Did you discover something that you didn’t expect?
I found that games were far less superficial than what they appear. The nature and design of a game, in a lot of cases, runs far deeper than I first believed. I now understand how much work goes into the development of the base mechanics of a game to achieve the desired aesthetics. Prototyping with simple objects was very different for me as I really expected everything to come together much faster. I can now see how much work needs to be put into an idea before it can properly manifest and live up to the original expectations of the designers.
I can also see how the influence of a group can be quite crucial to the design of an interesting game. Having input from a number of sources can dramatically alter how you may perceive an idea. It is hard to picture how your game will be accepted by someone other than yourself. Playtesting is also crucial - it is necessary to be able to view your game from a different perspective as you are generally not designing a game for yourself.
Do you have a new perspective on games or game development?
A lot more effort goes into the design of an interesting game than I thought originally. I had no idea it was so difficult to find a design that would actually work and provide the aesthetics I was looking for. The whole “fail often, fail fast” approach was very difficult for a person like me as I get a bit “perfectionist” over work I produce. I found it very hard to let go of ideas that sounded great but would not work when implemented.
I can now see why so much time, energy and patience goes into a massive project like these.
Where do you think you’ll go with this in the future?
I’m not sure. I think I still feel far more at home with the AI side but I have enjoyed coming up with designs. Over the summer, before I start working, I’d really like to knock up a few of the ideas I’ve had for interesting games.
Whether or not I pursue game design further in the future in terms of a career I am not sure, but I do know that is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding processes I have been through in my studies at uni.
Posted on 08/11/2010
0