We had our first checkin call after two weeks – and for the first few minutes, it was just me and two AI note-takers.
Thankfully, others joined and we got under way. 🙂
We started by exploring a few Arena members’ (we need a name!) Design Journal entries and got an idea of what they had added. We also explored what it meant – and how to interpret these entries.
The key idea, of course, is that these journals are personal entries – they don’t have to make sense for anyone but the designer.
Then, we moved on to skim through the MDA paper and then wrapped up with the next quest.
The AI generated notes/details are below. You can watch the recording here.
Game Design Journals
- Participants shared observations from games they played (e.g. Pokemon FireRed, Paper Trails)
- Discussed importance of personal player experiences informing design
- Highlighted value in noting both positive and negative aspects as design patterns/anti-patterns
MDA Framework
- Mechanics: Basic game rules and actions
- Dynamics: Emergent behaviors from mechanics interacting
- Aesthetics: Emotional responses and experiences for players
- Designers work from mechanics to aesthetics; players experience aesthetics to mechanics
- 8 types of “fun” aesthetics identified (e.g. sensation, fantasy, challenge)
Card Game Design Task
- Create an energizing networking game using standard 52-card deck
- Potential mechanics include shuffling, dealing, trading, flipping cards
- Aim for laughter, excitement, player interaction as key aesthetics
- Submit written rules explaining gameplay within 2 weeks before our next call
Game Design Process
- Emphasized iterative design and playtesting
- Discussed constraints spurring creativity
- Cautioned against over-relying on existing mechanic lists early in ideation
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