Before this class, I did not consider myself a gamer. I have always loved games; I grew up watching YouTubers like Markiplier and Jacksepticeye try new games, “borrowing” my brother’s Nintendo DS weekly to play Pokemon, and playing Minecraft with him and my sister on the weekends. My free time was spent playing Nerf wars with my friends down the street, reading, or playing online games like Roblox with my friends from school. Despite this, I still did not consider myself a gamer. In my young mind, calling yourself a gamer meant being a boy and playing games like Call of Duty or Halo, or being a cool girl who didn’t care what others thought of her (which I definitely was not), or being some other standard I could not attain. After this class, though, I can confidently say I consider myself a gamer and my definition of the word is much less restrictive.
Throughout 247G, several concepts stuck with me. For example, I loved looking at games analytically that I would actually want to play after testing them, like Florence and What Remains of Edith Finch, in critical plays that were not just first-person shooters. These showed me the variety in what is considered a game and helped me think more creatively in the ideation process for P2. I also enjoyed learning about game architecture and the steps that go into making a game, which helped my team break up roles and responsibilities for our game Critter. In addition, it was valuable to hear Jeong’s lecture on the history of women in games and to read about gendered language in games to address my internalized hangups about gaming as a woman and discuss the future of gaming with others.
Implementing the concepts I learned into my work was rewarding; for example, I changed my P2 team’s onboarding level to follow George Fan’s Plants vs. Zombies tips after completing the sketchnote assignment for that video. My team also learned how crucial the iterative design process was, as it allowed us to refine our puzzles and test if mechanics or narrative worked for players. I have appreciated the opportunity to apply the skills we are learning in class to actual game development and see the results.
Although my time in CS247G has been wonderful, the journey was not without its challenges. I often spent too much time perfecting sketchnotes, resulting in late submissions. Midway through the quarter, my laptop broke, which added significant stress. Balancing these hurdles with course demands was tough, but the support from my team was invaluable. Working on Critter was a highlight; our collaboration was smooth, and everyone contributed their strengths, making the project a success despite the challenges.
This experience has made me more confident as a designer and a gamer, helping me recognize that my unique perspective is as valuable as anyone else’s. Looking forward, I am excited to continue exploring game design. I plan to use my new problem-solving and collaboration skills to become a better designer and continue to improve. I am not sure if a career in game design is my path, but even if it is not I would love to keep making and playing games thanks to this class. Thank you to the teaching team for helping me become more comfortable with games!
