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Anyone Can Make a Game!

Rapid Prototyping For All

Joshua Marris Melissa Schmitz

Hack Upstate XV

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Joshua Marris

  • Systems Administrator
    • Not a professional game dev or graphic artist!
  • Built simple, game-like sketches in p5.js
  • Very VR/AR/MR/XR interested
  • First time hackathon participant
    • ...and part of prize-winning team!

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Projects created in a weekend (or less!) in p5

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Brain Drain on Devpost

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Brain Drain advertisement on Vimeo

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Making Brain Drain

  • Collaboration was key -- sharing files is hard in a compressed time!
  • Use your talents but let your ego take a backseat
  • Be ready to provide what’s needed
  • Focus on the core of your finished product and add only what’s necessary to demo

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Melissa Schmitz

  • Emerging Tech Engineer
  • VR Tech Lead
  • Hackathon winner
    • Hack Upstate X Grand Prize
    • WiCHacks 2019 Most Commercially Viable App
  • Le Moyne College ‘18
    • Physics and Chemistry
    • (i.e., also self-taught!)

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MiXR Spatial Synthesizer

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Tools for Making MiXR Spatial Synthesizer

  • Unreal Engine 4
    • Can use C++ or Blueprints (no code needed!)
    • Enables spatial audio
  • Blender
    • Make or edit 3D models
  • Ableton Live / Audacity
    • Prepare audio files for synthesizer music
  • CGTrader
    • Free assets to decorate the scene!

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How can you get started?

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Photo from TryDesignLab.com

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Forming an Idea

  • Brainstorming Questions
    • Any problems you want to solve?
    • What type of games do you enjoy?

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  • Minimum Viable Product
    • Minimum: What bare bones features that need to work?
    • Viable: Can I reasonably accomplish this?

Would it be easy for others to use?

    • Bonuses: Save these ideas for when your MVP is done!

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Choosing Your Tools

  • What do you already know?
    • C#: Unity
    • C++: Unreal Engine
    • Python: PyGame, Pyganim
    • JavaScript: AR.js, P5.js, Phaser, SparkAR, Snap Lens Studio
    • No code: Unity, Unreal Engine, SparkAR, Snap Lens Studio, GameMaker, RPG Makers

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Choosing Your Tools (2)

  • What platform do you want to use it on?
    • Desktop
    • Mobile
    • Web-based
    • VR/AR headset
  • How many players?

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Choosing Your Tools (3)

  • Free Sound / Music
    • FreeSound.org
    • BenSound.com
    • FreeMusicArchive.org

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  • Free 3D Models
    • CGTrader.com
    • TurboSquid.com
    • SketchFab.com
    • Google Poly

Remember to give credit when posting publicly!

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Note the license granted for you to use others’ assets (e.g. CC)

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Bonus Tips for Success

  • Set realistic expectations and milestones
    • Work backward from your demo
    • Plan out incremental improvements to your overall goal
  • Fail fast
    • Be methodical, but try to get just enough done to test it
    • Allow yourself to scrap ideas if they’re not working
  • Ask for help!

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Case Study: Mighty Duck

  • Make sure the duck appears
    • In the right orientation (x, y, z)
    • Correct size (big)
  • Allow for attacks
    • Set HP for the duck
    • Create attack events
  • Make it multiplayer
    • Host it on a website
    • Implementing WebSocket API

https://youtu.be/CmUzZdsf5hM

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Thanks for listening!

Enjoy the event!