands as the control mechanism to play the game on a flat surface. A traditional deck of cards is the original platform.
Describe game play and mechanics
Trash is a sequencing card game in which the objective is to organize your cards into a sequential order from one (Ace) to ten. The first player to win ten rounds wins. I was introduced to Trash on the first day of class. It's fun, easy, and quick to setup/learn. Starting with a full standard shuffled deck of cards, cards are dealt one at a time until every player has ten cards each. The cards are then setup in two rows of five face down. After further research, it's recommended that you lay the cards out in one row of ten if you have the space. The rest of the deck is then stacked face down in the center of the play space, accessible to all players.
The primary goal is to be the first player to have all of your cards face up in sequential order from Ace to ten. The gameplay starts with the first player drawing a card from the face down stack. If the card revealed is one through ten, then you will place the card in its designated slot replacing the face down card. From your face down cards, the top left slot is the one-card position, and the bottom right slot will be your ten-card position. The card that you replaced will then determine you next move. If you flipped over another one through ten card that isn't currently occupied by a face up card, then you replace the face down card in the new cards designated slot. The gameplay will continue like this until you flip a card that cannot be placed down - a Queen or a King or you flip a card that is already occupying a face up slot. Once this occurs, you place the card that isn't usable on your board in a discard pile. This will end your turn and allow the next player an opportunity to play.
The subsequent players will then begin their turn by either drawing a new card from the stockpile or using the card discarded by the previous player if the card corresponds with a face down card in their two rows of ten cards. They continue the play from there in a similar format, playing until they cannot place a card down. This gameplay loop repeats until a player has all their cards face-up in each appropriate slot. Once a single player has all ten cards face up, the remaining players have an opportunity to finish out the round in hopes to complete their face up sequential card goal - allowing for multiple winners each round.
After each round, the cards are then shuffled and redealt. However, the winner(s) of the previous round will start with one less card face down. So now they only have the one-card slot through the nine-card slot faced down on their board and the ten-card becomes unplayable. The winner of each round starts each round first.
Another game mechanic is that the Jack cards are wild - allowing it to be placed face up in any card slot location. The game continues this loop until a player has one slot left and it's filled with an Ace or Jack. The win condition will then be met, and that player wins the game.
Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design
I believe this question is non-applicable here as the art & design will be determined only by the style of card deck you have and play space.
What made it fun?
There were rounds where I was so close to meeting the win condition, however, the card I either revealed from the stockpile or was available from the discard stack - was unusable. This often happened back-to-back and not only to me, but everyone on the board. Although frustrating, the randomness and uncertainty of each round made the game fun to play with others. Hoping each round that a player doesn't get their desired card and on the other end - hoping I do. The game of chance was very present here and in my opinion is a key pillar to why this game is fun. With that said, I understand the player perspective that there is just too much luck involved. I can see this leading to an unenjoyable experience for all. Luckily, I had a fun group of students to play with, so it was very lighthearted, and we had a fun time playing.
Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?
It is very easy to play and onboard new players. This, combined with its accessibility (only requiring a deck of cards), makes it clear why the game may be influential. For a younger audience, it also serves as a simple yet fun way to learn how to count numbers. Any game that is accessible, easy to play, and viable for a wide range of audiences holds a significant place in the evolution of games. Complexity is wonderful in all its forms; however, it often becomes a bottleneck for many aspects of gameplay. In the evolution of games, Trash belongs to a universal category - one that can be played anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. That’s a tough category to stand out in, but Trash could easily join the ranks of other popular card games.
How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))
I would give Trash two ratings, one for the younger audience and another for an older audience. For the younger audience, I'd rate the game a four out of five stars. It's fun, easy to play, and great for learning. For an older audience, I would rate Trash a three out of five stars. Potentially even two out of five stars. It can get repetitive, frustrating (too reliant on the luck factor over a gained skill overtime), and depending on the players - I can see it getting a bit slow and potentially boring after a while. When we played, after about three rounds we tapped out. We did have fun playing though, it just became a bit too repetitive, and once we understood the gameplay mechanics and loop - the novelty of playing a new game disappeared I believe.
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