Week 12 Session: Synthesis

Choosing which parts of the semester's vocabulary one finished game actually needs

10 May 2027

This week adds nothing new on purpose. Every primitive from press through scanning is available; the task is deciding which ones a single finished game actually needs, and cutting the rest without regret. A game that uses all eleven earlier weeks’ mechanics is not more accomplished than one that uses three well — it’s usually just unfocused.

Before the session#

Bring every prototype you’ve built this semester. You’ll be raiding them for parts, not judged on how many you can fit in.

In the session#

A short check-in on scope, then studio time on the final build — this session runs like every earlier one, not like a special “project day.”

Studio exercise#

Build one complete one-button game from a chosen subset of the semester’s vocabulary, and write a short note stating which weeks’ mechanics you kept, which you cut, and why the cuts made the game better rather than smaller.

By the end#

You can defend a scope decision — which is the actual skill this whole semester was practising underneath the mechanics.