Game Studies / Final Compilation

22.09.25 - 29.12.25 (Week 1-14)

PAN RUINING (0378138)

Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

Game Studies / Final Compilation

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CONTENT LIST

· INSTRUCTION

· TASK PROGRESS

· FINAL CARD GAME

· REFLECTION

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INSTRUCTION

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TASK PROGRESS

Ideating

“Sprout Up!” is a strategic, family-friendly card game where players compete to grow their plants the fastest while facing unpredictable weather and player sabotage.

Genre : strategy, party, educational

Target audience: aged 8 and above, 2-4 players

Duration: 30 - 45 minutes

Fig 1.1 Card Game Ideating

Presentation slides

SPROUT UP

WEEK 1 - 4

The first four weeks of the project was dedicated to ideation and decision-making. This resulted in our team successfully choosing the concept for our game and ultimately agreeing to proceed with Sprout Up! This was immediately followed by us focusing on the core game mechanics where each member was cooperative and contributed feedback to ensure that our game and its mechanics was engaging to the players. We meticulously tried to eliminate any loopholes that players may exploit and result in ruining other player's playing experience.

Fig 1.2 Creating and ideating the card game

In the Second half of the four weeks, the team moved from ideation to creation where we developed paper prototypes of the game's cards. This allowed us to perform an initial testing which allowed us to determine if the game is playable with proper game mechanics before moving to creating the actual cards for the game. The initial Playtest resulted in us changing the damage of the action cards and the number of shields and growth cards for the game, ensuring an enjoyable experience for the players.

WEEK 5 - 6

For these two weeks, most of our time was spent on designing the actual cards for the game, with changes applied to the mechanics according to the initial playtest we did amongst ourselves.

Fig 1.3 Writing game descriptions and drawing card artworks

This is the final results of our cards for these weeks, featuring pot cards and growth cards (sunflower, bamboo, and cactus)

Fig 1.4 Sprout Up! prototype design (growth card and bloom token)

WEEK 7 

This week was spent on recording the first official playtest which is played by our group members. 

Fig 1.5 First playtest with team members (5× speed)

This resulted in more changes to our game mechanics such as adjusting the number of shields in the game and the damage that damage cards can inflict on other plants.

WEEK 9

This week was spent on recording the second official playtest which is played by new members from other groups.

Fig 1.6 First playtest with team members (5× speed)

The first round of testing revealed that the game was slow-paced due to an excessive number of shield and damage cards, reducing player engagement. 

To fix that, we sped up the game by reducing the number of these cards and increasing the effect of the "High Growth" card from +2 to +3.

WEEK 12

In Week 12, we focused on refining the card designs where we spent the first hour of the class decorating the cards so that it's easily recognizable by the players and soo that Players won't take as much time reading the cards. This makes the cards more intuitive. This was followed by the last and final playtest with both new and returning players.

Fig 1.7 Adding artwork to action cards

Fig 1.8 Final prototype family photo

Fig 1.9 More testing with team members

Third Playtest with both returning players and new players

                 Fig 1.10 Third playtest with new and returning players (5× speed)

The 3rd test went really well, after fixing the game based on the feedback given in the last 2 play test, The 3rd group of players found no issues with the game.

WEEK 14: Presentation video and finished card game

Presentation video

                                      Fig 1.11 Final presentation video

Final card game

  Fig 1.12 Inside card game box cover

Fig 1.13 Inside card game box

Fig 1.14 Card game content

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REFLECTION

Experience:

I found this project especially interesting. Although we were initially stuck on deciding what kind of board game to design, through collective brainstorming and suggestions from all team members, we eventually came up with this card-based game. We worked together to establish the rules, create and illustrate the cards, and then test and refine the gameplay. The whole process felt both fun and fulfilling, and in the end, we successfully created a card game that is both enjoyable and cute.

Observations:

I observed that creating a game may seem simple at first, but in reality, each round of testing reveals new issues that need to be fixed and refined. This process requires patience and strong collaboration among team members.

Findings:
I found that designing a game cannot rely solely on testing by the developers themselves. It is essential to have people who have never played the game test it. Only then can we obtain the most genuine feedback and improve the game’s playability.