Before taking this class, I had a decent understanding of game design and was used to working on larger teams for extended projects. My prior experience taught me that good games take a long time to make—months or even years. I believed that any worthwhile project needed at least a month of work to reach something fun and playable. This class challenged that assumption in every way, forcing me to adapt to rapid prototyping and iterative processes with tight deadlines. Being tasked to create entirely new games every two weeks felt intimidating at first, but it quickly became one of the most valuable aspects of the course. It showed me how much could be achieved in a short period.
One of the most impactful parts of the course was the mandatory playing board games sessions during each class. This consistent exposure to a wide variety of games was one of the best forms of progress and feedback. Playing so many new games kept things fresh and exciting, while also sharpening my ability to critically analyze what made a game engaging—or frustrating. Importantly, these sessions also gave me insight into the mistakes that designers make. Encountering “bad games” was surprisingly enlightening. I was particularly struck by the fact that many of these games were already published and on the market, which drove home the point that even flawed games can have value and serve as learning tools. Experiencing issues like problematic theming, poorly written rules, or tedious setups as a player helped me recognize and address similar problems in my own games.
One experience that stood out was playing an electrician-themed board game that suffered from disorganized rules. The rulebook consisted of a long, poorly structured bullet-point list, which left our group confused and unable to progress smoothly. After nearly two hours, we had barely managed to complete one or two rounds. That frustration was a powerful lesson in the importance of clarity and structure, not just in rulebooks but in every aspect of game design. It reminded me that player experience begins the moment they engage with the game, whether that’s reading the rules, setting up components, or making their first move.
The creative freedom we had in this class was another highlight for me. Each project prompt was broad enough to allow for unique interpretations and encouraged us to explore ideas we were genuinely passionate about. For example, I completely overhauled my p2 IF midway through development. This decision was both stressful and liberating. I hadn’t played much interactive fiction before, so I had to learn the genre from scratch while balancing a steep learning curve with my desire to create something meaningful. The process pushed me out of my comfort zone but also allowed me to craft a narrative that was deeply personal, centered on my love for cooking. That solo project was particularly rewarding because I had full creative control and was solely accountable for its success. It taught me the value of persistence and adaptability, even when things don’t go as planned.
Playtesting was another critical part of the class that I found incredibly valuable. The opportunities to play each other’s prototypes were some of the most engaging moments of the course. It was inspiring to see the creativity of my classmates and learn from their approaches to design. More importantly, playtesting was a crucial part of improving my own projects. After every session, I walked away with actionable feedback that shaped the final versions of my games. This was especially true for my first project, Roommate Beef, where every single playtest led to significant changes in the mechanics, rules, and even the game board. By the end of the development process, the game had evolved far beyond its initial concept, which was a testament to the power of iteration and feedback.
The class also reinforced a lesson I’ve encountered before but hadn’t fully internalized: the importance of clarity and simplicity in game design. These two principles sound straightforward but can be surprisingly difficult to implement effectively. During the development of Roommate Beef, we struggled with making the rules clear and the board layout intuitive. This often led to confusion during playtesting and required multiple revisions. Similarly, for my IF project, I realized toward the end that I needed to cut a lot of unnecessary text. Overly dense paragraphs overwhelmed players and detracted from the narrative experience. Simplifying the text not only improved readability but also made the story more impactful. For my third project, we initially aimed for a complex system with multiple minigames but had to scale back significantly to fit the scope. These experiences taught me that simplicity often leads to stronger, more cohesive designs, especially when working with limited time and resources.
By the time I reached p4, I had a much clearer understanding of how to scope my work effectively. Sticking to a small, manageable scope and prioritizing simplicity made the development process much smoother. It was also a reminder of how much I enjoy the process of making games, from the initial concept to the final polish.
Looking back, this class has not only improved my skills as a game designer but also reshaped my perspective on the creative process. I’ve come to appreciate the importance of rapid iteration and the value of learning from unfinished or imperfect work. It’s not enough to simply create; playing a wide variety of games, even broken ones, is equally essential for growth. I’ve learned to embrace the messiness of early prototypes and trust the process of refining them through feedback and playtesting.
In the future, I plan to keep seeking out opportunities to play and analyze games. I love playing and making games and will do this in the future :)))
