GOAT-ED

I worked independently on this project through a dedicated three-month design process, emphasizing iterative development and the concept of “killing your darlings.” Player feedback was a key factor at each stage. 

Process

The project was organized into two-week sprints, with each sprint focused on delivering prototypes that players would enjoy. Starting with research on recent game releases and trends, I explored new concepts through brainstorming, mind-mapping, and ideation. I selected the most promising concepts and presented them to a diverse audience, including friends and non-gamers, gathering feedback on each concept’s strengths, weaknesses, and appeal.

With this input, I refined and iterated on the chosen ideas, developing prototypes in the most effective medium. This included in-engine builds for technical aspects or paper prototypes for UI layout and loop testing. Every prototype included a functional gameplay loop. After playtesting, I gathered additional feedback, returned to brainstorming, and presented refined concepts back to players, further refining those that resonated most with them.

At the end of the iterative sprints, the most successful game concept from the process was chosen and entered production.