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The Mechanics of Magic

The Mechanics of Magic

Game Design Writings by Students at Stanford taking 247G and 377G

  • 247G Syllabus
    • Design for Play | Week One | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week One | Lecture B
    • Design for Play | Week Two | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week Two | Lecture B
    • Design for Play | Week Three | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week Three | Lecture B
    • Design For Play | Week Four | Section A
    • Design For Play | Week Four | Section B
    • Design for Play | Week Five | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 5 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 6 | Class A (no class)
    • Design for Play | Week 6 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 7 | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 7 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 8 | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 8 | Lecture B
  • Serious Play Study Group Overview
    • Study Group Week by Week Breakdown
      • Formal Elements of Games
      • Final Reflection Essay
    • [Optional Material] What is fun?
    • Project 1: Those Who Play, Teach
      • READING Visual Design of Board Games
      • Pitch Your Teaching Game
      • Sketchnote: Playtesting Boardgames
      • Sketchnote: Erin Hoffman // Wind, Not Sand: Mapping Dynamic Emotion Across a Product Landscape
      • SketchNote: MDAO
      • Critical Play: Write up your game of FLUXX
      • [Optional Material] Playtesting
      • OPTIONAL Board Game Usability
    • P2: The Future We Deserve
      • Critical Play: A Mechanic and a Story to Tell
      • Interactive Fiction: Tiny Playable Prototype
      • Introducing Interactive Fiction
      • Map and Premise
      • Critical Play: Story AND Storytelling games
      • Essay or Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters
      • Sketchnote: Art of game design- Story
      • [Optional Material] Emergence and Progression
      • Essay or Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters
      • Project 2 Reflection Essay
      • Share what you Learned: Writing Excuses Podcast
      • Values at Play & P2 Peer Grading
    • P3: The Game of Unexpected Consequences
      • P3 Concept Doc
      • Playable prototype
      • Working With System Dynamics (mindmap the reading, apply it to your game)
      • Mapping Systems
      • Sketchnote/Response for Rules & Tutorials
      • Project 3 Check-in
      • Project 3 Reflection Essay
    • P4: Refine a game
      • Sketchnote/Response for Playtesting with Strangers
      • Read: Mechanic is the Magic
  • The How and Why of Sketchnotes
  • Graphic Design Resources

Month: March 2022

Introduction — Jasmine Steele

March 31, 2022

Hi everyone! I’m Jasmine and I’m a senior majoring in CS (HCI track). My favorite game of all time has got to be either…

say “hi Labib” when you see me :)

March 31, 2022

Hi, I am Labib (he/him). Last year, I fractured my hand playing tennis…in VR. I have many favorite games but the longstanding favorites are…

Introduction – Allie Littleton

March 31, 2022

Hi everyone! My name is Allie, and I use She/Her pronouns. My favorite game of all time is either Clue or Taboo. I recently…

Introduction – Nicholas Bui

March 31, 2022

Heyo, I’m Nicholas (he/him). My favorite game of all time would probably Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales. I played this excessively as a kid…

Sketchnote: What Games Are and Aren’t

March 31, 2022

2022-03-31 21-14

mincraft pandas

Introduction — Carmen Gutierrez

March 31, 2022

Hi! I’m Carmen, and I use she/her pronouns. My favorite game of all time is probably Minecraft, but I enjoy lots of multiplayer games…

Yugioh

Introduction – David Guo

March 31, 2022

Hi, my name is David (he/him). Super excited to be taking 247G this quarter! Favorite game of all time has to be Yugioh. Loved…

Introduction – Gustavo Vegas

March 31, 2022

Hi everyone! My name is Gustavo Vegas. I go by He/Him pronouns. My favorite game of all time is Minecraft. A recent game I…

Introduction- Michael Matias

March 31, 2022

Hey everyone, I’m Michael Matias (he/him) from Tel Aviv, Israel. I was previously an Officer in the IDF and spent several years as a…

Introduction- Rickenson Robert

March 31, 2022

Hey everyone, my name is Rickenson but I go by Rick. I use he/him pronouns. My favorite game of all time is basketball. I…

Introduction – Zakria Suhail

March 31, 2022

Hello everyone! I am Zakria (He/Him). I am a Junior majoring in CS. While I don’t have an all-time favorite game, I have spent…

Introduction – Francesca Bottazzini

March 31, 2022

Hi everyone! I am Francesca (she/her), a junior double majoring in Computer Science and Psychology. My favorite game of all time is Truco, an…

Introduction – Connor Hogan

March 31, 2022

Hi everyone! My name is Connor Hogan, and I use he/him pronouns. My favorite game of all time is Legend of Zelda: Breath of…

Introduction – Tommy Tang

March 31, 2022

Hello everyone. My name is Tommy, and I use he/him pronouns. I am a second year MS CS student and worked at Activision as…

Introduction – Walker Stewart

March 31, 2022

Hi everyone, my name is Walker and I’m super excited to be in this class! My favorite game of all time is Catan because…

Introduction – Dilan Nana

March 31, 2022

Hi everyone 🙂 My name is Dilan (he/him). My favorite game, since I was 6 years old, has been Zoo Tycoon and all of…

Introduction – Rita Tlemcani

March 31, 2022

Hi everyone! I’m Rita, I use She/Her pronouns, and I’m a senior/coterm studying CS and AI. My favorite game of all time is Super…

Introduction – Cole Sohn

March 31, 2022

Hello! I’m Cole. My pronouns are He/Him. My favourite game of all time is Zelda Breath of the Wild. A game I played recently…

Introduction – Alahji Barry

March 31, 2022

What’s up Everyone! My name is Alahji Barry (he/him). I am currently a junior studying CS, and I’m from Atlanta, Georgia. My favorite game…

Intro – Ruslan

March 31, 2022

Hello everyone! 👋 I am Ruslan (He/Him) and I definitely did NOT completely forget about this assignment. I’d say my favorite game is roshambo (Rock…

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Welcome to the Stanford HCI Game Design Blog.

