Project Considerations

I took a few things into consideration before deciding on the existing IP I would work with and how I would go about re-imagining it in a non-digital format:

1. Familiarity - It had to be a video game I had played a lot (ideally completed) and felt very familiar with. If I already know everything it has to offer, there are fewer uncertainties or aspects of the game that need extra investigation before commencing. First-hand experience will allow me to competently evaluate the original game and relate to it honestly from a players perspective - especially in terms of aesthetics - rather than attempting to pick a game I hardly know and attempt to research/identify with it purely for the purpose of this assignment. I want to choose something I have fond memories of playing as a child - a title that has left a lasting impression - and thoughtfully consider the reasons why.
2. Simplicity - I didn't want to develop a board game with an over-complicated rule set. My last two non-digital concepts fell prey to this despite knowing that usually, the simplest ideas are usually the best. Nobody wants to read pages of instructions, they just want to get on with it and start playing. The last thing you want to do is scare people off, or worse - bore them to death before the game has even begun! 
3. Physical Play - This time round I'm going to try and make something immediately more energetic and appealing compared to the idea of sitting sedentary at a table, rolling dice and pushing counters round a board (nothing wrong with this type of game but they need a good 'hook' to be anything special or new).  Surely there are far more interesting ways for players to interact with a game space and manipulate control of their pieces (even if I can't utilise a Wii controller or Kinect)? By approaching the design challenge from this angle I hope to produce a working prototype that involves/demands active player movement, speed and dexterity - I want this aspect of the game to be fun in itself (regardless of rules, age, skill set, duration of play etc.) so it provides instant entertainment to anyone who gives it a go.
4. Object Play - During one of our lectures we had a discussion about how people naturally play with everyday objects, sometimes even without consciously realising it (tipping back and balancing on a chair, arranging a pile of paperclips in order of colour to name but a few examples) and that these activities often only need rules applied to them to turn them into a potential game. This theory stayed with me - I decided I wanted to incorporate a tangible object (or tool) that when presented to the player, they would intuitively how to use it and for what purpose. From my perspective, I also want to play with building something out of a mixture of physical components during development in true "here's one I made earlier" Blue Peter style!