For this week’s lectures, we went through many activities regarding prototypes and game development, which gave us a better understanding of how games look like during the early stages. On Tuesday, in groups we had to create a game based on issues of current games. Our group focused on “pay to win,” games that rely heavily on in-game purchases to progress. We came up with ideas like buying certain spawn locations, starter packs, microtransactions, and weapon rarity. Doing this activity made me realize how games nowadays probably had no problem doing the same thing, as long as people are buying them and staying relevant.

On Thursday we did our first class playthrough on The Beginner’s Guide, a Steam game by Davey Wreden, based on his friend Coda’s ideas. The levels were unfinished, but the point was to understand the story behind every level design rather than the mechanics. It was a unique and beautiful game, but it wasn’t because of the gameplay or visuals. I found it in the narrator’s guidance and explanation for Coda’s designs, showing players how even the most simple or random idea can turn out into something brilliant. Overall, it really fascinated me how the creating process was better than a playable outcome, and shows how important it is to follow how you visualized your game to be.

After the playthrough, we presented our paper prototypes in groups. My prototype was based off the website Twine’s functions, which I hope to master in time to finish my project. What I liked about my group is that most of our ideas and designs were inspired from our last board game session. I was instantly familiar with many of their game mechanics, and I’m excited to see how the final versions turn out.

All these activities were to help prepare us for our solo project, coming off from brainstorming an idea. They were all very effective and inspiring, especially The Beginner’s Guide playthrough. I learned that rather than focusing on the outcome of my project or any game, the focus should be understanding your passion and vision of the game first, then go through the basics of developing and creating prototypes before coming up with final decisions.