How to Create More Game Designers with Jay Cormier
Sep 12, 2023
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Game design expert Jay Cormier discusses teaching game design concepts, the intersection of digital and physical games, play testing and receiving feedback, meaningful decisions in a game design book, game design kit for kids, and gamifying a campaign in game design.
Teaching game design should focus on concepts like game classification, mechanics, themes, and decision-making.
Setting constraints, such as limited playtime and components, is crucial to prevent scope creep in game design.
Experiential learning and interactive activities are effective methods for teaching game design and engaging students.
Deep dives
Teaching Game Design to the Next Generation
The podcast episode discusses the process of teaching game design to the next generation. The host interviews Jay Cormier, an experienced game design teacher and prolific game designer. They explore the structure of his game design class, focusing on different concepts and tools such as game classification, mechanics, themes, and decision-making. They also discuss the importance of understanding uncertainty and feedback loops in game design. The episode highlights the benefits of teaching and learning game design and explores a game design project called Design Your Destiny that Jay Cormier has been working on.
Managing Scope and Prototyping in Game Design
The episode emphasizes the challenges of scope creep in game design and how to prevent it. Jay Cormier shares his approach of setting constraints, such as designing games playable within an hour and limiting the number of components. The episode also delves into the process of prototyping and playtesting games, discussing the importance of physical prototyping for a hands-on experience. Jay Cormier highlights the value of tangible game elements and the excitement they bring to the design process, compared to digital mediums.
Key Concepts and Insights in Game Design Education
The podcast episode covers various key concepts and insights in game design education. Jay Cormier discusses the importance of understanding different types of decisions, including those with no information, meaningless decisions, obvious decisions, and good decisions. He also explores the role of uncertainty and rewards in game design. The episode provides examples of games that exemplify these concepts and explains how they contribute to creating engaging and enjoyable game experiences. Additionally, Jay Cormier highlights the effectiveness of experiential learning and interactive activities in teaching game design.
Design Your Destiny: A Unique Game Design Learning Experience
Design Your Destiny is a revolutionary learning tool that combines a compelling story with interactive games, aimed at teaching game design. The product includes a book with a text-based story, filled with beautiful illustrations, and accompanying games that integrate seamlessly with the narrative. Each chapter of the story presents a different game, gradually introducing game design concepts and encouraging players to make decisions that shape the gameplay experience. It also emphasizes the importance of playtesting and iteration by allowing players to unlock stickers as rewards for improving each game. Design Your Destiny offers both an at-home version and an educator version, making it a versatile educational tool that can be used in schools, libraries, and other learning environments. The Kickstarter campaign provides an opportunity to back the project and support its distribution to local schools and libraries.
Gamifying the Campaign: Interactive Stretch Goal Unlocking
The Design Your Destiny Kickstarter campaign offers an innovative approach to stretch goals. Backers have the opportunity to vote on which stretch goals they would like to unlock, creating an interactive and engaging experience. By commenting on the campaign page, backers can cast their votes, and every few days, the most popular stretch goals will be unlocked based on the votes received. This gamification of the campaign encourages participation and creates a sense of excitement and ownership among backers. It is also a demonstration of the campaign's commitment to involving the community and delivering a product that aligns with their preferences and desires.
