Final Class Reflection – Thu

Before this class, I thought about play and game design mostly from the perspective of a player. I enjoyed clever mechanics, emotional storytelling, and unique art styles, but I never thought deeply about how those experiences were actually crafted. My first exposure to game-making was through Scratch when I was a kid. I made all kinds of small games, experimenting with movement, sound, and visuals. It felt natural and exciting, and it was also the first time I really got into coding. Since then, I’ve coded in many different contexts, but I hadn’t returned to game creation until this class.

CS247G is special to me because it is both my first and last formal class in game design. I’m in my final quarter of undergrad, and I think there’s something meaningful about ending my college experience by making something creative, something that blends story, interaction, and care. I got to work on a project that felt personal and important. We got to build something from scratch and shape it based on how it made people feel. That process was challenging, rewarding, and unlike anything I’ve done in other classes.

I did a lot of new things during this course. I worked with a team to brainstorm, prototype, test, and iterate on a complete game idea. I learned how to think about player experience first, not just what I thought was cool or fun. We playtested constantly and made real changes based on what people did and said. I learned how to communicate ideas clearly, how to balance visual and narrative tone, and how to pace a story through interaction. I began to see design as an ongoing conversation between creators and players.

I also struggled at times. This process was a constant balance between what I wanted to make and what I ended up making due to technical limitations. It was also a balance between my vision and what my group wanted. We each had different priorities and ideas about what mattered most, and it wasn’t always easy to align. These were hard things to manage, but I’m learning. I’m learning how to listen better, how to let go of ideas that don’t serve the bigger picture, and how to work as part of a team with shared responsibility.

One of the biggest lessons I took from this class is that iteration matters. You can’t get things right the first time, and that’s okay. What matters is that you test your ideas, watch how people engage with them, and then respond. I implemented this by making changes to our level design, reworking pacing, and simplifying interactions to make things clearer and more engaging. I stopped designing just from my own perspective and started thinking more about how someone else would experience what we made.

This class reminded me of why I started making things in the first place, and I’m grateful I got to return to that joy before graduating.