[Ref No: 01, 15, 29, 30]
JUGAL BANDHI
The Duet of Game Design
THE PREMISE
At its core, I teach game design as an intricate, intertwined duet a Jugalbandhi between the architect of the system and the agency of the player.
THE PHILOSOPHY
When my students enter the classroom, they often expect to immediately start building their ultimate "dream game". However, my primary focus in this course is teaching them how to solve complex, creative problems collaboratively as a team. I provide them with hands-on experience in project management, team dynamics, and cross-disciplinary communication, all rooted in my fundamental philosophy that play is the voluntary overcoming of unnecessary obstacles.
CORE CONCEPTS & ACADEMIC REFERENCES
- The Anthropology and Semiotics of Play: Treating game design as a "culture in miniature".
- Anatomy of a Meaningful Decision: A game is a series of interesting choices.
- The Aesthetic Triad: Evaluating games holistically through Systems, Style, and Fiction.
- Testing as Ethnography: Observing human behavior in controlled environments.
STUDENT SHOWCASE
The result of the Jugal bandhi.