Game Development

Moai Mayhem

My very first game project, and…it shows. It is far from ideal, but I am still satisfied with it, given the absolute zero experience I had leading up to it. I am not an artist, and while I have begun taking up more artistic hobbies recently, in order to improve my ability to work solo on projects such as this, this project was before then. As our first individual project, we were required to create every asset ourselves, including a thirty-second introduction animation for the game. As stressful as it was, this project allowed me to prove to myself that I am capable of much, and that as long as I continue to invest time into developing my skills, both in programming and design, I would make it far. As for the game itself, Moai Mayhem is a game where you, a magical floating head of stone, must collect crystals and coins in order to stop the volcano’s eruption, in order to save the island.

In the relatively short time I’ve been at GIMM, not only have I proven myself as a competent programmer, I have also shown to be a strong leader. Whether I wanted to or not, I have been put in positions of leadership in every single group project I’ve been a part of in this program so far. Even as “lead programmer”, I was required to make decisions and provide guidance to the artists of our groups, when our art leads weren’t measuring up. Challenging as it is, I believe that being in these positions provide me with even more experience working in Unity than if I had simply been another programmer, only doing my assigned section of code. I better understand how my code needs to interact with the other elements of a project, such as assets, game environment, and even the types of controls being used to play our games.

It is thanks to my past experiences that have allowed me to excel in these unfamiliar projects. Prior to starting in GIMM, I worked for the Meridian Library District at their business library and maker space, unBound. My days at unBound were spent setting up 3D prints, maintaining the library’s machines, and helping patrons with whatever they needed help with. Often, I was challenged with the needs of those patrons, having to learn how to do something for myself, just so I could show them how. It is thanks to this experience that I am able to learn, that I can face new tasks, new challenges, and still perform.

Since January of 2024, I have also been working part time for the GIMM department, and this last semester, I was given the opportunity to work as a Peer Mentor in the lab on the weekends. As a Peer Mentor, it has been my job to work with first-year GIMM students, and assist them in debugging and completing their first game projects. Much like my library job, this position has proven to be a learning experience, often challenging me with unfamiliar ways of writing code, errors I’m unfamiliar with, and concepts of mechanics that I had not yet tried. I have become increasingly capable in my ability to find solutions, even in fields and contexts that are otherwise unfamiliar to me. It is for that reason that I believe my still small amount of experience is a strength, rather than a weakness.

While I might be a young developer, and still in the early stages of my learning, I believe I am ready to take on more opportunities, and the challenges that come with them. I am prepared to learn whatever is needed of me, wherever I end up.