Before this class I would occasionally play the random mobile app game that appeared on an add on my phone. I would play it for a day or two, and then get bored at the simplicity and eventually delete it with the same impulse and ease with which I initially downloaded it. I thought about the complexity of level design and wondered if the games were algorithmically programmed to become more challenging depending on the level of the player or it the level progression was hard coded into the games. In most cases my intuition says a boring hardcoded. I would also play the occasional Catan and Fifa with friends but those three experiences summed up my knowledge about game play and design.
Now after the class I approach a game through MDA. I think about what mechanics and dynamics stand out and add to the playing experience and which ones could be improved. I also think a lot about rules and whether they add or detract from what I imagine the intention of the game designer was. Finally I consider the visual design and aesthetics of the game and how well they are paired to the rest of the game. I’ve found that most times games that are professionally made tend to be efficient in general mechanics or specific dynamos rather than in aesthetics since the aesthetics tend to be a bigger selling point for consumers. Through the game design projects I also really appreciated the power of iteration and play testing. There were many moments where both of my teams and I were confident we had developed a great game only to look at a play test and realized we can made our levels too simple or the storyline very arbitrary and unintuitive. This framework really helps me look at boardgames and mobile apps games in completely different ways. I am more critical of them 🙂
One of my biggest learnings in the class was surprisingly around team work and dealing with people that have extremely different interests, lived experiences and energy. I struggled to connect with some of my team members and found myself dreading team meetings and class. Into the future and the working world I will put a lot more energy and time into getting to know my team mates and find some way or another to connect and become close. I feel like there is a way to do that with everyone in the world. I learned that working with people who I feel very different from and not connected to is extremely painful and unmotivating. I am really happy I figured out this life lesson in college and have a hypothesis for a solution in the future if this happens again.
