Components: Multiple ducks, hunting dog, score, shots, ducks remaining
Skills required / taught: Accuracy, quick reflexes
Object: Shoot all ducks before they fly away


About the Game
Duck Hunt is a video game for the Nintendo in which players shoot ducks on screen for points. The game was released in 1984 in Japan. The ducks appear one or two at a time, and the player is given three shots to shoot them down. Duck Hunt was one of the two original pack-in titles for the first release of the game system.

How it Works
The game has three modes: one-duck, two-duck, and a third mode called "clay pigeon shooting". The clay pigeons are much smaller than the ducks, and, in later rounds, require faster reaction time to shoot down than the ducks.

Throughout the game, the player is accompanied by a nameless dog. Before every level, the dog sniffs around a grassy area, then jumps into it barking excitedly when he smells ducks. After that, he either does one of two things for a player: retrieves the ducks a player shoots and congratulates them, or laughs at them for missing. Since then, the nameless dog has passed into video gaming folklore.


Thought Bubble
Consistent or Random - If you are creating different levels of your game you would most likely want each level to be consistent each time it was played. If your game does not have levels you might want the game to be different each time. Players expect level 1 of Super Mario Bros. to be the same each time they play it. Players expect a game of poker to be different each time its played.

Humor - In Duck Hunt the dog contributes nothing to the bottom line game play. However, the game wouldn't be the same without it. Consider congratulating your player for accomplishing a goal and possibly making a little fun if they fall short, there's nothing like a little extra insentive.