Before this class, I considered myself a pretty casual gamer in that I had played a lot of different types of video games, but I was never really one for game design. I think the last time that I had done anything even remotely approaching designing a game was some time during summer camp in elementary school. I honestly just consumed games casually without really thinking super hard about them.
However, throughout this class, I was forced to think critically about the games I played. Each week, I would play a game and had to think critically about the game mechanics and the dynamics they created between players. The critical plays also forced me to see how concepts we talked about in class, which before seemed very abstract and far away, were incorporated in concrete examples. For example,
One concept that stuck with me throughout the course was the ideas of MDA and the 8 types of fun. Though I of course implemented this analysis in every critical play I did, we also applied it to our own projects by using the aesthetics of fun to create an idea of the type of environment and atmosphere that we wanted our games to create. For example, with our project 2 game, we started by envisioning what type of fun we were looking for (narrative, discovery, and maybe a dash of challenge), and used that as a framework to shape the types of mechanics and interactions we included.
I also really enjoyed the reading on architecture in games and how architecture serves many different functions within games. It made me think back to past games I had played and how the architectural design helped not only contribute to the gameplay (as constraints, obstacles, exploration) etc, but also helped a certain atmosphere and feeling One game that game to mind was Pokemon– each city in Pokemon has a unique architectural style that sets the mood and feeling of the town, but also serves to differentiate it from others. For example, the tall skyscrapers and massive (and busy) streets of Castelia City were a very different type of feeling from the short, more rustic looking buildings in Opelucid City (at least in Pokemon White). This made me think about how we might use architecture within our own games to help create a sense of familiarity for users.
One challenge we faced over the course of the quarter was figuring out how to accept and deal with feedback. When making our game, we of course playtested with many different groups. However, this meant we got a lot of feedback and there were times when that feedback clashed with each other. Part of working through the design process was deciding what feedback we wanted to implement, and what feedback we’d have to put aside (either because of time, or because it didn’t align with our vision).
Throughout the course, I like to think I grew as a designer, but I feel my appreciation for games also grew. I got to step outside of my usual genres and games and play things I wasn’t familiar with, and I think as a result I’m more open to playing games that are outside my comfort zone.
I think it would be fun to continue working on the game we built this quarter, Daikon Kid goe! I honestly think that there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of use of space and how we can incorporate narrative into puzzles. Finally, the next time we , I want to try exploring different types of narratives and game mechanics.
