Prompt 5: Describe what kind of procedural rhetoric the mechanics convey.
In Nail It, the procedural rhetoric that the mechanics convey is a lot like actually striking a nail in reality. Throughout my college years, I’ve had to put together plenty of Ikea furnishings for myself, my siblings, and friends, and this game gives me the same feeling in a way. The win condition in Nail It is to strike each nail three times, where if the player misses a hammer strike, the player won’t satisfy the win condition and the game will reset. In a strange yet very relatable way, this mechanic of not wanting to miss a nail when striking the hammer is certainly conveyed in real life. I can’t even count the number of times I was hammering a nail in too quickly, only to bash the hammer head right on my thumb. And even though my thumb may be throbbing, the “game” of nailing furniture together isn’t over; I always had to get back in the saddle and hammer away until the furniture piece was finished. The game conveys the same rhetoric, where if the win condition isn’t satisfied, the game isn’t simply over. The player has to get back in the saddle and try once again. The only way to beat the game is to win, just like the only way to stop hammering in real life is to complete the nailing task at hand.
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Prompt 5: Describe what kind of procedural rhetoric the mechanics convey.
In Nail It, the procedural rhetoric that the mechanics convey is a lot like actually striking a nail in reality. Throughout my college years, I’ve had to put together plenty of Ikea furnishings for myself, my siblings, and friends, and this game gives me the same feeling in a way. The win condition in Nail It is to strike each nail three times, where if the player misses a hammer strike, the player won’t satisfy the win condition and the game will reset. In a strange yet very relatable way, this mechanic of not wanting to miss a nail when striking the hammer is certainly conveyed in real life. I can’t even count the number of times I was hammering a nail in too quickly, only to bash the hammer head right on my thumb. And even though my thumb may be throbbing, the “game” of nailing furniture together isn’t over; I always had to get back in the saddle and hammer away until the furniture piece was finished. The game conveys the same rhetoric, where if the win condition isn’t satisfied, the game isn’t simply over. The player has to get back in the saddle and try once again. The only way to beat the game is to win, just like the only way to stop hammering in real life is to complete the nailing task at hand.