Over the past four weeks, Jack and I have each built a game from an assigned prompt within certain design restrictions. Each week presented a new challenge. Some of these were technical, others were from the prompt. We both agreed that we enjoyed the projects, and they did not really feel like work. Personally this was because I had total control, meaning I could set my own schedule and quickly make decisions. There is also a lot of fulfillment in building something entirely by myself to completion.
We both felt as though we hit a wall with the constraints after Project 4. Some of it seemed to be from the combination of prompt and constraints, but we felt as though they restricted the process in a negative way for the first time. We discussed altering them, or making entirely new ones; in the end, we chose to get rid of all constraints. We also both felt as though we would like to work on a longer project, so we decided to do one more instead of three.
From an instructional standpoint, I think it is important that this class has flexibility. Our purpose is to teach design skills and methodology through discovery and self-reflection; if the student spend significant time frustrated rather than learning, adjustments need to be made. This makes it difficult to write a detailed week-by-week syllabus, but I think enough information can be put into it to allow for variable structure and how to do that well.