Beary Hungry

My role: Art and game design

Collaborators: Tron Vi, Samina Trachier

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Overview

Beary Hungry is a fast-paced game for (but not limited to) children ages 6 and up. It is easy to play but hard to master. It teaches children a combination of spatial awareness and nutritional values in addition to the fun of racing to beat the clock. Inspired by games like Tetris, we hope to create something that is playable for the whole family, to be enjoyed no matter what age you are. You play as a bear-y hungry bear in the fall season, hoping to fatten up before we hibernate and sleep for the winter. There are plenty of food around you but you must learn to scavenge and eat as much as possible without overfilling your stomach. There are two other bears that are trying to do the same, so you must sabotage their chances of getting the most food. The bear that eats the most food with the most points, as written on the back of the pieces, wins the game and hibernates happily ever after.

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Project Vision 

We wanted to create more games that can help develop a child's spacial awareness combined with the importance of a balanced diet. Currently in the US, child obesity is nearly 20%, which is going to cause great societal and economic consequences in the future. The diets of the American people are severely misguided, with American food companies promoting unhealthy foods and sugars in combination with misinformation on the problem, attributing the problem to lack of exercise rather than food. Through something as simple as a board game, I believe this can be the seed to plant an important idea in the minds of parents and children alike. Junk food is much more detrimental than we think. That is why in Beary Hungry, junk food is actually undesirable in the core mechanic of the game because it takes up a lot of space in the bear's stomach yet is worthless for the player. 

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Rules

• Each player takes a turn spinning a spinner.

• They then collect an item of food and must fit it into their bear without overlapping or going outside the edges.

• If the Spinner lands on an “Event” space, then the player gets to swap one of their pieces for any other their opponent’s pieces from their bears.

• Game ends after 4 minutes.

• If a player fills up their bear while there is still time remaining, they are free to continue taking their turn spinning. If the player lands on a food item they want, they are allowed to swap out one of their existing pieces, and give it to another player. If the food doesn’t fit, they must give it to another player. However, you can not get food that does not fit from the event, you must choose food that fits in your bear.

• The Player with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

Point System:

• Fish: 6 points

• Meat: 5 points

• Honey: 4 points

• Vegetables: 3 points

• Insects: 3 points

• Berries: 2 points

• Junkfood: -1 point