Before the class, I did particularly think about game design or game play at all. I understood that games required thought and narrative as most of the games that I have played had these elements and these were the things that I appreciated most. However, I did not care to think that the design methods that I had previously learned could be applied to this class in the way that they were. It was interesting getting to use these ideas and create from them in a way that we were not used to. Game design has really flown into my radar of activities I may pursue during my freetime.
One of the major course concepts that stuck out to me during my time taking this class was what we learned about puzzles, specifically, how to modify them. The concept caught my interest because it felt like something that I had known already, yet the information still felt fresh. I didn’t realize how modifying a puzzle enhances the player’s ability to solve it. The modification process came in handy during the development of Dreamscape where we included two puzzles that were modified by the other portions of the designs that we included in the game.
During the class the main challenge that I faced was being creative with the ways that we were designing our game. Although our game narrative and concept were creative within themselves, it was difficult to find ways to make the mechanics of the game original yet understandable for the player. A specific moment where this was an issue was trying to help the player find the entrance to the maze within our game. How would we do this without making it seem too obvious but also fit the aesthetic of the game? In the end I played with shapes and ended with a floating spinning cube that I believe got the job done.
I think this class showed me the potential that I have. At the beginning, I was a bit intimidated by the contents of the class as well as the idea of creating a video game. However, once I began to work on it, I couldn’t stop. I loved opening up Godot and being able to see the game come to life right before my eyes. With enough time I began to grow confident in myself and the fear that I had at the beginning of the class fully exited my body.
Next time, I hope to push my ideas even further. I believe that the timing and pace of the quarter did not allow me to fully flesh out my ideas and I would love to have the opportunity to do so. I want to push myself to learn how to use the platform more effectively as well as learn other software too that might help me create the games that I wish to.
