I came to this game design class knowing only a small handful of games, most of which were social deduction/strategy games I play with my cohort and classmates. I didn’t know what to expect, and wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep up. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this class has greatly exceeded my expectations. I am not only equipped with the tools to analyze what makes a game tick and why they’re so enjoyable, but I can also design and iterate my own games! What an amazing gift to give us 🙂
With my team (whom we built with for P1 and P2), we learned, toiled, and iterated feverishly for these few months. We’ve gone to game night office hours and played to analyze games, collecting gems of info on how to improve our own. We’ve discussed concepts learned in class and slowly but surely seen them get integrated into our work. It’s learning by doing at its best. The readings were also very fun, and critical plays really allowed me to slow down and feel out the game at its core.
But this is not without its challenges. The summer has been quite a busy time, balancing multiple classes and research while trying to figure out an alignment for my graduate studies. Some assignments were rough to fit in time-wise, but altogether worth it to learn. I’m grateful for having a place to return to and experience joy and wonder, an oasis if you will, from the strict regimen of daily life. And furthermore grateful for having a fun team who were there to catch my back as I hope I do theirs.
Now I know how to make games yayyy!! I can’t wait to show my friends (many of whom are now interested in this class themselves), and play what we’ve made at our regular game nights. It’s been a great experience, and I’m truly thankful to the teaching staff, Christina and Butch especially, for hosting such a fun course this summer. Best of luck with future iterations of the class, they’re lucky to have yall 😀
Thanks for everything!
Michelle
