Merel van der Wal

Cats With Hats

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

ABOUT THE GAME

Cats with hats is a strategic, two player board game that can be played from ages 7 an up. Plan which hats will be yours and when to place your hairballs. Use your pounce wisely and don't forget to feed your cat! The cat with the most hats in the end wins it all.

INFORMATION

Platforms:

Engine:

Year:

Team size:

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2015

1

RESPONSIBILITIES

Designing the game
Designing/ creating the assets
Playtesting

LEARNING ACHIEVEMENTS

This was my first project at the university. And I'm happy that I started out on paper as it gave me some valuable insights

Start small

To prove a concept, start with the minimal viable product. My first version of this game almost didn't fit on my desk, and it wasn't exactly fun. It was hard to tell what was causing the issue, as there were too many components to tweak. I stripped the game down to it's essentials and started building up from there, only adding things that would enhance the fun.

Play test, play test, play test

I went through at least 40 iterations, all based on playtests. Finding the right playtesters can be challenging, but incredibly valuable.

Paper prototypes

When I was done with this project I still used the paper prototyping skills I learned in this project, for other projects. Proving that something works (or doesn't) on paper, can sometimes greatly reduce risks.

Passion for game design

Before I started this project, I wasn't completely sure if game design was for me. I didn't know exactly what a game designer was supposed to do and what needed to be done to become one. After this project I was completely sure. I loved the process and I loved seeing people having fun while playing my game.