Welcome to an arrangement of my Game Design learnings!
Over the years I have published a lot of games, some of which have even made it to Steam, such as 'Echoes of Adventure'. But now I want to focus solely on the games I have worked on as a Game Designer. These are amazing, little projects that were developed by a team of 4 to 9 people over the course of just one semester. Each of those has taught me about the different ways in which a game can be fun for players — and for oneself! As of today, the last game is still in development, so I will provide an exclusive insight into the process of creating an unusual action game!
A chaotic game about caring for a bunch of curious children in a deadly playroom.
- Game Design Contributions: Concepting the Gameplay Loop, Designing all 6 levels, Usertesting & Bug Reports
- Achievements: I was especially proud of my structured and simplified "bi-phasic" gameplay approach that separated a level into a preperation phase and an action phase. I also categorized iinteractables to be useable in only one phase each. This way players could enjoy multiple game mechanics without being overwhelmed by having access to everything all the time.
- Learnings: I learned a lot about keeping players in a flow state by setting strict rules to follow during my level design and then progressively increase the difficulty. Additionally, I carried out user testing with my peers for the first time, gaining insight into different play styles. This formed the basis of impactful decisions aimed at improving the overall player feedback.
A strategy game about stopping wildfires in the Savannah from spreading in realtime.
- Game Design Contributions: Iterating on new Puzzle Mechanics that are based on Research about the Savannah, Improving Tutorial Levels with Flowcharts for Code Implementation, Adding new Levels with Side Quests, Usertesting & Bug Reports
- Achievements: This was the first time I had worked on an existing game, which allowed me to focus on researching and improving the established mechanics to create a clearer player experience. The team and I displayed our game at the German Dev Days 2024, where many visitors played it for 10–40 minutes. We also had the opportunity to strike up conversations and receive external feedback from industry professionals.
- Learnings: In addition to managing a production team of nine people, I have experienced close teamwork within the Game Design department. That led to faster and suitable feedback, which helped me to open up more to different ideas. I really liked the opportunity to apply real-life knowledge to game mechanics, which is why I chose to join the team and work on the project for around five months.
A fast-paced game about a parasitic fungus surving a deadly environment by fighting enemies and spreading spores to take control over them.
- Game Design Contributions: Concepting the Gameplay Loop, Designing all Room Layouts and Enemy Spawn Waves within those, Balancing Enemy Behaviour and Player Progression
- Achievements: I devoted myself to a semester project that would push me out of my comfort zone, allowing me to design a fast-paced action game with a twist unlike anything I have seen before. Many have praised our original idea so far, and I have made it my goal to keep the gameplay elements as simple as possible. I have consistently stripped the core game of unnecessary mechanics and implemented meaningful decisions regarding the management of the limited amount of spores.
- Learnings: For this specific project, the key is not clinging to a genre, but achieving the desired experience first. The game has evolved from an RTS to an action game, incorporating elements of resource management and roguelite. I have researched similar games that inspired the fast-paced combat experience, but I also aimed to make our game stand out by increasing the sense of power and control through the sheer survival instinct of a parasite and its brainless followers. I've basically learned to stick to the core elements of the game and allow it to evolve organically, something I'd like to continue doing in future projects.
Thank you very much for reading about my experiences as a game design student. Feel free to reach out to me any time and be sure to check out my latest game Fungus Takeover!
- Anastasia Schleicher
