Genre Analysis: Boardgame Reviews. Literature & Language

Shitao Zhou
Jerrod Heiser
Ling 305
9/23/2018
Genre Analysis – Board game Manuals
Rhetorical Analysis:
Title: Candy Land
Creator: Hasbro
Date: 2004
Source: NA

Title: Sorry!
Author: Parker Brothers
Date: 1992
Source: NA

Genre: Board game manuals
Target Audience: Consumers looking to buy new board games; individuals looking for opinions about suitable board games based on the sociodemographic of the prospective players and the possible preferences
Purpose of Genre: To teach its users on how to play, including the rules of the games, how to win, and the different scoring processes.

Design:
Images, Illustrations, & Layout: Upon looking at both the designs, it is apparent that there is a significant difference between both of these manuals/instruction manuals. On the one hand, the manual for Candy Land is filled with pictures (black-and-white). Each picture depicts characters which have ‘friendly’ appearances and are scattered at every part of the instructions manual. However, the most obvious illustration could be seen on the top-left of the manual, where Candy Land’s logo is designed to look like sugar roll candies and gingerbread men. Candy Land manual’s layout is also divided into two sections, the left, and the right.
On the other hand, Sorry’s manual is rather plain and simplistic. It only has one illustration, and most of the designs could only be seen at the logo in the top and bottom portions of the document. While the instruction is also black-and-white just like that of Candy Land’s, a quick glance at the document would suggest that it was created at a much earlier period, due to its print and design. Lastly, the layout of the manual has only a single section, occupying the whole page. Thus, any reader who would like to read it would go top-down until the end of the document, as compared to the one previously mentioned.
Aside from this, another noticeable aspect of the design could be seen in the capitalization of certain words. In both the manuals the key terms were capitalized for the sake of emphasis, making it much easier to remember. Some examples of terms that were capitalized in Candy Land’s manual include (1) START, (2) PINK picture squares, (3) CANDY CANE/MR. MINT, etc. Similarly, Sorry’s manual has also stayed away from any terms that are not suited for children. It also capitalized terms which are useful throughout the game such as (1) START, (2) BUMP, (3) SAFETY ZONES, and (4) DRAW AGAIN.
Effect:
Since board games are designed to be fun and enticing, then manuals should also show the same characteristics. Although both of the manuals have exhibited a certain level of enticement, the greater the quantity of pictures and illustrations in Candy Land’s manual makes it much easier to read. By adding the dual-section layout of the document, it makes it less straining to the eyes. Moreover, considering that the target audience for these manuals/manual is kids (ages 6 and up – Sorry!; ages 3 and up – Candy Land), it becomes apparent that the design of Candy Land would more effectively produce a feeling of excitement for them. Lastly, the capitalization of certain terms helps em...