Rjiang64

Designer Statement:

As I reflect on the games I created in Game Design 1, I see each project as an extension of my values and vision as a designer. To me, games are more than just entertainment or a way to past time. Instead, games can be served as a medium for expressing creativity and a place where players can discover and learn. Games can serve multiple purposes, from encouraging imagination or making meaningful experiences. 

During my CURRIC 357 semester, puzzle dependent and action oriented games resonated with me the most. I enjoy how these games challenges players to plan, think strategically, and adapt.  In my mechanical game, “Find Your Way Home: Escape the Biomes”, I attempt to reflect these values. By providing unique mechanics and biomes for each level, players are encourages to think strategically, backtrack, and explore to find the solution.

Looking forward, I want to build more narrative games that educate and deliver information in interactive ways. By designing mechanical features into narrative yet educational games, I aim to give players agency in their action. Whether the narrative follows a linear or branching path, allowing players to make their own decision, reinforces the educational themes of the game. The ability to create games that is both captivate and leaves a lasting impact is the kind of designer I strive to be. 

My inspiration for this kind of game design comes from my high school experiences, where roleplaying as characters or entities in the material made learning interactive and more memorable. These moments showed me the importance of agency and immersion in education. To teach through engagement.  For example, in “Win the States,” players learn about the electoral process by stepping into the role of a party nominee, crafting a slogan, and exploring party values before the election. This approach keeps players engaged while they learn.

When people play my games, they should expect creativity, thoughtful design, and emphasis on players choice. I want my games to do more than just entertain. Through interactive story telling, problem solving, and engaging the human mind, my games aim to educate and inspire in otherwise a textbook could not. 

In the future, I hope to learn more game engine to help me develop more and more indepth games and impactful games. To create games that serve as a valuable learning opportunity while keeping it fun and engaging.