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The Mechanics of Magic

The Mechanics of Magic

Game Design Writings by Students at Stanford taking 247G and 377G

  • Library
    • CS247G Community Game Design Resources
    • Game Design Resources
    • Graphic Design for Game Designers
    • Graphic Design Resources
    • Chapter 11 from Game Balance
  • Read Write Play
    • Hollow Knight: RWP 4 2023
    • Mystic Messenger: RWP 6 2023
    • Undertale: RWP 3 2023
    • What Remains of Edith Finch: RWP 5 2023
    • Catan: RWP1 2023
    • 80 Days: RWP 2 2023
  • 247G Syllabus
    • The Formal Elements of Game Design
    • Design for Play | Week One | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week One | Lecture B
    • Design for Play | Week Two | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week Two | Lecture B
    • Design for Play | Week Three | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week Three | Lecture B
    • Design For Play | Week Four | Section A
    • Design For Play | Week Four | Section B
    • Design for Play | Week Five | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 5 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 6 | Class A (no class)
    • Design for Play | Week 6 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 7 | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 7 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 8 | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 8 | Lecture B
  • Serious Play Study Group Overview
    • Study Group Week by Week Breakdown
      • Formal Elements of Games
      • Final Reflection Essay
    • [Optional Material] What is fun?
    • Project 1: Those Who Play, Teach
      • READING Visual Design of Board Games
      • Pitch Your Teaching Game
      • Sketchnote: Playtesting Boardgames
      • Sketchnote: Erin Hoffman // Wind, Not Sand: Mapping Dynamic Emotion Across a Product Landscape
      • SketchNote: MDAO
      • Critical Play: Write up your game of FLUXX
      • [Optional Material] Playtesting
      • OPTIONAL Board Game Usability
    • P2: The Future We Deserve
      • Critical Play: A Mechanic and a Story to Tell
      • Interactive Fiction: Tiny Playable Prototype
      • Introducing Interactive Fiction
      • Map and Premise
      • Critical Play: Story AND Storytelling games
      • Essay or Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters
      • Sketchnote: Art of game design- Story
      • [Optional Material] Emergence and Progression
      • Essay or Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters
      • Project 2 Reflection Essay
      • Share what you Learned: Writing Excuses Podcast
      • Values at Play & P2 Peer Grading
    • P3: The Game of Unexpected Consequences
      • P3 Concept Doc
      • Playable prototype
      • Working With System Dynamics (mindmap the reading, apply it to your game)
      • Mapping Systems
      • Sketchnote/Response for Rules & Tutorials
      • Project 3 Check-in
      • Project 3 Reflection Essay
    • P4: Refine a game
      • Sketchnote/Response for Playtesting with Strangers
      • Read: Mechanic is the Magic
  • On Sketchnotes
  • Printing at Stanford

Author: Brandon Nguyen Saltzman

Final Class Reflection (bsalt)

June 9, 2024

Firstly, I would like to say I heavily appreciate the teaching team for all the hard work they do. Shoutout Annabelle for guiding my…

Flatline P2 Final Report

June 8, 2024

Flatline – Final Report For grading purposes, we would like to be evaluated on Level Design and Narrative Architecture. Game Link: https://b-salt.itch.io/flatline-demo Google Drive…

Sketchnote: Onboarding in Plants vs Zombies

May 31, 2024

Plants_vs_Zombies_Onboarding

Critical Play: Play Like a Feminist

May 29, 2024

For this week’s critical play, I played Horizon: Zero Dawn, a game developed by Guerilla Games initially as a Playstation exclusive, but now available…

Sketchnote: Puzzles in Games, Puzzles as Games

May 24, 2024

Sketchnote_ Puzzles in Games, Puzzles as Games

Critical Play: Games of Chance (bsalt)

May 21, 2024

For this week’s critical play, I played World Series of Poker: Texas Hold’em Game website. To preface, I have played poker through both the…

Sketchnote: Designer’s Notebook: The Role of Architecture in Videogames (bsalt)

May 17, 2024

Sketchnote_ The Role of Architecture

Critical Play: Puzzles (bsalt)

May 14, 2024

For this week’s critical play, I played Monument Valley, a game developed by indie studio Ustwo games initially for iOS and Android, but I…

