Angels vs Devils

Inspiration

The game was born from a fascination with game theory and human decision-making. I wanted to create a social experiment that explores how communities navigate uncertainty, trust, and strategic thinking. By designing a simple yet intriguing minesweeper variant, I aimed to provide insights into collective behavior and decision-making processes.

What it does

Angels vs Devils is a daily community-driven minesweeper game that transforms a classic puzzle into a social experiment:

• Players are presented with a 3x3 grid containing a single hidden mine
• The goal is to safely navigate the grid by relying on or challenging community-placed danger flags
• After completing the grid, players choose to be an "Angel" (accurately flagging the mine) or a "Devil" (intentionally misleading others)
• A dynamic scoring system rewards strategic play: a. Angels gain 5 points for safe grid completion b. Devils gain 2 points when a mine detonates c. Devils also gain 5 points if a player joins their team through deception

How I built it

The game was developed as a platform that:

• Most of the game is built on devvit blocks.
• The help form is made using webviews.
• Data is stored in redis storage.
• More details can be found at - https://github.com/gawdam/minesweeper-app

Challenges I ran into

• Designing a balanced scoring system that encourages both cooperation and strategic deception
• Creating a user interface that clearly communicates game mechanics
• Developing a system to prevent repeated exploitation of the game's mechanics

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

• Creating a unique social experiment that goes beyond traditional gaming
• Developing a platform that encourages critical thinking and strategic decision-making
• Building a community-driven game that adapts and evolves based on player interactions
• Designing a simple yet profound mechanism to explore trust and deception

What I learned

• The complexity of human decision-making under uncertainty
• How small game design choices can significantly impact player behavior
• The importance of creating flexible, adaptive game mechanics

What's next for Angels vs Devils

• Experimenting with different grid sizes to modify complexity
• Refining the scoring system based on community feedback
• Implementing advanced analytics to track and visualize player behaviors
• Adding more layers of strategy and interaction
• Exploring potential educational and research applications of the game's core mechanics

Built With

• devvit
• redis