Final Reflection

I came into this class as a board game lover and game mechanic admirer. I was excited to build games, but I didn’t think there was too much I’d learn beyond what I already knew. I ended up being wrong about that. I learned a couple of really important things that I’ll take with me as I look at future games and as I continue to play games.

One, there were so many more types and formats of game than I thought. I consider myself a person that has explored many games, at least out of the physical game world, but when we had that first formal game mechanics class, I realized there were so many different ways to format teams/individuals in a game against and with each, how many different types of games there were with entirely different goals, and how you can start thinking of working with specific components of gameplay, like boundaries, to build a successful game. I have realized I have so, so many games left to play – so many more than I thought – to truly have a sense of the types of games out there.

Two, it has changed the way I approach and view games from being a I like this → how did they do this approach to a how does this game fundamentally work →  and therefore how did they build this into the game. I feel like I start to understand how games were crafted as opposed to how they work.

Three, I have a much deeper appreciation for games as a critical facet of learning that is fundamentally different than other types of learning. I always liked games as a pastime, and I do think it helps teach people how to logic and work together, among other things. But I didn’t realize how important they are for child and even ongoing development and brain activity, creativity, and thoughtfulness.

I also, I feel, got a much greater appreciation for all the parts that go into a game that I don’t necessarily think about – the onboarding process, the visuals, the music, and colors. That all took a lot of work and time in our game, and I didn’t appreciate how intentional and formative those choices can be.

Lastly, this helped me remember that in reality, all it takes to make a game is a commitment to sit down and actually make the game. I think we all know this as kids, but we somehow forget it in the years of school and living we do. This was a nice reminder of that fact. I’d like to take more time, regardless of the classes I’m in or games I’m doing at the moment, to have fun in the art of creation. I’d like to work on some games over the summer, make quick printable prototypes, and always be working on exploring some new side of fun.