I developed the design philosophy that shaped Best Friends Grind Together into a 2–4 player social experience. I wanted to explore how friendship dynamics could translate into gameplay, where cooperation and competition coexist. To support this, I conseptulized and iterated on a multiplayer scoring system that rewarded each player individually based on the animals they stacked, encouraging teamwork, rivalry, and replayability.

Process
• Defined Core Philosophy: Designed around friendship as both cooperative and competitive.

• Designed Scoring System: Balanced rewards with shared goals to promote interaction.

• Mapped Motivations: Refined how competition and collaboration influenced engagement.

• Refined Gameplay Loops: Tuned pacing and feedback for both teamwork and rivalry.

• Enhanced Social Dynamics: Encouraged unpredictable, personality-driven play.

I conceptualized the tilting tower mechanic in Best Friends Grind Together, shaping how the game balances chaos and collaboration. I worked closely with engineers to bring the mechanic to life, ensuring the tower reacted dynamically to gravity and created moments of tension as players tried to keep their unstable creation upright. I also led playtesting and iteration to refine how each collapse into the grinder encouraged communication, adaptation, and laughter among players. My goal was to turn instability into a shared experience, where every fall strengthened teamwork and playful competition.


Process
• Defined Core Mechanic: Framed the tilting tower as the link between chaos and cooperation.

• Collaborated with Engineering: Tuned gravity, tilt, and stability to feel reactive but fair.

• Led Playtesting: Observed how players responded to tension, collapse, and recovery.

• Refined Feedback: Adjusted systems so failure encouraged communication, not frustration.

• Reinforced Social Play: Aligned the mechanic the game’s focus on teamwork and rivalry.

I designed the race-against-time mechanic in Best Friends Grind Together, where players stack animals before the timer runs out. My goal was to make time pressure exciting rather than punishing, turning the final moments into bursts of chaos and laughter as the tower grinds down when time expires. I collaborated with engineers and designers to fine-tune pacing and visual feedback, ensuring tension built naturally without overwhelming players. Through iterative playtesting, I refined the system to keep players engaged, communicative, and motivated to rebuild stronger each round.

Process
• Defined Core Goal: Made time pressure thrilling instead of stressful.

• Collaborated Cross-Discipline: Tuned pacing and effects with engineers and designers.

• Refined Visual Feedback: Used animation and countdown cues to build anticipation.

• Led Playtesting: Collected player reactions to balance chaos and clarity.

• Enhanced Replayability: Ensured each timed round felt rewarding and socially dynamic.