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The Mechanics of Magic

The Mechanics of Magic

Game Design Writings by Students at Stanford taking 247G and 377G

  • Library
    • CS247G Community Game Design Resources
    • Game Design Resources
    • Graphic Design for Game Designers
    • Graphic Design Resources
    • Chapter 11 from Game Balance
  • Read Write Play
    • Hollow Knight: RWP 4 2023
    • Mystic Messenger: RWP 6 2023
    • Undertale: RWP 3 2023
    • What Remains of Edith Finch: RWP 5 2023
    • Catan: RWP1 2023
    • 80 Days: RWP 2 2023
  • 247G Syllabus
    • The Formal Elements of Game Design
    • Design for Play | Week One | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week One | Lecture B
    • Design for Play | Week Two | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week Two | Lecture B
    • Design for Play | Week Three | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week Three | Lecture B
    • Design For Play | Week Four | Section A
    • Design For Play | Week Four | Section B
    • Design for Play | Week Five | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 5 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 6 | Class A (no class)
    • Design for Play | Week 6 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 7 | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 7 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 8 | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 8 | Lecture B
  • Serious Play Study Group Overview
    • Study Group Week by Week Breakdown
      • Formal Elements of Games
      • Final Reflection Essay
    • [Optional Material] What is fun?
    • Project 1: Those Who Play, Teach
      • READING Visual Design of Board Games
      • Pitch Your Teaching Game
      • Sketchnote: Playtesting Boardgames
      • Sketchnote: Erin Hoffman // Wind, Not Sand: Mapping Dynamic Emotion Across a Product Landscape
      • SketchNote: MDAO
      • Critical Play: Write up your game of FLUXX
      • [Optional Material] Playtesting
      • OPTIONAL Board Game Usability
    • P2: The Future We Deserve
      • Critical Play: A Mechanic and a Story to Tell
      • Interactive Fiction: Tiny Playable Prototype
      • Introducing Interactive Fiction
      • Map and Premise
      • Critical Play: Story AND Storytelling games
      • Essay or Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters
      • Sketchnote: Art of game design- Story
      • [Optional Material] Emergence and Progression
      • Essay or Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters
      • Project 2 Reflection Essay
      • Share what you Learned: Writing Excuses Podcast
      • Values at Play & P2 Peer Grading
    • P3: The Game of Unexpected Consequences
      • P3 Concept Doc
      • Playable prototype
      • Working With System Dynamics (mindmap the reading, apply it to your game)
      • Mapping Systems
      • Sketchnote/Response for Rules & Tutorials
      • Project 3 Check-in
      • Project 3 Reflection Essay
    • P4: Refine a game
      • Sketchnote/Response for Playtesting with Strangers
      • Read: Mechanic is the Magic
  • On Sketchnotes
  • Printing at Stanford

Month: June 2024

Final Class Reflection

June 9, 2024

I really, really enjoyed this class. I have always been interested in games – I played a lot of games like Stardew Valley or…

Sketchnote: Addiction by Design – Houston Taylor

June 9, 2024

Houston_Taylor_SketchnoteAddiction

P2: Outer Plates

June 9, 2024

How To Play Play Outer Plates on itch.io at the following link: https://alexander-worley.itch.io/outer-plates. Enjoy your galactic adventure! Artist’s Statement Outer Plates is the ultimate…

CS247G: Downtown

June 9, 2024

DOWNTOWN (Formerly Wingstop) Team: Anna G., Atman J. Cyan D., Dia C. Artist Statement In creating Downtown, we decided to take on our own…

Labyrinth—P2 Team10

June 8, 2024

Team 10: Eugene Hong, Sofia Kim, Butch Nasser, Jennifer Quach, Valerie Tang Artist’s Statement You’ve awoken in a dark maze with no idea who…

P2: Hangover: The Game

June 8, 2024

Team 8: Rachel Liu, Paige Olson, Naima Patel, Julia Rhee, and Parthav Shergill

P2 – Rooted (Team 17)

June 8, 2024

Team 17: Kongmeng Her, Cameron Mohne, Xinyi Wang, Phuc Tran, Jenny Mai Artist’s Statement  “Rooted” is a 2D platformer game where we delve into…

P2: Qrow, Team 21

June 8, 2024

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QP-TEDO4s3i3OuJo3_gA97SlnTbt97xpBiOLODZMMdU/edit

Project 2: Level Design and Architecture [Echoes of the Bay – Group 9]

June 8, 2024

Our group’s submission is on Google Docs. It’s set so that anyone with a Stanford account can comment/access. We have a lot of images and…

CS 247G: Final Class Reflection (Jailia Y)

June 8, 2024

Taking CS 247G has not only deepened my understanding of play and game design but also sparked a genuine enjoyment of play that I…

P2 – Unveiling Souls – Team 4

June 8, 2024

By Mohamed Musa, Steven Le, Krystal Li, Bessie Zhang CS 247G — P2-4 Game Link: https://cs247g-scavenger-hunt.vercel.app/ Google Drive Link to Playtest Images & Videos…

P2 Team 16: Critter

June 8, 2024

created by Team 16: Nils Forstall, Lucien Lasseau, Ngoc Tran, Houston Taylor, and Lucas Wang ✧₊∘ Artist’s Statement ∘₊✧ There used to be more…

P2 – The Missing Ring, Team 13

June 8, 2024

The Missing Ring Builds: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zyJtEgjXOrs2VxDw_i4sJBGDP94rYlrQ?usp=sharing  Game Walkthrough: https://youtu.be/c4zzk4s4GN0  Scope: MVP Architecture: Narrative Architecture & Spatial Architecture Artist Statement Our intention for this game is…

Final Class Reflection

June 8, 2024

Before diving into CS247G, my understanding of game design was pretty straightforward—centered on basic mechanics and the pursuit of entertainment. However, the course unveiled…

