Before this class I had very little knowledge or experience with playing games. I played board games and like most kids, had a phase where I was addicted to Wii, but the games never stuck with me. Maybe it was because video games were stereotyped as a “little boy activity” that I stopped, I don’t really remember the reason.
I chose to play this class not because of my love for games, or creating games, but because I wanted to learn how to design for play. I’ve always loved creating cutesy designs and making people happy with my work. I didn’t know anything about game design, but after taking this class, I feel like this could be a field I could pursue. My last project was a digital game, and while I was unable to code, I discovered a passion for designing the little pixel characters of my game. I love telling stories through my work, and game design has become another source of mien to do that.
Learning about all the underlying techniques and patterns there are in game design was eye opening to me. It’s such a different perspective designing a game than playing it. I never thought of all the thought that goes into embedding a narrative in a game, or the importance of creating the perfect balance of competition. One assignment that stuck to me was creating the sketchnote “addiction by design”. It was fascinating to understand the illusion of gambling… how games utilize the concept of near-misses to create addiction. Working on my first project vs my final project, I began to incorporate a lot more of these techniques within my final game. My group created a digital game based on the Incan gods, writing a spatial story where the ultimate goal is to collect powers and reach the top of Machu Picchu. The game is very challenging which makes it addicting, I was even getting frustrated playing it. For example, creating the option of a double jump but making the objective location a little bit higher, helps create addiction.
After reflecting on this class, I realized how I’ve become much more creative and open-minded with my newfound knowledge of game design. I remember when we were sitting and brainstorming game ideas during week 1. I could not come up with any ideas and stressed myself out over thinking of an original idea. However, I’ve realized throughout this quarter there are no limits to game design. A game can be completely unique even if it has the same rules of another game. There are so many aspects, techniques, loops, and arcs that come into play, that in the end it is impossible to create the same game as someone else. I hope one day that I will have the opportunity to create more games. I love design and while I have not yet decided how I want to apply my skills, this class has shown me that I have potential in the gaming industry. I have gladly realized that my passion for drawing cartoons can go somewhere, and I think it would be an insane experience to see my work in a video game.
