(Everybody was) Fugu Fighting

This was the game I worked on for Nordic Game Jam 2016 - one of the biggest game jams I have attended yet (there were over a thousand jammers at the site!). The theme of the jam was 'Leak'. After deciding to stay clear of some very straight-forward interpretations of what that meant (e.g. a game where you leak documents to the public, or a game where you have to fix a boat while it's leaking), our team ended up making a multiplayer game in which two blowfish fight to the death. Check out the game here:

https://selinsop.itch.io/fugufighting

Screenshots:





I was mainly in charge of sound design (which has become my de-facto role in game jams, since there often aren't that many sound people in attendance) - so many of the sound effects (obtained by a few hours with a balloon and a microphone) and the music were created by me. During this jam, I decided to work with new people rather than familiar faces, and we all clicked pretty well! It's definitely something I will try more of in future...

"The Saga of Anders Bluebeard"

This was the game I worked on for Splash Jam 2016 - probably one of the most unique game jams I have attended, since it all took place on board a cruise ship. The theme was "Beginnings". The team I was with decided to make a game that is a tutorial all the way to the end, and then we took that initial idea and added a couple of twists. Check out the game here:

https://pnam19.itch.io/the-saga-of-anders-bluebeard

Screenshots:





For a change, I did not do two things that I'm normally in charge of - game design and writing - and I tried my hand at two things I hadn't done before - programming and voice-acting (including the goat!). The end result was a lot better than I expected, especially since I had to figure out how to use Gamemaker Studio without the help of the Internet (the wifi on the ship never worked for me) and somehow hammer out this game in just two days.

"Trauma"

This was the game I worked on for the Global Game Jam in Singapore 2015. The theme was "What do we do now". I joined forces with an old friend and his team over at Rotten Mage Games - they have some neat stuff at their website http://www.rottenmage.com/ - and we made a point-and-click game that takes place in a hospital during a terrorist attack - conceptually, I would say it closely resembles Papers, Please. Check it out in the link below:

http://globalgamejam.org/2015/games/trauma-0

Screenshots:




Just like the game jam I attended last year, I did most of the game design for the game (for example, I came up with the main gameplay dynamic of choosing which patient to save within the time constraints). I also composed the music and sourced the sound effects for the game. On the whole, I was really happy that we managed to pull off a simple game with a mature theme that managed to get players to ask themselves, "what do we do now?"

"Ascent"

This started out as my resume when I had just graduated a few years back. I decided to revamp it to become more of a companion piece to my new resume. If anyone ever needs to know why and how I wanted to become a game designer, this is the place to look:

https://41cc131c36fe5b3d359ac1391b850b1de4507a5b.googledrive.com/host/0Bx6xb7n-5ZbxZmpyVzdVOXBKSkU/index.html

The last time I made this, I used placeholder art that came with the software I used at the time (Gamemaker), and it didn't have sound. This time around, I used a different software (Construct 2), drew my own art and composed my own music for the game. I still wouldn't call myself a master programmer or art maestro, but it's good to know I can make a complete game on my own :-)

Screens:

"A Closed World"

This was the game I worked on at the GAMBIT Game Lab in MIT as a game designer. It's loosely based on old-school turn-based RPGs like Pokemon and Earthbound, and is an attempt to deal with queer issues in games in a respectful and meaningful way. Check it out in the link below:

http://gambit.mit.edu/loadgame/aclosedworld.php

Some screenshots:

Not only did the game spark many a discussion on the potential of games to tackle mature subject matter, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to get a close look at the inner workings of game development. Huge props to the amazing people I worked with at Team Fabulous and our 'father' figures Todd Harper and Abe Stein! :-)

"Howzat" and "Homerun Heroes"

These were the two sports games I worked on at Gameventures Pte. Ltd as a game designer. They are both facebook games, which means they have the usual gamut of 'Farmville' features such as a regenerating action-point system and many, many share options, but they are also surprisingly in-depth as sports games, with gameplay that requires far more skill and reflexes than the average Facebook game. Check them out below:

Howzat:

http://apps.facebook.com/howzatcricket/

Homerun Heroes:

The game was shut down in 2013, but here are some screens of what it was like when I worked on it:










While there, I learnt a lot about not just game design itself (from user interface layouts to in-game progression systems), but about social games as well, and the different ways in which they retain players and generate revenue in order to stay alive. Interesting stuff!