E. W. – The Mechanics of Magic

Sketchnote: Playtesting formally (E.W.)

November 9, 2026

Image caption: I pulled 6 main themes from the reading, “A Primer for Playtesting.”

P3: Playable first draft – Restaurant Rivals

November 8, 2026

Playable draft: https://paprikachen.github.io/cs377g_Project3/preview/8th-nov-2026/ List of changes: Live market – players choose ingredients at same time, but with a loading bar that makes them…

Read & Play: Working With System Dynamics (E.W.)

November 3, 2026

Sketchnote of “Working With System Dynamics”: I played A Dark Room, a digital game created by Doublespeak Games. I think the target audience…

P2: Reflection (E.W.)

October 31, 2026

I really enjoyed the P2 IF game design experience! My game afforded Narrative and Discovery types of fun. It was fascinating to see how…

P2: The Empathy Machine (E.W.)

October 30, 2026

Embed or link to your game: Feeling Batty (link): https://emkewong.itch.io/feeling-batty Passcode: CS377G Branching Choice Map: Overview:…

Read & Play: The Rhetoric of Video Games (E.W.)

October 26, 2026

Sketchnote for Ian Bogost’s “The Rhetoric of Video Games” I played Adventures with Anxiety, created by Nicky Case on itch.io. In this game,…

P2: Refined Prototype (E.W.)

October 25, 2026

Link to game: Feeling Batty V.2 Questions: Do the backstory flashbacks add enough to Bryce’s character that you feel an emotional connection to him?…

P2: Playtest Prototype (E.W.)

October 21, 2026

Who: I playtested over Zoom with my college friend, Kirin. As someone also familiar with Batman and who enjoys creative writing and visual novels,…

P2: Map, Premise, Project Plan (E.W.)

October 20, 2026

PREMISE: Renowned yet reclusive horror author, Bryce Wyne, just wants to hide away in his lonely manor, writing in peace. However, this peace is…

P2: Tiny Playable Prototype (E.W.)

October 19, 2026

I did my first, very rough playtest with Judy (thank you)! OBSERVATIONS/FEEDBACK: During playthrough: I didn’t explain too much about cards when first presenting…

Read & Play: Game Design as Narrative Architecture (E.W.)

October 19, 2026

SKETCHNOTE: Game Design as Narrative Architecture by Henry Jenkins I played Animalia by Ian Michael Waddell on Twine. In this game, you play…

Sketchnote: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters (E.W.)

October 18, 2026

P1: Reflection (E.W.)

October 16, 2026

I think Cabinets of Curiosity was so interesting to make for an educational game because our design was such a systems-heavy one. The colonial…

P1: Those Who Play, Teach – “Cabinets of Curiosity” (Xingyi Zhang, Aiden Pinuelas, & E.W.)

October 16, 2026

Overview: How do museums build their collections? In this game, you will step into the shoes of prominent European and American museums, and amass…

Precision of Emotion: A New Kind of “Fun” Approach in Educational Games (E.W.)

October 7, 2026

P1: Tiny playable prototype (Aiden Pinuelas, Xingyi Zhang, & E.W.)

October 4, 2026

Playtest #1: Liked Special achievements (gives bonus points if collect a special set of objects) → helped motivate players to choose unethical methods (no…

Sketchnote: MDAO (Emma Wong)

September 29, 2026

P1: Introducing Serious Games (E.W.)

September 29, 2026

I played the game Spent, created by the ad agency McKinney in collaboration with Urban Ministries of Durham (article link here). Spent is a…

Games, Design and Play: Elements (E.W.)

September 27, 2026

Identify the basic elements in a game of your choice (actions, goals, rules, objects, playspace, players). My parents and I recently played the game…