Spellbound in 25 Words or Less
Interesting world. Transparent enough documentarianism, and I approve. What really got me is the bad game design behind your typical spelling bee. Grade: B
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Comments
What is it about the spelling bee that you find to be bad game design? I agree that it's not set up to be fun--and it may not even find the best speller--but I don't know enough about game design to know how one would go about improving it.
:)
Two main things:
(a) Each contestant has a different standard to meet in order to avoid elimination, because each must spell a different word.
(b) Every attempt is all-or-nothing; it's possible to be eliminated all at once.
A much better spelling contest would involve a list of X words, with each contestant having to spell all of them (and each contestant getting the same list), with some percentage advancing to further rounds, each of which would be more of the same (perhaps with words of increasing difficulty), until some small number of contestants remained. Perhaps the last 2-5 contestants would do sudden death rounds, per the traditional spelling bee. To add strategy and gamesmanship, perhaps each speller would have a number of free passes, which could be used to avoid having to spell a particular word. Saving these for late in the contest would be a strong move, as the words get harder, but that might prove to be a bad decision if you wind up not advancing because you tried to spell words you didn't know.
That makes a lot of sense. It actually makes me think of the way the crossword competition is run, with everyone doing crosswords simultaneously and the only "spectator" round being the last one. The strategy element of free passes is particularly interesting. The challenge would be how to keep it as a verbal contest. Headphones and/or isolation rooms, I suppose. Hmm!
I really like the ending of the Scripps Bee. Once there are only two kids left, they must misspell a word and their opponent must spell it correctly to eliminate them. If they get through all 25 super-mega-Elvis-challenge words they spring on them at the end (I forget the actual term for them), they can both win.
Great TV!
By the way, I recommend Akeelah and the Bee if you liked Spellbound. A little like a hackneyed Cinderella Story sports movie, but real-feeling characters and good story.
Actually, there is an aspect of your proposed solution in the current spelling bee set-up, where contestants who win their qualifying bees all take a written exam and only the top X% advance to the national "bee."