Critical Play: Mysteries (bsalt)

May 8, 2024

For this week’s critical play, I chose to play Year Walk, a horror-puzzle game developed by Simogo. The game is intended for older audiences…

Individual Checkpoint 1 for P2 (bsalt)

May 7, 2024

Moodboard:     For my chosen emotions, I wanted players to feel a sense of thought-provoking euphoria. I take a lot of inspiration from…

Narrative Architecture Mindmap (bsalt)

May 2, 2024

Mindmap_ Game Design as Narrative Architecture

Critical Play: Walking Simulators (bsalt) [SPOILERS for Firewatch]

April 30, 2024

Link to photos I took during my playthrough [contains spoilers]: https://firewatch.camera/RedBurrAbyss/ Content Warning: Themes of familial struggles, death, loss of loved ones, immense guilt,…

Critical Play: Judging and Getting Vulnerable (bsalt)

April 24, 2024

For this week’s critical play, I decided to explore a gamemode found on Minecraft’s most popular multiplayer server: Hypixel. I wanted to explore a…

Sketchnote: Game Design Patterns for Building Friendships

April 18, 2024

Link: Brandon_Saltzman_Sketchnote_ Game Design Patterns for Building Friendship Note: There are TWO pages to this sketchnote!

Two dancers in a dance battle against one another.

Critical Play: Competitive Analysis “Freestyle Prompt Dance Battles” (bsalt)

April 16, 2024

Note: Video clip is available upon request. Audio clip is provided for assignment, but video is withheld for consent/anonymity reasons. For this week’s critical…

What do Prototypes Prototype? (bsalt)

April 12, 2024

I thought it was appropriate to share one of my sketchnotes I did for another class on this reading! WHAT DO PROTOTYPES PROTOTYPE_ How…

Sketchnote: What Games Are and Aren’t (bsalt)

April 12, 2024

Brandon_Saltzman_Sketchnote_What_Games_Are_and_Aren’t I thought this reading was extremely interesting! I am still a little confused on the storytelling/story tangent as I feel all games inherently…

MDA Analysis: Project Zomboid (bsalt)

April 9, 2024

Currently, one of the games I’ve been having the most fun in is Project Zomboid. Project Zomboid is a 2D, top-down zombie survival game…

Critical Play: Social Deduction (bsalt)

April 9, 2024

Through the introduction of many different roles, the option of varying scenarios, and intentional rule/phase changes, Blood on the Clocktower is a successful attempt…

Introduction: Brandon Saltzman

April 4, 2024

Hey y’all! I’m Brandon (he/him), a lot of people call me Bsalt, so I’m cool with that too. My favorite game of all-time has…

Posts pagination

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Welcome to the Stanford HCI Game Design Blog.

Currently this blog holds two formal classes being taught by Christina Wodtke as well as Independent Study Work. In winter of 2022, cs377g was cancelled because of covid-19 uncertainty, and became a study group. You can follow along by looking at the SGSG syllabus and weekly break down.

CS 247G: Design for Play(SYMSYS 195G)

A project-based course that builds on the introduction to design in CS147 by focusing on advanced methods and tools for research, prototyping, and user interface design. Studio based format with intensive coaching and iteration to prepare students for tackling real world design problems. This course takes place entirely in studios; please plan on attending every studio to take this class. The focus of CS247g is an introduction to theory and practice of the design of games. We will make digital and paper games, do rapid iteration and run user research studies appropriate to game design. This class has multiple short projects, allowing us to cover a variety of genres, from narrative to pure strategy. Prerequisites: 147 or equivalent background.

CS 377G: Designing Serious Games

Over the last few years we have seen the rise of "serious games" to promote understanding of complex social and ecological challenges, and to create passion for solving them. This project-based course provides an introduction to game design principals while applying them to games that teach. Run as a hands-on studio class, students will design and prototype games for social change and civic engagement. We will learn the fundamentals of games design via lecture and extensive reading in order to make effective games to explore issues facing society today. The course culminates in an end-of- quarter open house to showcase our games. Prerequisite: CS147 or equivalent. 247G recommended, but not required.

