One of the best things about starting afresh in a new domain of work, is learning about the domain itself – its goals and significance, the various terms and jargon that describe it and where my own work and contributions fit within it. This is something I have the opportunity to do these days having recently made the switch from Music Technology to Gaming. Until now, my exposure to computer / video games had been only as a consumer hooked onto some awesome and engaging games, much to the concern of my parents and leading to a few not-so-impressive grades in my school and university progress reports. I then sort of drifted away from gaming and devoted much of my attention to Machine Learning and Music Technology. But now gaming has assumed a professional significance in my life through my current role at Unity. Specifically the field of Game Design to which my current research project is related.

So, I did a bit of looking around for an introductory resources on Game Design. I found a few books, blog posts and articles online but what really caught my attention was a three-part course on Game Design Foundations offered by Brenda Romero on LinkedIn Learning. After quickly skimming over the course material, I had no hesitation to sign up and get started with it. And now, after about two-and-a-half weeks, I’m done with the material thoroughly enough to understand what my colleagues in the project are talking about and some exciting thoughts on how my role as an ML expert could fit into the overall project! Now I know what someone means when they say “Core Loop” or “Lootbox”, or what it is a designer has in mind when aiming to design a fun and engaging game. I’m only getting started, and it’s all very exciting!