Week 1 - Why Am I Here?

   In all honesty, I registered for this class because it is part of the Game Design and Culture Certificate. I didn’t know what it was about, but I’ve enjoyed the other CMI courses I’ve taken, so I figured I would like this one too. After learning what this class would be about, I’m very excited to see what I’ll learn this semester! Games have always been a big part of my life, whether digital or physical, so a class that focuses on that definitely piqued my interest. I was also happy to hear that this course focuses on physical games, thus, there would be no coding involved. I don’t hate coding, but it’s certainly not my favorite thing to do. 

   There are many things I hope to learn from this class. I want to get into video game development, although I’m not sure what I want to do in that field yet. However, there are many things in this class that could apply to most if not all fields of game development. First and foremost, I want to learn how to create an engaging experience for players to where they would genuinely enjoy playing a game that I created, and want to go back to it. Secondly, one thing I am currently learning and realizing is that there are multiple different kinds of play. Play isn’t outrightly doing something that evokes a positive feeling. As it is said in the reading, “Play is the manifestation of humanity, used for expressing and being in the world.” (Sicart, p. 2) Play is the way in which we exist in the world. That being said, I’ve also learned that play is a concept that reaches beyond games. Referring to games, Sicart says, “They are a manifestation, a form of and for play, just not the only one.” (Sicart, p. 4) I’m hoping to further delve into learning just how much play affects us in our lives. Since play is, “a fundamental part of our moral well-being,” (Sicart, p. 5) I believe it is important enough to fully understand exactly how it affects us and how I can use that understanding as a video game developer to create a more fulfilling play experience. Finally, I hope to learn how to take more risks in my design process. I am guilty of generally playing it safe in my design process for games, and risk-taking is an integral part of play itself, as “play is always dangerous, dabbling with risks, creating and destroying, and keeping a careful balance between both.” (Sicart, p. 9) 

   I’m currently playing a few different games right now. I’m playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but as a fun fact I have played it everyday since its initial release. At the time of writing this, it has been 527 days, and I’ve only missed playing about four or five. Aside from that, I’m also playing through Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne and Persona 4 Golden. I’ve never played any Atlus games before, and I like them quite a bit! The Persona series is a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series, however both are quite different from each other. Persona tends to be more light-hearted (at least in the beginning), while Shin Megami Tensei doesn’t shy away from dark and intense storylines. Playing both keeps a nice balance between the different styles. Other than that, I’m not playing any non-digital games, but I’m sure I’m about to be in this class! I’m very excited to see where this class goes this semester, and I think I will learn things that will be essential to know for the line of work I plan to be in.