Video games have been a part of my childhood ever since I received a hand-me-down Gameboy and Pokemon Blue cartridge from my older cousins at the age of five. From then until high school, I transitioned from various Nintendo consoles and titles to competitive team-based PC games. I remember my first dream job was to be a game tester so I could fill my days playing video games. As I’ve gotten older, my fiery passion for gaming cooled as I’ve found myself busier and captivated by other pursuits. But when I came across this class when picking my schedule, I felt a sudden sense of nostalgia – I imagined how excited my middle school self would’ve been. I knew I had to give CS247G a shot, and I am very glad that I did so.
Before enrolling in CS247G, I never learned to think critically about the games I’ve played, and my understanding of game design was rudimentary. Venturing into game design was akin to stepping into a whole new realm filled with fascinating potential. Throughout the course, I learned the multifaceted process of game design and development. From conceptualizing and refining our game ideas to implementing them in a game engine, and finally witnessing players interact with our creation was an extremely rewarding experience. Several course concepts profoundly impacted my game development approach, namely the lectures on integrating narrative, puzzles, and game balancing. I kept these concepts in mind while designing the puzzle levels for our group’s final project. For example, I made sure that each level was motivated by the game’s overall narrative, teaches the player a new mechanic, has multiple solutions, and increases in difficulty – hard enough to give the player a sense of reward while not being so challenging to the point of frustration.
The journey of creating a game, though fulfilling, was not devoid of challenges. A lot of time and resources are needed to create a successful game from scratch. This includes learning new engines, heavy coding, creating art and music, etc. Furthermore, working in a team setting may bring its own set of hurdles, such as the need to negotiate ideas, defend perspectives, and iterate based on input from others. These challenges, however, proved to be catalysts for growth. In the end we became better coders, designers, and teammates.
Overall, CS247G was a transformative journey into the realm of game development, reshaping my approach to games and providing me with invaluable skills and insights for future projects. It’s safe to say that this was one of the most fun classes I’ve ever taken at Stanford 🙂