SGSG: Serious Games Study Group

  • Library
    • CS247G Community Game Design Resources
    • Game Design Resources
    • Graphic Design for Game Designers
    • Graphic Design Resources
    • Chapter 11 from Game Balance
  • Read Write Play
    • Hollow Knight: RWP 4 2023
    • Mystic Messenger: RWP 6 2023
    • Undertale: RWP 3 2023
    • What Remains of Edith Finch: RWP 5 2023
    • Catan: RWP1 2023
    • 80 Days: RWP 2 2023
  • 247G Syllabus
    • The Formal Elements of Game Design
    • Design for Play | Week One | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week One | Lecture B
    • Design for Play | Week Two | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week Two | Lecture B
    • Design for Play | Week Three | Lecture A
    • Design for Play | Week Three | Lecture B
    • Design For Play | Week Four | Section A
    • Design For Play | Week Four | Section B
    • Design for Play | Week Five | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 5 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 6 | Class A (no class)
    • Design for Play | Week 6 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 7 | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 7 | Class B
    • Design for Play | Week 8 | Class A
    • Design for Play | Week 8 | Lecture B
  • Serious Play Study Group Overview
    • Study Group Week by Week Breakdown
      • Formal Elements of Games
      • Final Reflection Essay
    • [Optional Material] What is fun?
    • Project 1: Those Who Play, Teach
      • READING Visual Design of Board Games
      • Pitch Your Teaching Game
      • Sketchnote: Playtesting Boardgames
      • Sketchnote: Erin Hoffman // Wind, Not Sand: Mapping Dynamic Emotion Across a Product Landscape
      • SketchNote: MDAO
      • Critical Play: Write up your game of FLUXX
      • [Optional Material] Playtesting
      • OPTIONAL Board Game Usability
    • P2: The Future We Deserve
      • Critical Play: A Mechanic and a Story to Tell
      • Interactive Fiction: Tiny Playable Prototype
      • Introducing Interactive Fiction
      • Map and Premise
      • Critical Play: Story AND Storytelling games
      • Essay or Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters
      • Sketchnote: Art of game design- Story
      • [Optional Material] Emergence and Progression
      • Essay or Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters
      • Project 2 Reflection Essay
      • Share what you Learned: Writing Excuses Podcast
      • Values at Play & P2 Peer Grading
    • P3: The Game of Unexpected Consequences
      • P3 Concept Doc
      • Playable prototype
      • Working With System Dynamics (mindmap the reading, apply it to your game)
      • Mapping Systems
      • Sketchnote/Response for Rules & Tutorials
      • Project 3 Check-in
      • Project 3 Reflection Essay
    • P4: Refine a game
      • Sketchnote/Response for Playtesting with Strangers
      • Read: Mechanic is the Magic
  • On Sketchnotes
  • Printing at Stanford

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Recent Posts

  • Critical Play: Play Like a Feminist – Kai Ssempa
  • Critical Play: Games of Chance and Addiction – Kai Ssempa
  • Critical Play: World Building – Kai Ssempa
  • Critical Play: Puzzles – Kai Ssempa
  • Pixel Runway — Or, What Games Teach Fashion‑Tech About Joyful Retention

Recent Comments

  • Among Us Features Gameplay Download Guide | GridBox on Among Us: Critical Play of Social Deduction
  • Hollow Knight and Silksong: Redefining Game Narrative - FizzClick.com | Your Source for Business, Technology & Entertainment News on Hollow Knight, Metroidvanias, and Storytelling
  • Christina Wodtke on Read, Write, Play: Starcraft 2 – Varsha
  • Christina Wodtke on Reflection Seb
  • Christina Wodtke on Final Class Reflection – Mateo LF

Categories

  • Featured
  • Project One
  • P2: The Future We Deserve
  • milestone
  • mindmap
  • P1: Social Games
  • CS247G
  • Assignments
  • P1: those who play, teach
  • Lectures
  • P2: Games In Space
  • Critical Play
  • P3: The Game of Unexpected Consequences
  • Project Two
  • Project Four REFINE
  • Sketchnotes
  • P4: Refine a Game
  • Project Two: The Future We Deserve
  • From the Instructor
  • Project Three: The Game of Unexpected Consequences
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