I made my first game with my sister when we were about 8 years old. At the time, we were obsessed with riddles and puzzles. As part of our play, we made scavenger hunts for each other, writing notes in small capsules scattered across the house. The hints we left weren’t always clear, and we often had to clarify what we wrote and actively lead each other to the solutions. Even though the quality of our game wasn’t the most refined, we had fun designing, imagining, and creating these adventures.
Before this class, I hadn’t made a game since. Growing up meant forgetting “childish” interests and passions in favor of more “responsible” pursuits. This class has reignited my excitement and joy for games through class activities, lectures, and playtesting.
The weekly sketch notes and critical plays allowed me to develop a more nuanced and personal understanding of game design concepts. I enjoyed the sketch note challenges that pushed me to represent these ideas in new and creative ways. Not many classes allowed me to practice my visual thinking, but sketch notes helped me practice my communication and visual design. Critical plays taught me to think more deeply about the design of games and what really makes a game fun. I explored a lot of new games that I would never have found otherwise, and I discovered a few new favorites (like What Remains of Edith Finch). During academic quarters I rarely have time to play games, but doing them for classes reminded me of the joy they add to my life.
I also learned of the importance of iterative work and playtesting. I learned how to interpret feedback from playtesters, including reading their body language and listening to what they left unsaid. One of my most important lessons was learning which feedback to incorporate. During Project 1 (P1), our team initially tried to use every piece of feedback without much filtering. However, we quickly discovered that players can provide contradictory feedback and that sometimes it’s okay to disagree with a playtester. Despite the fast turnaround time, especially for Project 2 (P2), I learned to efficiently prototype and refine our ideas. I gained skills in quick iteration and not getting attached to an idea. I finally learned how to use Unity (after I’d been telling myself to learn it for years), and it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be.
While I don’t intend to pursue a career in the game industry, this class has shown me that I can still enjoy making games as a hobby. I’ve learned a lot about how to design games intentionally, which has reignited my excitement and joy in creating things for others. I’ll be visiting my sister this summer, and I’m planning on creating a game for her like I did when we were younger.