Flatline P2 Final Report

June 8, 2024

Flatline – Final Report For grading purposes, we would like to be evaluated on Level Design and Narrative Architecture. Game Link: https://b-salt.itch.io/flatline-demo Google Drive…

P2: A New Job

June 8, 2024

P2 Writeup: A New Job Ayana Griffin, Angela Wei, Miranda Liu, Regina Sevilla Artist Statement “A New Job” is a narrative-driven game which, at…

Final Class Reflection

June 8, 2024

Before taking CS 247G, I have always thought of games as a way to kill time. I rarely played video games, thinking that I…

Final Reflection

June 8, 2024

CS247G was such an incredible, and interactive experience that taught me how to apply design principles in a really fun practical domain! Before entering…

Final Class Reflection

June 8, 2024

Before this class, I only thought about game design through the lens of a player. I only thought about how I felt while playing,…

P2-20: Cardinal Conquest!

June 8, 2024

P2-20: Cardinal Conquest By Abhi Desai, Brendan Reeves, Luke Mann, Noah Wong (in alphabetical order) CS 247G — P2-20 Link to Game: https://github.com/abhidesai12/Cardinal-Conquest  (follow…

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Welcome to the Stanford HCI Game Design Blog.

Currently this blog holds two formal classes being taught by Christina Wodtke as well as Independent Study Work. In winter of 2022, cs377g was cancelled because of covid-19 uncertainty, and became a study group. You can follow along by looking at the SGSG syllabus and weekly break down.

CS 247G: Design for Play(SYMSYS 195G)

A project-based course that builds on the introduction to design in CS147 by focusing on advanced methods and tools for research, prototyping, and user interface design. Studio based format with intensive coaching and iteration to prepare students for tackling real world design problems. This course takes place entirely in studios; please plan on attending every studio to take this class. The focus of CS247g is an introduction to theory and practice of the design of games. We will make digital and paper games, do rapid iteration and run user research studies appropriate to game design. This class has multiple short projects, allowing us to cover a variety of genres, from narrative to pure strategy. Prerequisites: 147 or equivalent background.

CS 377G: Designing Serious Games

Over the last few years we have seen the rise of "serious games" to promote understanding of complex social and ecological challenges, and to create passion for solving them. This project-based course provides an introduction to game design principals while applying them to games that teach. Run as a hands-on studio class, students will design and prototype games for social change and civic engagement. We will learn the fundamentals of games design via lecture and extensive reading in order to make effective games to explore issues facing society today. The course culminates in an end-of- quarter open house to showcase our games. Prerequisite: CS147 or equivalent. 247G recommended, but not required.

SGSG: Serious Games Study Group

  • Library
    • CS247G Community Game Design Resources
    • Game Design Resources
    • Graphic Design for Game Designers
    • Graphic Design Resources
    • Chapter 11 from Game Balance
  • Read Write Play
    • Hollow Knight: RWP 4 2023
    • Mystic Messenger: RWP 6 2023
    • Undertale: RWP 3 2023
    • What Remains of Edith Finch: RWP 5 2023
    • Catan: RWP1 2023
    • 80 Days: RWP 2 2023
  • 247G Syllabus
    • The Formal Elements of Game Design
    • Design for Play | Week One | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week One | Lecture B
    • Design for Play | Week Two | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week Two | Lecture B
    • Design for Play | Week Three | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week Three | Lecture B
    • Design For Play | Week Four | Section A
    • Design For Play | Week Four | Section B
    • Design for Play | Week Five | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 5 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 6 | Class A (no class)
    • Design for Play | Week 6 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 7 | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 7 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 8 | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 8 | Lecture B
  • Serious Play Study Group Overview
    • Study Group Week by Week Breakdown
      • Formal Elements of Games
      • Final Reflection Essay
    • [Optional Material] What is fun?
    • Project 1: Those Who Play, Teach
      • READING Visual Design of Board Games
      • Pitch Your Teaching Game
      • Sketchnote: Playtesting Boardgames
      • Sketchnote: Erin Hoffman // Wind, Not Sand: Mapping Dynamic Emotion Across a Product Landscape
      • SketchNote: MDAO
      • Critical Play: Write up your game of FLUXX
      • [Optional Material] Playtesting
      • OPTIONAL Board Game Usability
    • P2: The Future We Deserve
      • Critical Play: A Mechanic and a Story to Tell
      • Interactive Fiction: Tiny Playable Prototype
      • Introducing Interactive Fiction
      • Map and Premise
      • Critical Play: Story AND Storytelling games
      • Essay or Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters
      • Sketchnote: Art of game design- Story
      • [Optional Material] Emergence and Progression
      • Essay or Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters
      • Project 2 Reflection Essay
      • Share what you Learned: Writing Excuses Podcast
      • Values at Play & P2 Peer Grading
    • P3: The Game of Unexpected Consequences
      • P3 Concept Doc
      • Playable prototype
      • Working With System Dynamics (mindmap the reading, apply it to your game)
      • Mapping Systems
      • Sketchnote/Response for Rules & Tutorials
      • Project 3 Check-in
      • Project 3 Reflection Essay
    • P4: Refine a game
      • Sketchnote/Response for Playtesting with Strangers
      • Read: Mechanic is the Magic
  • On Sketchnotes
  • Printing at Stanford

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Categories

  • P2: The Empathy Machine
  • Featured
  • Project One
  • milestone
  • P2: The Future We Deserve
  • mindmap
  • P1: Social Games
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  • Assignments
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  • Project Four REFINE
  • P4: Refine a Game
  • Sketchnotes
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  • Project Three: The Game of Unexpected Consequences
  • ReadWritePlay
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  • SGSG

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