Before the game, I think I took game design for granted. Surely there wasn’t a lot that went into it! People only play games just to have fun, so how could there be any strategy or formula? This might have been crazy as I considered myself an avid “gamer” of multiple genres, but I simply never put thought into thinking about the logistics behind them. However, as I took this class, I really enjoyed learning about the rules behind game design, something that might not seem as interesting as simply playing the games. I loved boiling down vastly different games to the same formal elements and seeing shared mechanics in different games. As I played new games for each week’s critical play and on my own spare time, I found myself automatically analyzing the gameplay, looking for the things we learned in class. I think my favorite part of this class has been the nostalgia. I have remembered games I used to play in my childhood that I haven’t thought about it many years. Playing games was an integral part of my childhood and of the formation of my personality.
I think the main challenge for me while taking this course is also what makes it such a valuable class – that is to say, it involves a lot of hard work, time, effort, thought, and emotional investment. I struggled with taking 20 units of work-intensive classes this quarter, and it reflected in my experience in this class. I really wanted to spend more time investing thought and intentionality into my games, and often felt dissatisfied with my contributions as I had to trade quality for simply getting work in. However, I think this challenge helped me grow in learning how to invest my time and how to be a good communicator with my group members. I hope to take these skills with me into the future.
Next time, I think I will take the lesson of not biting off more than I can chew with workloads, and focus on investing more quality into my work as opposed to quantity. I want to work on being intentional with al the work that I create. My love of games has also been reinvigorated – I want to not lose the love of play, no matter what.
