Before this class, I had already begun exploring game design through several Stanford classes (Music 256A, CS 377G) and making my own observations while playing games. Though I did learn a lot about more formal components of game design in CS 247G, I think I learned more about myself, my strengths and weaknesses, and what I look for in team settings.
Through P1, I was able to lean more into a lighter “playfulness”. I realize my penchant for serious games, lore-heavy games, and games dripping with symbolism and discourse and intricate fan theory made me forget that games don’t always need to have some sort of grand, deep meaning. I don’t have to overanalyze every moment and thus force meaning onto things – sometimes (read: a lot of times) I just need to sit back and not think too hard and have a good time. So creating a social game and playing lots of games with others in class was a much-needed moment of centering that I needed.
I learned an immense amount through P2, which gave me a very intense, thorough exposure to what game design and development might look like in a team setting. One thing that I learned and struggled with was straddling the balance between “flare” and “focus”. Being on a team where everyone was brimming with ideas was so electrifying, but we had to learn to let go of many of our ideas. Feasibility and the excitement of ambitious ideas is a hard balance to strike, and one that requires compromise, patience, and humility.
And though the fact that team experiences are much more enjoyable when we all genuinely like and care for each other is obvious in theory, I think my P2 team was one of the few experiences where I truly felt it in practice – it was definitely one for the books. We were friends above all else, more than simply students on a project team. I looked forward to seeing my teammates all the time. The sheer amount of technical knowledge, artistry, eye for detail, alignment of values, and overall group chemistry made for an incredibly fulfilling experience. We inspired each other through our respective strengths and specializations, taught each other, built on each other, and grew together. I was able to learn something from everyone – aesthetic detail and visual design (Frankie), puzzle design and clever gimmicks (Anthony), narrative design and the discipline of documentation (Annabelle), tooling and foundational code structure before core development (Jonathan). Working on this project truly felt like play – I was just a content kid in a sandbox.
Outside of projects, I learned how to more critically analyze games. I still struggle with putting my thoughts into words when describing art. I can’t just wildly gesture at a game and say, “Look… just look at this beautiful thing”. This class gave me the tools and language I needed to add structure to my feelings when explaining them.
All in all, I regard CS 247G so warmly. I learned the importance of play, but how to anchor it with the discipline of organization and structure through thorough documentation and clean, foundational code. My team experiences went far beyond what I had hoped for, and my peers have shown me that I should aim to feel the same giddy excitement, inspiration, and eagerness with group interactions in the future.
So many thanks to Christina and the teaching staff for this class! I could not have asked for a better way to close out my Stanford career.
