I was never an avid gamer; in fact, I used to think that games were more addictive and harmful than beneficial. However, after taking multiple HCI classes I started to have a keen interest in design and in the x47 classes. When I saw this course on game design, I was intrigued and decided to give it a try.
Before taking this class, I viewed game design primarily as an exercise in painting and graphical design. However, throughout the course, I found out that game design takes more than painting skills. One major realization I had was the challenge of translating a cool game concept from my head into a playable prototype that delivers the intended experience. I discovered that seemingly small design decisions could have unexpectedly large impacts on the feel and flow of gameplay.
I like the class because it expands what I previously thought of game design. It is a field with wide-ranging considerations. I was surprised to learn about the psychological aspects (like the eight types of fun) and cultural studies (such as points of conflict) from class. Although we didn’t incorporate all the elements we learned into our final project, the knowledge gained is something I will employ in my life in design moving forward. I had numerous opportunities during the course to develop a card game and engage in various creative exercises to practice game designing. For example, in our first class, we started by drawing different shapes and simplistic designs on paper. Then we had multiple opportunities to play and criticize a game.
I particularly enjoyed the class demos, from Honey Heist to playing games created by other teams. As someone who didn’t play many games before, this was a rewarding experience that changed my perception of gaming. I’ve played both good and mediocre games, and I’ve learned that creating a good game takes numerous iterations. I really appreciate all the playtests that we had in classes as I think it models what a real game making experience looks like. We are not making a toy example of the game but a real game that has the potential to be used by many customers.
Moreover, I made close friends in this class, which was a wonderful bonus. I love meeting new people through playtests and I have some wonderful teammates that pushed our game to perfection.
Looking ahead, if I continue working on my game, I plan to deepen my knowledge of the Unity platform, as there is so much more to learn. We have replied on Youtube tutorials during the final 3-4 weeks of game making stage and we realized that we should have started much earlier Even though Unity seems just painting and writing a few scripts to produce collision and other functionalities, it is very cumbersome to combine all the elements together if we are not experienced in Unity. This class has not only expanded my understanding of game design but also inspired me to continue exploring this fascinating field.
