Today marks the end of my Spring 2025 quarter and also the end of CS247G. I’ll admit: I chose this class primarily to fulfill a requirement for my Ph.D. minor in Computer Science. I wasn’t expecting much, and honestly wasn’t particularly excited even though before taking the class, I already had a strong interest in games—especially video games like FIFA, Skyrim, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas through V. But I had never imagined I would one day design a game myself, let alone during my Ph.D.
Back in 2016, midway through my undergraduate studies, I came to believe that games were taking up too much of my time, time I could be using to study or conduct research (a mindset that, in fact, helped me reach a Ph.D. program at Stanford). However, looking back—and especially reflecting on my experience in CS247G—I realize I was being a bit too rigid. Life isn’t only about working and studying. We need space for joy, play, and what the class introduced as the Submission aesthetic, “Game as pastime”.In other words, enjoying the process of zoning out, having this balance matters.
Beyond this personal realization, the class also gave me a solid foundation in game design and introduced me to concepts I had never encountered before, like the Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics (MDA) framework. Understanding how these elements come together to make a game truly fun has forever changed the way I experience games.
Technically, I also grew a lot. I implemented and coded in JavaScript for the first time and gained more exposure to HTML than I ever had before. I’m confident this experience will help me as I wrap up my Ph.D., especially since I plan to build a user interface for one of the optimization frameworks in my thesis. The design process for P2 in CS247G has already proven to be a great asset in that direction.
I certainly enjoyed designing a game and had a fantastic time building and implementing New York City Pigeon Simulator (especially when the multiplayer online feature worked for the first time). As I was wrapping up the game for the P2 deliverable, I playtested it with my wife—and she was genuinely sad to realize it might be the last time we’d play the game my team created. I told her not to worry: the code is still with me, and I can absolutely expand our slice into a complete game, with more pigeon minigames and a fully playable, robust experience.
I’m glad you came to terms with the joy of games, and the importance of play. Maybe you’ll combine your passions and make a game about sustainability. like Daybreak? In any case, you can also just play because play is one of the things that makes use human.