Art 200: Introduction to Art and Design for Games

Project 3: Backyard Bug Hunt
Tools: Canva, Google Slides
November 4 - December 2, 2025

A two-person team project developed over three iterations, focused on designing a resource-based board game about collecting bugs, inspired by Parks and Catan.

Design & Challenges
Early concepts struggled to meaningfully integrate the bug theme. Initial ideas, such as players shrinking to bug size to retrieve machine parts, were cut after playtests showed bugs felt secondary to gameplay. Iteration led us to redesign the board and cards to better center bugs.

Playtesting & Iteration
Playtests revealed player discomfort with bugs and confusion around their role. We removed the biased setup instructions and fixed bugs so they function as core resources and player icons rather than abstract elements.

Next Steps
With more time, we would further balance resource distribution and improve board randomization.

Prototype 1 (Playtest)

Prototype 2

Project 2: Paperman: The Game

Overview:

Work in groups to make a physical board game based on an animated short; ours was Disney's Paperman.
Capture the theme and the animated short's feeling.
Iteratively build the board game using tools like playtests and design documents.

October 7 - October 29, 2025

Disney's Paperman Short Film

Final Board Setup

Action Cards

Window Cards & Player Pieces

Rules

Board Design

Constraints
The game needed to be physical, based on our Disney short, and completed within three weeks.

Tools
Canva (board, cards, one-page design doc, rules).

Design
We explored multiple scenes and mechanics, including team-based play and airplane movement inspired by Chutes and Ladders. Due to time constraints, we focused on the window scene and created a board game using Chutes and Ladders-style mechanics.

Playtesting & Iteration
Early playtests showed the game was too short, relied too much on luck, and lacked player interaction. We extended the board, added action and window cards, and replaced die rolls with card-based movement and player sabotage.

Later playtests revealed issues with board clarity, card readability, pacing, and underused window tiles, but players enjoyed card comboing. In response, we refined the board’s visual design, clarified card effects, reworked the employee card, adjusted card ratios, repositioned window tiles, and expanded combo opportunities.

Next Steps
With more time, I would continue playtesting new card abilities, study other card games for inspiration, and further refine the board artwork.

Paperman Iterations:

First Iteration (10/15)

This was the first board for the game, created in Google Slides. We wanted to recreate the window scene from the animated short. It includes a Google script for a die roll and a second slide for the three different cards players could roll for.

First Iteration Cards (10/15)

One Page Design Doc (10/20/25)

Board (10/22)

Board (10/7)

Project 1: Dead End (Board Game)

Overview
A reimagined version of Viva Topo! developed over three iterations. The game introduces a zombie apocalypse theme and new mechanics including revival, randomized cave exits, and an aid point system.

Constraints
The project required modifying Viva Topo!’s mechanics, theme, and board, conducting playtests with two groups per iteration, and producing a complete rule set. The project was completed in two weeks.

Tools
Canva (board and instructions), Google Slides (turn and event die scripts).

Design
The zombie theme informed all mechanics, including the ability to revive after zombie bites using aid points and apocalypse-themed events inspired by The Walking Dead. Early versions had long playtimes due to the board's length and excessive joker tiles. I shortened the board and reduced the number of joker tiles to improve pacing while preserving tunnels and joke tiles, which test players found engaging.

Playtesting & Iteration
Tunnels were reworked from permanent hiding spaces into randomized exits to add unpredictability. An event die, and joker tiles were added to increase variation, with careful placement to prevent frustrating back-to-back effects. Playtests showed these changes improved engagement and flow.

Next Steps
With more time, I would further refine the board’s visual design and unify the iconography for aid, tunnels, and other key elements.

Game Board

Instructions

Page updated

Google Sites

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