Before the First Session
Before the class, I was cautious about AI. I kept up with the news, but I had never studied it in a structured way or completed a project with it.
I was about to begin graduate school. I wanted to study and work more efficiently, but I did not know where to start.
I needed someone to show me the first step.
From a Rough Idea to a Working Game
Over eight sessions, I built several small games, including a flower-growing game called Six Flowers. I used AI for story development and scripting, map testing, simple 3D modeling, and reports. I also made small apps, data dashboards, and other AI tools.
Each project taught me to turn a rough idea into clear tasks, then review and revise AI’s output instead of accepting it as-is.
Finishing those games felt great. I also learned how to turn an idea into something I could test, one step at a time.
When Other People Played the Games
Friends and testers started playing the games and telling me what was fun and what still needed work. Once other people were using what I had built, I knew much more clearly what to change next.
I later helped shape a course and taught an introduction to art.
I realized I could share what I had learned if I organized it clearly. That could save someone else a few wrong turns.
Six Flowers: Letting AI Agents Hand Off the Work
For Six Flowers, I assigned different tasks to different AI agents, then passed each agent’s output to the next one.
That was when agent compounding clicked for me: one agent’s work became the starting point for the next. Once I had mapped the tasks and handoffs, the agents could take part in the whole production process.
What AI Can Do. What I Still Decide
After a few projects, I started seeing more clearly which tasks AI could handle and which decisions were still mine.
AI can help with technical problems and prepare assets. I still decide the art direction, style, and feel of the game.
I trained as an artist. AI lowers some of the technical barriers, so I can spend more time choosing and refining.
What I Kept Using After Class
Tina showed me how to use the tools, then helped me think through what I was actually trying to make.
We talked through the brief and turned vague preferences into concrete criteria until I could explain exactly what I wanted. She was patient and followed up to see whether I was using the method on my own.
I came away with a way to think through a problem and move the work forward. The tools were only one part of it.
What I Would Tell My Earlier Self
If I could start over, I would be bolder. Get the idea clear, then try it. You do not need a technical background to start, and mistakes are part of the work.
I want to keep building dashboards, trying local deployment, and working on smaller design projects. AI is no longer an occasional tool. It is part of my actual workflow.
I would recommend the class to anyone who is curious about AI and willing to try building something. You do not need a technical background. You do need to start.