Currently this blog holds two formal classes being taught by Christina Wodtke as well as Independent Study Work. In winter of 2022, cs377g was cancelled because of covid-19 uncertainty, and became a study group. You can follow along by looking at the SGSG syllabus and weekly break down.

CS 247G: Design for Play(SYMSYS 195G)

A project-based course that builds on the introduction to design in CS147 by focusing on advanced methods and tools for research, prototyping, and user interface design. Studio based format with intensive coaching and iteration to prepare students for tackling real world design problems. This course takes place entirely in studios; please plan on attending every studio to take this class. The focus of CS247g is an introduction to theory and practice of the design of games. We will make digital and paper games, do rapid iteration and run user research studies appropriate to game design. This class has multiple short projects, allowing us to cover a variety of genres, from narrative to pure strategy. Prerequisites: 147 or equivalent background.

CS 377G: Designing Serious Games

Over the last few years we have seen the rise of "serious games" to promote understanding of complex social and ecological challenges, and to create passion for solving them. This project-based course provides an introduction to game design principals while applying them to games that teach. Run as a hands-on studio class, students will design and prototype games for social change and civic engagement. We will learn the fundamentals of games design via lecture and extensive reading in order to make effective games to explore issues facing society today. The course culminates in an end-of- quarter open house to showcase our games. Prerequisite: CS147 or equivalent. 247G recommended, but not required.

SGSG: Serious Games Study Group

  • 247G Syllabus
    • Design for Play | Week One | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week One | Lecture B
    • Design for Play | Week Two | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week Two | Lecture B
    • Design for Play | Week Three | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week Three | Lecture B
    • Design For Play | Week Four | Section A
    • Design For Play | Week Four | Section B
    • Design for Play | Week Five | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 5 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 6 | Class A (no class)
    • Design for Play | Week 6 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 7 | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 7 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 8 | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 8 | Lecture B
  • Serious Play Study Group Overview
    • Study Group Week by Week Breakdown
      • Formal Elements of Games
      • Final Reflection Essay
    • [Optional Material] What is fun?
    • Project 1: Those Who Play, Teach
      • READING Visual Design of Board Games
      • Pitch Your Teaching Game
      • Sketchnote: Playtesting Boardgames
      • Sketchnote: Erin Hoffman // Wind, Not Sand: Mapping Dynamic Emotion Across a Product Landscape
      • SketchNote: MDAO
      • Critical Play: Write up your game of FLUXX
      • [Optional Material] Playtesting
      • OPTIONAL Board Game Usability
    • P2: The Future We Deserve
      • Critical Play: A Mechanic and a Story to Tell
      • Interactive Fiction: Tiny Playable Prototype
      • Introducing Interactive Fiction
      • Map and Premise
      • Critical Play: Story AND Storytelling games
      • Essay or Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters
      • Sketchnote: Art of game design- Story
      • [Optional Material] Emergence and Progression
      • Essay or Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters
      • Project 2 Reflection Essay
      • Share what you Learned: Writing Excuses Podcast
      • Values at Play & P2 Peer Grading
    • P3: The Game of Unexpected Consequences
      • P3 Concept Doc
      • Playable prototype
      • Working With System Dynamics (mindmap the reading, apply it to your game)
      • Mapping Systems
      • Sketchnote/Response for Rules & Tutorials
      • Project 3 Check-in
      • Project 3 Reflection Essay
    • P4: Refine a game
      • Sketchnote/Response for Playtesting with Strangers
      • Read: Mechanic is the Magic
  • The How and Why of Sketchnotes
  • Graphic Design Resources

Archives

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  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • September 2020
  • February 2017

Recent Posts

  • Playtesting Alone! Sketchnotes
  • Solo Testing Sketchnote
  • Sketchnote: Playtesting Alone – Ji Hong Ni
  • Playtesting Alone Sketchnote
  • P1: Those Who Play, Teach – corporate vision

Recent Comments

  • sarakolb on Final Reflection Essay
  • sarakolb on P4: Refine a game
  • sarakolb on Project 3 Reflection Essay
  • sarakolb on P3: The Game of Unexpected Consequences
  • sarakolb on Create Project 4 Rubric

Categories

  • mindmap
  • CS247G
  • Project One
  • milestone
  • P2: Games In Space
  • Critical Play
  • Lectures
  • Sketchnotes
  • Project Two
  • From the Instructor
  • Project Four REFINE
  • Assignments
  • Project Two: The Future We Deserve
  • ReadWritePlay
  • Project Three: The Game of Unexpected Consequences
  • SGSG

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