Coming into this class, I didn’t think of myself as a huge game person — while I was interested in what makes games fun and playable, I didn’t think of myself as someone who fit the ‘gamer boy who’s really interested in Call of Duty’ stereotype. My image of games was very binary: I thought that games could either be classic boardgames (Snakes and Ladders, Scrabble, Chess) or fighting video games (Call of Duty, Fortnite).
After the first couple of lectures, this perception changed pretty instantly, especially because we were playing several new games during breaks and during our critical plays. These experiences introduced me to a wide range of game types and opened my eyes to different game genres. I think it was interesting to go through the MDA and 8 types of fun reading, because it framed my perception of the structure and architecture of games. In both project 1 and project 2, it was helpful to isolate the types of elements in the game and the value that they add to the game.
Another class concept that really stuck with me was the ‘Play Like a Feminist’ reading, because it called in question the the demographic stereotypes that are associated with games. That article highlights the importance of diverse game creators that can represent the different identities of gamers — right now, games are represented by a single type of creator. We really tried to keep this reading in mind when we were designing our P2 — especially because our game was a dating simulator.
My biggest takeaway from this class was the importance of playtesting in designing games. When we were playtesting for project 1, I found it difficult to iterate so many times with diverse pieces of feedback. Slowly though, I realized that since we’re designing games for an audience that doesn’t just include us, it’s important to understand what elements of our game is actually fun and what elements aren’t.
Overall, this class really helped me expand my view of games and what it means to be a game creator. Through valuable lessons and fun game sessions during class, I now have a changed perspective on what makes games valuable and also have a sustained interest in creating games.
