Game Designer’s Mindset

Week 1: Generating Ideas 
Kick off by exploring techniques to spark creativity on demand. Learn to generate hundreds of ideas—from characters and environments to quests and mechanics—through playful exercises and creative sprints. Share your work on Padlet and receive constructive peer feedback.

Week 2: Inspiration Beyond Games 
Broaden your creative toolkit by looking to art, science, and other fields for inspiration. Explore combining unexpected ideas with the SCAMPER method and continue sharing and discussing work on Padlet.

Week 3: Analysing Games and Designing Experiences 
Take a deeper look at a game you love to understand why it engages players. Apply these insights to your own designs while exploring Movement and Space and Gameplay Loops, and learn systems mapping and systems thinking in the live session.

Week 4: Designing with Players in Mind 
Focus on your target players, imagining them as real individuals to guide design decisions. Learn empathy mapping to understand their needs and motivations, helping you make more informed design choices.

Week 5: Evaluating and Refining Ideas
Step back to assess the ideas you’ve generated so far. Use evaluation tables and reflective techniques to decide which concepts to develop further, while keeping other promising ideas on hold.

Week 6: Gathering Early Feedback
Test your game concept with real-world feedback. Present your ideas in an early, “unfinished” state to encourage honest and constructive input that will shape your next design steps.

Week 7: Refining and Defining Key Elements 
Combine player insights and feedback to identify your game’s unique elements. Focus on refining mechanics and visual components, exploring problem definition, and creating a prioritized plan for development.

Week 8: Developing Visual Identity 
Bring your game to life visually with mood boards, maps, and images. Use character design, color, and shape to communicate quickly with players, guided by your understanding of your target audience.

Week 9: Crafting Your Pitch
Learn to communicate your game concept concisely with a one-minute pitch. Explore different ways to present your idea, refine your focus, and identify areas for further development.

Week 10: Final Pitches and Reflection 
Bring everything together in a pitch and supporting document. Link your game concept to your players’ needs, present your solution, and receive feedback. Refine your reflection into a polished statement for portfolios or personal statements.

*When scheduled, live sessions usually take place Sundays however can be subject to change.