My essential question is: what is the relationship between design and development? To answer this question I am specifically looking at game design and how a game goes from concept to something playable. I chose to focus specifically on games when answering my essential question because they are something I am really passionate about. In 10th grade, I took a class on game design outside of school where we talked a lot about game design in a conceptual way. That’s why I want to learn about the relationship between design and development, I can learn how I can make the ideas I’ve crafted into something real. I’m coming into the project knowing a lot of the fundamentals of game design that I’ve learned both from the classes I’ve taken, the books I’ve read for the classes, and videos where people talk about games and break apart what does and doesn’t work in them.
There is, however, a lot I don’t know about game design, especially in relation to my essential question. While I’ve learned a lot about designs and concepts, I’ve never really learned how to create them and how to change plans to create a final product. I think I need to learn a lot more about creating things and how ideas can change when going from ideas to real, physical things. With this all in mind I’m wondering: how do I realistically translate ideas and plans into a final product, what changes are made along the way and why, and does the reality of making games influence how they are designed?
Caleb, so much possibility here. It might also be good for you to think more generally about what constitutes a good game and how a game is a manifestation of some desire to engage in “play.” What are the most powerful and pleasurable games for you to play? What do you think in their design gives them this power? You may also want to explore non-game related aspects of play. What kids of play is most satisfying? How might you fold these understandings into a framework for the design of your game?