Before this class, I thought about the experience of playing games mostly in terms of how competitive and how fun it was. I didn’t know how to define fun or how to measure it. I saw games as systems that rewarded skill and strategy, and I approached them as isolated experiences built for a player to conquer or complete. I would skip all the dialogue and narrative scenes for games and I didn’t think much about the cultural, emotional, or social impact of games beyond their surface-level enjoyment.
In 247G, the critical plays forced me to actually pay attention to the narrative of the games and immerse myself in the world. Analyzing games through the formal lens of MDA also helped me understand game design as an intentional practice. Several class concepts stuck with me. The concept of design tools like loops and arcs as ways to iterate with intention changed the way I viewed games and very much influenced some ideas I had about the P2 project. Our readings and discussions on games as cultural artifacts also encouraged me to think critically about the ethics of design, including who games are for, what assumptions they make, and whose stories they centre. The class also generally transformed the way I play games. I have continued to play Hades and Stardew Valley even after I finished my critical play because I’ve become invested in the world and the stories of the games.
I also encountered challenges. One of the hardest aspects was balancing creative ambition with scope and playability. I often had strong thematic ideas, but struggled to make the mechanics feel smooth or intuitive. Playtesting helped but it was hard to see players dislike a specific mechanic or feature I thought was really good. It pushed me to become a more flexible thinker and be more open to change. I also grew in my confidence as a designer and in my ability to communicate intent. I learned how to build things faster, test more often, and be less attached to my own views/ideas.
In the future, if I continue working on my games, I will lean even more into designing for emotion and social dynamics. I want to create experiences that are not only fun, but also meaningful. I have now experienced how games evoke empathy, reflection, or joy in unexpected ways. I will also prioritize accessibility and inclusion from the start, asking who I am designing for and how I can broaden that audience. Most of all, I will remember that game design is not just about control, but about creating spaces for others to play, imagine, and become.
