Videogames aren't all about action and skill, quick reflexes or even fun. Videogames are an interactive medium, one where the developer has almost total control over the user's actions. They require a lot of technical know-how (Math), and a lot of feedback and guidance to the player (Art). That's why I find myself coming back to the medium whenever I can.
RockSmash! - A Year in the Neighborhood
RockSmash! - A Year in the Neighborhood is a small 2D arcade game developed over four years. Developed in a small team at Studio Izoria, I programmed, designed, modeled and animated the elements of the game.
I built the engine from the ground up, and ended up spending a lot of time making an AI system for helper characters, tweaking heuristics and algorithms, and balancing intelligence with trade offs in frame-rate. The game is 2.5D and I modelled and rendered the sprites using an insanely old version of 3DS Max (version 2.5!) |
I work with students with disabilities, so I'm interested in how disabled people play games. I reached out to the AbleGamers charity, and did what it took to get RockSmash! to hold up to their Includification guidelines.
The game can be controlled with normal keyboard controls, a mouse, or only three buttons. I added dynamically scaling difficulty that gauges, then matches your ability. Enabling high-contrast mode clears the clutter and makes everything on the screen easier to see. We tried to include as much choice for the player as possible. Because that's what Includification is about. |
|
Nia - (Dis) Communication
90% of Deaf children have hearing parents. Only 10% of those parents learn ASL (American Sign Language). For many of these families, communication with their Deaf kids is not easy--and it isn't even happening.
A research project for UC Berkeley's American Studies department. Exploring Deaf culture in the US through interviews and traditional research, I synthesize informant "kernel stories" into gameplay scenarios for hearing people to play through, to give players a greater appreciation for the techniques that Deaf teenagers use to fit into hearing society. Every interaction in Nia is based around communication, and the challenges that one has to overcome to be understood. I developed Nia with the Unity game engine for roughly 6 months with a focus on agile and efficient design. I have indefinitely paused development on Nia due to other work. One day, I'd like to revisit this project and bring it to a proper release. |
Copyright 2013-2017 Morgan Randall. All rights reserved.