Week 10 represented a pivotal stage in the development of my project, as the focus shifted towards consolidating all previous work into a clear, playable, and communicable experience. This session centred on gameplay and interaction design, with an emphasis on testing low-fidelity prototypes, evaluating player engagement, and refining ideas in preparation for the final pitch and Game Design Document (GDD).
A key learning outcome from this week was understanding the distinct roles of the Pitch Deck and the GDD. While the pitch deck is intended to excite and communicate the game’s overall vision, tone, and appeal at a high level, the GDD must serve as a precise, practical document. It is designed to clearly explain systems, mechanics, workflows, and intentions so that developers, designers, and collaborators share a common understanding of the game. This reinforced the importance of clarity, structure, and specificity in my documentation moving forward.
Building on earlier weeks, I refined the core gameplay loop at the heart of my project. The experience centres on stealth, movement, and evasion, with the player controlling a masked character navigating hostile environments where being seen is a constant threat. Rather than relying on direct combat, the gameplay encourages patience, observation, and strategic decision-making.
The core loop can be summarised as:
- Observing the environment and enemy behaviour
- Navigating through shadows and environmental cover
- Reacting to danger by hiding, repositioning, or escaping
- Progressing through the space towards safe zones or objectives
- Repeating the loop with increased tension and complexity
Defining this loop clearly has helped me align gameplay, level design, visual language, and audio direction within the GDD. It also ensures that every mechanic directly supports the intended player experience.
This week placed strong emphasis on low-fidelity prototyping as a tool for testing interaction flow rather than visual polish. By breaking the experience down into simple screen-by-screen flows and interaction models, I assessed whether player actions feel intuitive and whether the game communicates feedback effectively.
Peer feedback highlighted the importance of guiding players through environmental cues rather than heavy UI or text-based instructions. This insight reinforced my intention to rely on lighting, spatial design, and contrast to naturally communicate where players can move, hide, or take risks. As a result, interaction design has become closely tied to level layout and visual direction rather than existing as a separate system.
The visual discussions this week helped me clarify how aesthetics directly support gameplay. The masked characters play a central role in reinforcing themes of anonymity, fear, and survival. Their shadowy silhouettes and obscured identities allow them to blend visually into the environment, supporting stealth mechanics while also strengthening the narrative tone.
Environments are designed with similar intent, using layered spaces, lighting contrasts, and narrow sightlines to create tension and uncertainty. This week reinforced the idea that visuals are not purely aesthetic choices, but functional tools that shape player behaviour and decision-making.
Although audio will be developed further in later stages, this week encouraged early consideration of sound as part of the overall experience. I began outlining the types of audio assets required, including ambient soundscapes, movement cues, and tension-building music. Cinematic sound design and atmospheric R&B-influenced tones have informed my thinking, aligning with the slow, suspense-driven pacing of the gameplay.
Importantly, this session also highlighted how audio design can become a significant time investment, reinforcing the need to scope it carefully within the project’s MVP.
A critical reflection from Week 10 was identifying potential time sinks and managing scope effectively. I defined the minimum viable product (MVP) as a single, polished gameplay slice that clearly communicates the core experience. Features such as expanded environments, advanced audio systems, or additional mechanics are considered future extensions rather than essential requirements for this stage.
This approach ensures the project remains achievable while still delivering a strong sense of identity, atmosphere, and mechanical depth.
Overall, Week 10 helped solidify my understanding of how gameplay, interaction design, visuals, audio, and project management must work together cohesively. The session reinforced the importance of being precise, intentional, and realistic when documenting and presenting my project. Moving forward, my focus will be on refining the gameplay loop, tightening interaction flows, and ensuring that every design decision clearly supports the game’s core vision as outlined in the GDD.
