CS 377G is my first game design class as well as my first design class. Before taking this class, I never thought of the educational potential of games. Kahoot, a possible example of gamified learning, is not even considered a “game” for me. Hence, I was very surprised to find that games can be educational.
Because this class was my first class in designing, I learned a lot from the repetition of prototyping and playtesting. Although the fast-paced prototyping was a little hard to get used to initially, it began at a good time: many of my other classes have not picked up the pace yet, so I can smooth into getting used to the pacing of CS 377G at an early stage. This repetition also allows me to see a design cycle to its fullest, starting with a draft idea, building a prototype, and refining the prototype as I test. This repetition also allows me to really dig into building the prototype rather than trying to find my way out: after the first project, I’m familiar enough with the expectation and procedure, so most of my energy can be directed toward building and fine-tuning my prototype.
Aside from learning about designing, this class also provided me with a good introduction to games. Before this class, I wasn’t conscious of all the elements of games. Even though I play a few video games, I never quite think about how the game developers can manipulate games. While developing my P1 and P3 projects, I was also teamed with great people, allowing me to learn from my teammates about game building. Sometimes, I can see the theories we learned put into practice, as I discussed with my teammates to what extent a variable should be random. I feel that, because of how the course was set up, I was offered an appropriate level of stress, as I have never developed games before, alongside a good level of fun and support. Hence, I feel that I have learned a lot about games.
Creating sketch notes was helpful, too. Previously, I generally took notes on readings by typing down bullet points. Although not necessarily a bad way to take notes, there are two things that listing bullet points misses out on. Because I was typing out the notes, I didn’t think about the things I was jotting down. Sometimes, if I am lazy, I may just copy and paste a line of text as my notes. Instead, creating sketch notes forced me to really think about the text I was reading, pinpointing which elements I wanted to note down. Because of the drawing requirement, I can’t draw down everything. Additionally, listing bullet points can sometimes be hard to read, especially for elements like loops. The meaning is so hard to make out with just words. Hence, creating sketch notes and being used to this practice has been very helpful for me to comprehend the readings and remember what I read.
Now that I’m so used to creating educational games, I struggle with coming up with different solutions to learning challenges. I am curious if there are any readings or articles that talk about the drawbacks of games. I feel that games are such a celebrated tool in this class that I would like to hear what the opponents have to say. Nonetheless, I do understand why this may not be included in the class: the class is about game design.
When I go to make games in the future, I will probably be focusing on system games. I am interested in the potential of system games and how they can teach people about an existing system. Because of my interest in elementary students, games are probably an easy way to introduce a system to them. I do wonder, however, if there might be educational loopholes in gamified learning. To be playable, the system may be simplified, or sometimes oversimplified, when placed in a system game. What if the students, having played the game, oversimplified the system in their minds and made choices accordingly? I don’t quite know how to address this concern yet, but I will keep this in mind as I develop games in the future.
Overall, CS 377G has provided me with a great experience. It introduced me to the design process, which is very helpful as I design my LDT project. It also provided me with a good understanding of games, which in turn provided me with a new path I could take with my LDT project. Lastly, it introduced me to a new method for taking notes, which I would like to continue using as I take other classes. As I exit this quarter, I am interested in developing more games in the future, and I wonder what the potential games may hold in education.
