To preface, I am not best person to reflect on what I learned in 247G since I missed a lot of what the course had to offer in spite of my many attempts to take this class. I would like to go through it again once I have more time and am in a better state to be honest. But regardless, I have enjoyed this year’s experience through the course. Before taking this class, game design was a somewhat idealized in my head as a cool skill to be able to pick up in the future since, if I enjoy playing games then maybe I’ll enjoy making them too (which yes, I do). But what stuck with me the most in the many times I’ve seen this class is how the act of play is such a strong motivator to keep moving forward. This desire for play drives us to both continue going through a touching narrative, a difficult boss, or a challenging puzzle. And in turn the reprieve, enjoyment, and satisfaction helps us to continue moving forward in life as well. It acts as a quick rest before overcoming a difficult assignment, a renewed outlook on a complex problem, or a reward to look forward to at the end of a long day.
I learned that yes code is a lot of making a video game and yes you need so much more than just coding knowledge to make a game (narrative writing will continue to be tough for me). Storytelling is something I hope to learn more about and implement in any future games I make. Considering each stone pedestal or tiny fish or wooden desk a player may interact with along way that have little to do with the core gameplay loop gave me a greater appreciation for how much time designers put into building their worlds and will forever make me stop and investigate every nook and cranny in other games I play. I want to respect all the worlds and stories people and put time into making because it only seems fair that appreciate what I am given as a player.
