Game Design 101: The First Question
After years of teaching Game Design, I’ve found there’s no better way to start a semester than with a little philosophy—and a little mischief.
I walk into class, smile, and ask a simple question:
“What is a game?”
…and then I wait.
Just long enough for that wonderfully awkward silence to settle in.
Some students—especially the seasoned gamers—look at me like I’ve just committed a crime. “How do you not know this?” their faces say. But slowly, the answers start coming: definitions, examples, passionate takes.
Someone inevitably pulls out the dictionary. Lately, AI joins the conversation too.
That’s when I lean in and ask:
“Ahh, the dictionary… but what does life say?”
And now we level up.
Is life itself a game?
If money is your score and health is your life bar… how are you playing?
Then we really get into it:
Is going on a date a game? (Controversial, I know 
)
Is picking your outfit like customizing your avatar?
Is cologne or perfume just… crafting your charm spell?
And the ultimate question: Is there a Level 2 date?
Somewhere in the distance, Leisure Suit Larry quietly nods in approval.
By this point, the room is alive—students laughing, debating, connecting dots between games and the real world in ways they never expected.
And that’s the moment.
Because game design isn’t just about mechanics, points, or pixels.z
It’s philosophy. Psychology. Storytelling. Identity.
It’s a mirror.
These early conversations remind us that games aren’t separate from life—they reflect how we think, choose, and play.
I’ve been collecting these moments as part of a larger idea I’m developing—a book exploring why we play and what games really mean.
Level 1 has just begun.