I want to start off by saying that CS247G has been one of my favorite classes at Stanford! I had so much fun going to class and working on the projects and felt like I was really enjoying my experience as I moved through the class (which is a difficult thing to do sometimes). Coming into the course, I was very nervous because I had never really been a “gamer.” For the most part, my brother was the only person in our family who had been introduced to gaming and really had an experience in it at all, so I wasn’t sure that I would be cut out for the class. I had not played much of any video game besides Papa’s Freezeria in middle school and of course, the Wii and Nintendo DS when I was younger and much of any board game besides Jenga and Cards Against Humanity. What if I did not know enough about games to succeed? What if I felt alienated because I wasn’t really part of the gaming culture? What if I felt stupid trying to fit into gaming? As discussed in our feminist lecture, there were definitely some gender roles that played into these thoughts and my lack of exposure to gaming, but my experience was the exact opposite of the worries that I had. The class has felt extremely welcoming and has shown me that there is more to gaming beyond the stereotypical “bro-ey” atmosphere. I felt especially comfortable because so many of the TAs were women and I was definitely inspired by Christina who shows that women can and should be involved in gaming! The classes were funny and very immersive in showing the concepts that were being taught which I felt really augmented my learning experience.
I had never really thought of games as design before the class, they were more like fun black boxes, but I now understand how much intentionality and careful design goes on behind the scenes to make them enjoyable and intriguing. I now have the MDA framework memorized and think of it whenever I am playing a game, trying to figure out what the game designer aimed for me to experience and how (i.e. what types of fun they were aiming for and what mechanics they used to try and achieve it). I feel that I am running through a mini critical play with every game that I experience. Something else that also stuck with me were the lectures regarding the creation of a specific atmosphere for your designs which is composed of a mix of the art, the color scheme, the controls, the music, the narrative format, and the tutorials, something that expands beyond just gaming and which I will take with me throughout my design career. I feel that this class really made me much better at focusing on a user’s emotional experience when interacting with something beyond just designing something “efficient” or “functional” which I will continue to place an emphasis on as I continue to design more games (I hope to take CS377G)! During the projects, I was constantly pushed to ask myself: What do I want players to feel? How can I evoke an emotional response to the components of my game? How can I make sure that people are having fun? This is also where the most challenges arose because it is very difficult to accurately predict how others will react to your ideas, but playtesting was an amazing skill that really taught the importance of quick and continuous testing and iteration.
I am going to miss this class fall quarter, but I am much more encouraged to get involved in gaming. I might buy myself a gaming console to keep in my room for next year (recommendations are very welcome) and I will definitely be involving myself in gaming much more, regardless of how intimidating the stereotypes (i.e. male-dominated atmosphere) might be! Thank you to the teaching team for a great and very encouraging experience, and for emphasizing how important gameplay is for a fun, joyful life. Also thank you to Nina for being the best and cutest classmate.
Best, Emily Macias
