The purpose of this document is to provide documentation by the game design team for the guidance of any mobile and back end developers in the development of requirements documents.
Squatchin' is a short, location-based social game designed to pull attention away from the phone and back into the surrounding environment.
The desired experience is not suspense, isolation, elimination, or compulsive play. It is a light social ritual that gives players a reason to notice a place, talk to other people, make small deductions, and leave with a positive impression of the venue and the people they met.
The game should feel like:
The application is a coordinator and guide. It should not become the main object of attention.
Squatchin' gives small groups a playful reason to explore a real place, notice details they would otherwise miss, and have low-pressure interactions with other people.
The game should not create:
The primary game surface is the venue, not the mobile screen.
Players should spend most of their time:
The phone should be used for short, purposeful moments:
No normal gameplay step should require sustained screen attention.
| Interaction Type | Target Screen Time |
|---|---|
| Read a prompt | Under 15 seconds |
| Confirm a location | Under 10 seconds |
| Exchange a claim | Under 20 seconds |
| Submit a guess | Under 15 seconds |
| Read an outcome | Under 20 seconds |
| Review end-of-game summary | Under 60 seconds |
The app should prefer:
Each game should make the venue more interesting than it would be without the game.
A player should leave able to say at least one of the following:
Game prompts should direct attention toward meaningful venue features, rather than arbitrary scavenger-hunt objects.
Social interaction is a desired outcome, but it must remain low-pressure and optional.
The game should create easy reasons to speak, without forcing intimacy, disclosure, flirtation, competition, or long conversations.
Good interactions include:
The game should not require:
The Hunter and Sasquatch structure should create playful uncertainty, not adversarial hostility.
A guess should feel like a small social reveal:
“I think I have figured you out.”
It should not feel like:
“I have defeated you.”
| Avoid | Prefer |
|---|---|
| Eliminated | Revealed, unmasked, discovered, completed |
| Lost | Missed, unresolved, not this time |
| Caught | Identified, recognized |
| Booted | Removed by moderator, safety exit |
| Failed | Attempt complete, clue missed, guess incorrect |
“Booted” should be reserved for moderator or safety intervention, not normal gameplay.
A correct guess should not automatically remove a player from the game.
Instead, a correct guess may:
This is particularly important in games with only three to five players. Elimination can quickly reduce social energy and make the remaining session less enjoyable.
The game should end before it becomes repetitive, tiring, or intrusive.
The desired final feeling is:
“That was enough. I would do that again.”
The game should provide an intentional, visible ending rather than quietly extending through notifications, random rewards, or escalating objectives.
| Attribute | Target |
|---|---|
| Total play time | 20 minutes |
| Minimum players | 3 |
| Preferred players | 4 |
| Maximum players | 5 |
| Number of active rounds | 2–3 |
| Round duration | 4–6 minutes |
| Total movement | Low to moderate |
| Typical walking distance | 150–500 meters total |
| Required pace | Normal walking pace |
| Phone attention | Brief, intermittent |
| Recommended replay cadence | Same day only if venue offers distinct content; otherwise return visit |
Movement should be low to moderate, venue-dependent, and always compatible with the venue’s normal use.
Players should never need to:
The joining process should make the game feel easy to try.
The player should understand within one minute:
The app should communicate:
At the first assigned location, the player should receive a simple action, not a large rules explanation.
Example:
Look for the display that tells you what this place was built to protect.
The first location should create quick confidence. It should be easy to find, visually distinct, and clearly connected to the venue.
The first round should not require:
Each round should follow a short rhythm:
The player should never feel as though they are merely waiting for a timer, staring at a map, or refreshing a feed.
A session should close with:
Example closure:
You completed the Museum Trail.
You correctly identified two players and uncovered three details about the building.
Your next visit can unlock the East Wing route.
The app should not immediately push another game, countdown, or scarcity-based offer.
These segments are behavioral, not merely demographic.
| Segment | Motivation | Desired Experience | Design Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curious Explorer | Wants a reason to look around | Discovery and novelty | Environmental prompts must be meaningful |
| Social Visitor | Wants an easy shared activity | Low-pressure connection | Conversation must be optional and natural |
| Local Regular | Wants to rediscover familiar places | New perspective and return value | Venue content must rotate |
| Companion Group | Wants something to do together | Shared memory without logistics | Setup must be fast and understandable |
| Solo Participant | Wants light social contact without commitment | Safe interaction and easy exit | No forced pairing or private disclosure |
| Parent or Family Group | Wants a contained activity | Safe, finite, venue-appropriate play | Requires age-appropriate mode and supervision rules |
The initial product should prioritize adults who are already visiting participating venues and want a short shared activity.
Likely early use cases include:
The first release should avoid trying to serve every audience at once.
Public game identity must help players recognize one another without creating pressure to disclose sensitive personal attributes.
The player should know, before joining, exactly which traits can become part of gameplay.
Use player-approved, visible, non-sensitive descriptors.
Examples may include:
The game should not require disclosure of:
The safest and most venue-adaptable option is to supplement or replace permanent appearance traits with venue-issued markers.
Examples:
This preserves the recognition mechanic without asking strangers to classify one another by personal characteristics.
