Firewatch: (Studying) the Anatomy of a Game Design Process

Researching the design process of games can help researchers understand how and why designers act and how their actions influence the media they produce.This paper discusses an approach employed by the authors that combined elements of game jam practice with timelines to form an understanding of the design and development process.The approach facilitates the development of a rapid understanding of the design process and can help to identify key insights for further study.In our experience, the approach can help to quickly map the territory of the game design process and form the basis of more detailed investigations.