Before this class, I thought about play as a word to describe sports or children out on a field. It felt like something I ought to keep doing as I grow older and crankier because there is a sense of wonder, joy, and youthfulness associated with it. However, I now know that games, which fall under the play umbrella, are much more than a way to pass the time. Games are crafted experiences made by people expressing their imagination and lived experiences.
I thought game design was mainly about knowing how to code and being good at 2D or 3D modeling. I now understand that it is much more than that. It involves creating stories, building characters that people connect with, like in Hollow Knight, designing tutorials that feel seamless and enjoyable, like in Plants vs. Zombies, and creating mechanics that shape the emotions you want players to feel while experiencing your game.
Critical plays became an unexpected source of learning for me in this class. They helped me sharpen my ability to identify concepts we explored in class, such as the MDA framework and the ways games can implicitly teach mechanics through design. After seeing the Mario example in class, I started noticing these implicit tutorials everywhere. During my critical play of Hollow Knight, I began to understand how a game can so effectively craft a world filled with characters and places that players genuinely care about. In one example, the music shifted to somber, not adventurous, when entering the lost town. It immediately set the tone and gave me the impression that this was a place in need of help. I implemented a similar idea in my final game, using music to set level-specific tone, because I wanted players to feel a greater sense of urgency as they progressed through levels and the time to save the village ran out. I also loved the characters in Hollow Knight and how much depth they had. That inspired me to write dialogue that was not necessary for progression but helped players better understand the story and feel more connected to the world.
One challenge I ran into was adjusting to the terminology and culture of video games since I am not really a gamer myself. Before taking this class, I had only played Castle Crashers with my brother every once in a while and Mario Kart with my cousins. On the first day of class, I felt intimidated by how immersed everyone else seemed in gaming. However, I found that I caught up quickly. The lectures, sketch notes, and critical plays taught me an incredible amount in a short period of time. Another major challenge was learning Unity for the final project. I was intimidated at first, but with the help of tutorials, I was able to build something that I am genuinely proud of. For the first project, I also found it challenging to think about game balance and how to create roles and complications that made the game fun. While I definitely improved in this area, I am not sure I ever fully mastered it.
I would love to continue working on games, perhaps creating small adventure games in Unity like we did for our final project. I found a lot of joy, relaxation, and satisfaction in creating an experience that I could share with others. This class has completely changed my perspective on games. If nothing else, I have gained a deep appreciation for game designers and all the thought, creativity, and care that go into creating a good game.
