Game Jams

During the Scream Jam (A Game Jam focusing on making something spooky), I designed this spooky path-finding puzzle game where the player is trying to adjust the layout of a maze so that kids can escape without being attacked by evil skeletons. I used this opportunity to learn how to use the Unreal Engine and how the blueprints work.

This game was designed with eye-tracking as its intended input. Using my experience with eye tracking, I integrated plenty of design choices so that eye-tracking users would be comfortable with the game. This includes adding breaks for the player to encourage them to blink, ensuring all interactive components are far away from each other (and the main focal point) to avoid accidental interactions, and adding pauses for interactions to activate.

There are also some comedic elements added to the gameplay to keep the experience feeling fresh. This includes some comedic dialogue added in the previously mentioned breaks and an enemy skeleton who appears to mess up the player’s strategy at the worst moments possible.

During the Movie Game Jam (a Game Jam where participants made a game based on a movie scene), I designed this first-person arcade-racing game inspired by the infamous boulder scene from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The goal of the game is to create as much damage as possible while chasing a treasure hunter down a temple.

One of the aspects I focused on during this jam was to create camera behavior that could convey the boulder’s movement to the player. One way I conveyed turning to the player was by having the camera tilt on the side during turns; this way the player knows when they are turning without thinking of what their last input was. In order to convey rolling forward, I added small rotations with the camera and adjusted the perspective of the camera to convey speed. Finally, I tested with casual players to see if the camera’s behavior was effective and didn’t cause motion sickness.

During the Hamilton Paper Bag Game Jam (where I also served as a Game Design Mentor), I designed this sports game as an engaging way to use the game’s theme: balloons. The core rules are that the player needs to hit their opponent first with their Balloon Sword while staying in the designated area.

Upon playtesting, minor rules have been adjusted to encourage movement and a fairer fight. This includes changing the designated standing areas, having the players face away from each other so they have to move first before swinging, and choosing where the player has to hit their opponent to win.