CS 247G has been one of my favorite classes that I’ve taken at Stanford across both my undergraduate and graduate programs. Since I was a kid I’ve been a gamer, and while I don’t play as many games as I once used to, I think about games even more than before. I think games are the ultimate artistic medium. They’re visual and reactive; it’s a whole experience that you’re able to design, bottle up, and share with others.
I had consumed a ton of game design content/infotainment before this class, and while I knew a lot of practical tips coming in, in CS247G I gained new tools for the theoretical analysis of games and experience building my own game. From learning about the MDA framework, to talking about “Save the Cat!” and narrative structure, I am leaving this class with a new language I can use to talk about and understand games. I plan to read “Save the Cat!” and get deep into narrative structure when I get farther along on my independent project game that I’m working on (shout out Christina’s independent project class!), and I’m super excited to do a deep dive on that.
Another aspect of the class that I appreciated were the ethical discussions around games. From the content within games, the mechanics, or the practices used to produce the game, there are ethical discussions to be had about every aspect of games. Particularly, this class made me realize that I haven’t spent enough time thinking about these problems. For example, I have talked extensively about loving roguelikes and the random, run-based gameplay. Now I understand the tricks that random chance and probability can have on the human mind and how these features are intentionally used to hook players. It makes me want to spend some time analyzing my own enjoyment of these games, and also how willing I am to use these design practices in my own games.
My favorite thing about this class, however, was just being forced to hit the pavement fast. There is little time to catch your breath in this class, and though that can be stressful at times I am incredibly grateful for the kick in the ass this class provided. How many times had I tried to make a game before? How many half-baked projects have I started? I am incredibly proud to have completed a game, even if it’s just a slice, and to have gained momentum to keep making games moving forward. Maybe I can even turn it into a career? Thanks to everyone who helped make this class happen, I really appreciate it!
