jckanni

Designer Statement for Game Design 1 (Umbrawlla, Linear Beats, and The Darkness)

I feel like mechanical games are what I want to continue making. It's always satisfying when a designer can take simple elements of a concept, whether it be movement, storytelling choices, or card abilities, and use synergies between multiple of them to create a game that has a lot of breadth and depth. My favorite mechanic in all of my games was the fact that if enemies were stuck in walls, they could not move and acted as stationary obstacles; if they were not they functioned as normally. Enemies also could not be killed if they player didn't have the particular umbrella for it. This allowed the enemies to serve a variety of uses within the game other than just being things that the player should kill.

I did like however, the branching mechanics of my narrative game, and the variety of structures a narrative tree can take. While some choices definitely led to different paths of the narrative, I found that looping narratives could help create a sense of powerlessness which I was going for in my narrative about being trapped in darkness.

I also found my concept of an educational game interesting, as it was the first time I tried to design an open sandbox that could be explored. Initially with my drum beat game, I was thinking that the player should have to make a specific beat at a specific tempo, but I found it more interesting and educational to have where the player can choose the beat and tempo that most resonates with them.

As for what people should expect when they play my games, I think it's safe to say that anything goes. The most fun thing about game design for me is the exploration of concepts, with each concept being executed in a way to make a player feel a specific way. With Umbrawlla, I wanted the player to feel powerful if they strategized on how to take on the level correctly. With Linear Beats, I wanted the player to feel inspired and creative in the sandbox given to them. With The Darkness, I wanted the player to feel powerless, but also intrigued upon what lies within the darkness.