Before taking CS247G, I had thought of games as a fun (potentially time-wasting) activity to do when bored or procrastinating, but had not seriously considered it as a tool, especially video games. I am a big board gamer, especially with my family, but I did not consider myself a “gamer” since I don’t partake in video games often, and when I do, they are often not competitive games and focus more on story.
Throughout this course, I learned how games can be a unique vehicle for storytelling, reinforcing my original draw to narrative driven games. I also learned more about the different types of fun, and different types of gamers, and because of that, I no longer feel like my type of gaming is any less valid than other types of gaming. Another class concept that stuck with me was the lesson on tutorials being integrated into gameplay rather than something separate. I didn’t think this specific video/concept would stick with me so much, but I feel like it very easily applies to learning in many other fields as well. Just as learning the mechanics of Plants v Zombies works better when you dive in and start playing (rather than having a separate tutorial), I have found that I learn coding, math, engineering, etc. best when I dive in and start building rather than watching tutorials that may provide irrelevant information or prove ineffective in retaining knowledge. This lesson about PvZ really resonated with me, and I’ll keep that lesson with me in the future, especially in any situation where I find myself teaching someone.
I also experienced some challenges throughout 247G. Coming up with innovative gameplay is really difficult, especially since there are so many fun games out there already. In P1 in particular, we ran into a problem early on where our game (Inkling) was too similar to existing games such as Pictionary and Fake Artist. We continued to mod our game, coming up with new rules and limitations for the players, and in the end, created something that won us “Most Innovative Gameplay” for P1, which we were all very proud of. I learned that a change in perspective, or small adjustments, can be the difference between something overdone and something truly innovative.
I don’t think that these lessons I’ve learned only apply to gaming and game design. In every challenge, I can change my perspective, approach it slightly differently, and mod my solution until it succeeds. In the future, I will continue to bring the lessons I’ve learned with me to every challenge I encounter, and will look back fondly at 247G when I do!
