Final Class Reflection – Myan

Before this class, I never thought of myself as a gamer. I rarely play video games, and for most of my life, I assumed that being a “gamer” meant logging hours on consoles or obsessing over competitive titles. This class completely shifted that perspective. I began to see “play” and “game design” as broader, richer categories that included analog games, narrative experiences, and even games that function more like interactive art or social commentary. I realized that not only could I both create and enjoy games.

Throughout the course, I had the chance to dive into new types of experiences and expand my creative and technical boundaries. One of the biggest takeaways for me was learning how to intentionally design game mechanics that reinforce a specific aesthetic or emotional goal. I started to understand how every element, from movement to dialogue to environment design, could work together to shape the player’s experience. I also came to appreciate how games can reflect and critique society, offering commentary on real-world issues through metaphor, narrative, and interaction.

These ideas helped me develop our final project game, Wandering. Our project is a walking simulator that follows the story of a fox in a magical forest, a world full of talking animals, quiet moments of reflection, and hidden paths. But beneath the fantasy, the game carries a message: a reflection on environmental destruction and the way human action (or inaction) affects the natural world. I focused on ensuring that the game’s aesthetic of discovery and narrative aligned with our themes. The forest forces the player to explore, both literally and metaphorically, and the dialogue system introduces them to animal characters whose stories echo real issues like deforestation and pollution.

Creating Wandering was both exciting and challenging, especially since I came into the class with almost no video game design experience. Even figuring out the basics, like using WASD for movement or spacebar to trigger dialogue, wasn’t second nature to me. I had to lean heavily on feedback from playtests and ask questions that more experienced players might not even think to ask. Rather than relying on my instincts, I had to build my understanding from the ground up.

I grew a lot through this process. As a designer, I stepped outside of my usual comfort zone, no longer just building functional web and mobile apps, but crafting an emotional, narrative-driven experience. As a developer, I taught myself Unity from scratch and brought an entire game to life. There were moments of confusion, frustration, and imposter syndrome, but seeing our game come together made it all worth it. It was a creative challenge unlike anything I’d done before.

If I keep working on Wandering (or on other game projects) I’d love to expand the freedom that players have. Right now, our game guides the player through a specific storyline, since we only had time to build one narrative slice. In the future, I’d want to create a more open-ended experience, where players can explore the forest in nonlinear ways, meet characters in different orders, and shape their own version of the story.

Ultimately, this class changed the way I think about games. It helped me see them as meaningful, expressive, and inclusive or something I can be part of, even without a lifelong background in gaming.