For my industry event I decided to attend PAX Unplugged, which was an event focused around nondigital games. During the event, there were a few panels relating to game design and resources that can aid in that, and I feel as though I learned a substantial amount while attending them. Since a large part of this project is physical, combined with the fact that I would like both halves of the game to stand on they’re own, I figured this could end up being very applicable to the project. I found that it was.

One of the resources that I knew about, but had never really considered, was game jams. These are basically events where participants are given a theme and have to make a game based off of it within a set amount of time. I had heard about them, and thought they were cool, but I had never really thought about participating in one. In addition, self-imposed challenges seem to be helpful to people. These follow a similar vein to game jams, where people will impose time or resource restrictions in order to make a game. Constraints can help with creativity. Also, it’s fine to take a simple idea and expand on it. Not everything has to be super complex.

The most significant thing that I learned was about playtesting and gathering feedback. One of the suggestions that stuck out to me was to direct feedback. This means if you know that your UI or something is bad and will be changed, then just tell the playtesters upfront, and they will be less likely to comment on it. Additionally, ask for feedback in sections. Ask for poitive feedback first, because people can be easily caught up in negative criticism. That being said, don’t throw out criticism if it’s negative, while at the same time not making every change that players suggest. Pay close to attention to things that are brought up multiple times or that mulitiple people comment on, as that can show where the problem lies.