A venue is a strong fit when it has:
| Venue Type | Movement Level | Prompt Style | Social Tone | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Museum or Gallery | Low | Artifacts, architecture, visual details, history | Quiet, reflective | No loud audio, no crowding, no touching exhibits |
| Retail Store | Low to moderate | Product stories, displays, store identity, hidden details | Casual, playful | Do not obstruct shoppers or handle merchandise improperly |
| Market or Food Hall | Moderate | Vendors, ingredients, signage, regional identity | Energetic, social | Avoid lines, food handling, or vendor disruption |
| Brewery, Café, or Social Venue | Low | Decor, menu stories, venue history, community details | Conversational | Respect age policies and table space |
| Outdoor Attraction | Moderate | Landmarks, paths, ecology, public art | Exploratory | Route safety, weather, mobility, daylight |
| Festival or Event | Low to moderate | Event programming, booths, performers, event identity | High-energy | Crowd management, staff coordination, timed access |
The same role structure may remain constant, but the meaning of “look,” “move,” “claim,” and “discover” must change by venue.
A museum game should reward quiet observation.
A retail game should reward noticing the store’s identity and product stories.
An outdoor game should reward navigation, landscape recognition, and environmental awareness.
A food hall game should reward discovery of vendors and local culture without pressuring purchases.
Hooks are the desired sources of engagement: the moments that stimulate a core human drive and make a player want to continue briefly or return later.
Hooks should be finite, transparent, venue-relevant, and self-limiting.
They should not rely on compulsive reinforcement, infinite progression, artificial scarcity, or punishment for stopping.
| Hook | Core Drive | How Squatchin' Uses It | Healthy Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curiosity | Desire to know | “What is hidden or meaningful here?” | One clear reveal per round |
| Discovery | Novelty and exploration | Find a detail most visitors overlook | Limited venue route |
| Competence | Satisfaction of figuring something out | Make a correct deduction from observations | Few guesses, visible rules |
| Recognition | Feeling seen and understood | Identify another player’s role or marker | No ranking based on popularity |
| Belonging | Shared experience | Participate in a short collective ritual | Optional interaction, no forced bonding |
| Place Attachment | Connection to a location | Learn one memorable thing about a venue | Content tied to real venue identity |
| Collection | Completion and return | Earn a token, stamp, or venue mark | Capped collection, no endless grind |
| Agency | Meaningful choice | Choose which clue, path, or social interaction to pursue | Choices should not punish players |
Every hook must be:
Release mechanics deliberately help players end or reduce play at a good point.
The purpose is not to lower engagement. It is to make engagement healthy, voluntary, and more likely to create a positive return visit.
The game should:
| Mechanism | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Fixed 20-minute session | Sets a predictable endpoint |
| Visible remaining time | Makes commitment clear |
| Session completion token | Rewards finishing without requiring replay |
| Graceful exit button | Lets player leave without explanation |
| Soft late-join mode | Allows joining without disrupting balance |
| Cooperative fallback | Keeps game enjoyable if player count falls below threshold |
| Venue handoff | Directs players to a natural next activity |
| Cooldown before replay | Discourages repetitive same-session play |
| No streaks or daily penalties | Removes absence anxiety |
| Post-game summary | Gives closure and a memorable takeaway |
A player may leave at any time.
The app should provide a clear option:
Leave this session
The player should not lose earned venue tokens or be shown punitive language.
| Active Players Remaining | Game Behavior |
|---|---|
| 5–4 | Continue normally |
| 3 | Continue with reduced role or clue rules |
| Fewer than 3 | Convert to short cooperative venue trail, then close session |
This avoids creating pressure to remain merely to preserve the experience for others.
The game should invite return through new venue content, not through artificial urgency.
Appropriate return prompts:
Inappropriate return prompts:
The player experience must include explicit safety expectations.
Players must be able to:
The game must not reward:
| Requirement | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Active-game screens must be brief and glanceable | The venue is the primary experience |
| Every round must contain a real-world observation prompt | Prevents the game from becoming abstract screen play |
| A player must be able to leave at any time | Reduces pressure and supports healthy use |
| Correct guesses should not ordinarily eliminate a player | Maintains social energy in small groups |
| Venue content must be specific to the location | Creates venue value and player discovery |
| Nearby interaction must be optional | Preserves comfort and consent |
| Personal identity must remain pseudonymous in-game | Protects privacy |
| Traits must be player-approved and non-sensitive | Supports inclusive participation |
| Sessions must have visible, fixed endpoints | Prevents endless play |
| Rewards must be capped and transparent | Avoids compulsive engagement loops |
| Games must support a three-player minimum | Matches intended group size |
| Games must gracefully degrade below three players | Prevents departure pressure |
| Venue operators must control safety boundaries | Keeps gameplay appropriate to place |
The product should be evaluated by experience quality, not only session volume.
| Metric | Desired Signal |
|---|---|
| Average active screen time | Low relative to session length |
| Average completed session duration | Near the intended 20 minutes |
| Voluntary early exit rate | Low, but not artificially suppressed |
| Player-reported venue discovery | High |
| Player-reported comfort and safety | High |
| Player-reported social comfort | High |
| Return intent | Positive, without urgency |
| Venue partner satisfaction | Positive |
| Staff disruption reports | Near zero |
| Repeat play within same session | Low to moderate, not compulsive |
| Repeat visits across separate days | Healthy evidence of venue value |
The following decisions should be resolved before detailed rules and mobile flows are finalized.
Squatchin' should feel less like a mobile game that happens to occur in a venue and more like a venue experience made possible by a small amount of mobile coordination.
The phone creates the occasion.
The place provides the content.
The people provide the story.
The game ends while the experience is still good.