Before taking a class about game design, I was trying to wrap my head around what game design would look like (and to be very frank, how similar/how much it would build on what I had learned in 147 previously during the fall).
I found that the critical plays to be most helpful in reflecting on class concepts and their application in actual games – and found myself wanting to take the time to sit down and thoughtfully play a game (even a game as simple as Factory Balls – which is still one of my favorite puzzle games now to this day). I think I have played more games more frequently as a result of this class and the critical plays from each week, something that I may try to continue after graduation.
The amount of creativity that both P1 and P2 allowed for, especially P2, made this class interesting, fun, and a class that I gravitated towards in spending time. Unlike previous app-building classes (sorry), this was one where the possibilities felt limitless (well still within proper design practices). In P2, the main challenge came in the form of learning Godot. Although our final game was not the most complex or pronounced game, I felt incredibly accomplished in all that I had learned in Godot. As someone who has not been the most confident in her technical skills, I’ve always taken a less technical part of the work when it comes to group projects or caveating every technical project with apologies and promises that I would complete the write-up (or something else to carry my weight). Through learning Godot and seeing the vast resources available to learn, ask questions, and grow from, the technical part of it all feels a lot less daunting now. And even though I graduate next week, this is something that I will take away from this class – the exploration of different in-person and online communities willing to support each other in their journeys of growth and finding new hobbies.
The part that remains the most sentimental to me in all of this (and in my HCI journey) is being able to find friends who I would gladly work again with in a heartbeat, both because of how much joy it is to brainstorm, ideate, and iterate, but also because of the care for each other outside of the project.
So thank you to the teaching team (and especially whoever was in charge of forming the teams) for letting Cyan + Dia + I work together one last time 🙂
