Level One Guidelines
Level One Gaming League has adhered to the same general process since its beginning. Below you will find a description of the procedures utilized each month for nominations by group members, the official selection of games, and the ultimate rating of works played and discussed by Level One.
Nominations and Selection – One video game and one tabletop game are selected for future play and discussion each month. Official selections for video games are determined from group nominations in the month prior to the month in which the game will be discussed. On the 15th of each month, the moderator will post a call for nominations on the group Facebook page. Each group member may submit one nomination through this post. The nomination window will close at approximately 10:00 PM, and after this the moderator will list all nominations submitted in a spreadsheet, numbered in the order in which the nominations were received. A random number generator (courtesy of random.org) will then be utilized to select one video game from the pool of nominations. The selected video game will be discussed throughout the following month as members experience it. All nominations which were not selected will be catalogued in the group archive.
The selection of a tabletop game for the following month will take place while the tabletop game for the current month is being played, following each monthly Chapter One meeting. Selection will be made by general group consensus rather than nomination and random drawing; however, in the event that a clear selection cannot be agreed upon, the winner(s) of the monthly tabletop game will make the final call as to the next month’s scheduled game.
Group members should remain open to experiencing games from a variety of genres. While members should generally attempt to nominate works that will provide a positive and/or meaningful experience for other group members, there are only limited restrictions placed on games that may be nominated, as follows:
- If possible, video games that are nominated should be available through more than one platform (for example, on PC and through PS4 or Xbox One; or, on Wii U, 3DS, and/or through emulators);
- While games from all eras may be nominated and celebrated, members should generally strive to nominate games that are readily available for a cost of approximately $20.00 or less; this may mean waiting a considerable period before nominating a AAA title listed for $60 at launch; and
- While there is no hard and fast rule regarding the “length” of games which may be selected, members should be conscientious of the time required to complete a game prior to nomination; if a member is planning to nominate a game of a considerable length, it is best to do so for a month which follows the selection of a shorter game; similarly, in the month following the selection of a longer game, it may be best to nominate a game which can be completed quickly.
Rating – The group rates each game using a five point scale, with half point intervals. On the last day of each month, the moderator will post a call for final ratings for video games from each member on the group Facebook page. Members may then submit a rating for the game until approximately 10:00 PM, at which time an average of all ratings submitted will be calculated in order to determine the final rating for each game. Members may also submit ratings earlier, throughout the discussion period, if they have completed the game or are confident that they have settled on a final opinion of the work.
Tabletop games will be rated at the end of the play session following each Chapter One meeting. The same methodology utilized for rating Chapter One book selections will be applied to the rating of tabletop games.