Digital games & projects

By the Acton Academy Eagles

Over the past few weeks studio members have learned the fundamentals of programming and game design to program their own computer games using Block code, or Java Script.

Play the games, and view the project descriptions below, then vote for your favorite.

*CLICK game/project title to see more details, click "play the game" button to play

Run! Pinky! Run!

By Patrick O'Leary using basic Java script

DESCRIPTION

Pinky is trying to collect coins while dodging obstacles that hurt you and push you off the screen.

HOW TO PLAY OR USE

Instructions are in the game.

CREATIVE PROCESS

I first came up with the concept for my game in week two of this session. I was laying in bed on a Wednesday night and in an instance, I went from falling asleep to planning. I spent about thirty minutes just laying there thinking about how my game would work. The concept then evolved over the next two weeks and by the time we were supposed to code our final game I already had a full game built in my mind, so I immediately went to work. Over the next 48 hours, I would end up coding for more than 10 hours, and by the end, I had created a fully functioning game. Then came the moment of truth, I had to present my game to some of my studio members, and they loved it. Now that I got confirmation my idea was good it was time to tackle the second big hurdle of my game: sound. It took nearly a week to get the sound in my game the way I wanted it, but in the end, it was all worth it as through sound I was able to fill out my game.

Snatched

By Brian Teeter using Block Based code

DESCRIPTION

Welcome to the life of Ariana grande! You're performing on your brand new tour when a crazed fan gets onto the stage! Your goal is to snatch off her wig and get more followers than her so that you can continue your tour and get verified on social media! You only have so much time before your concert is over, so act fast!

HOW TO PLAY OR USE

Use the Up/Down/Left/Right arrow keys to move around. Once you get close enough to the crazed fan, you will gain followers and she will lose some. The crazed fan is fast, so she can bounce from place to place on the screen fast, so you have to catch her.

CREATIVE PROCESS

When the day finally came to make a game, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Keira jokingly said “what if you made a game about Ariana Grande” we laughed about it for a second before I thought to myself “maybe I should actually try and do that” and here we are now! After some work, I was able to make this game that I really enjoy playing and I made something I am proud of. I wanted to make something that was fun and I would enjoy coding, which is why Keira’s absurd idea actually ended up being the best game idea for me.

Your Quarantine Garden

By Katelyn Dishinger using Block Based code

DESCRIPTION

It’s another day in quarantine. And like many others you are at a loss for what to do to fill the long hours of the day. Today your challenge is to take care of your own quarantine garden. Simple by watering your plants you are bringing new life to them. This game is meant to be a relaxing time pass and is to simply make you feel happy as you water your plants in a very aesthetically pleasing setting.

HOW TO PLAY OR USE

The game is very simple. Your objective is to water the plants as they go by to keep them alive. Your pitcher is controlled by the arrow keys on your keyboard. The plants will go by at varying speeds so make sure to keep up and take care of your plants. Once you water 15 plants you will win the game!

CREATIVE PROCESS

I wanted to create a game that was very aesthetically pleasing and was overall just nice to play. The majority of games are ones that are high stress and you have to reach a goal to win. I wanted my game to simply be relaxing and bring my players some joy. There’s a bit of a challenge to keep you engaged but overall it’s relaxing and aesthetically pleasing.

Battle of the Bands

By Keira Collins using Block Based code

DESCRIPTION

Hey! You’ll be playing as the band Why Don’t We! Your goal of the game is to crush all of the other bands trying to steal your hype and collect all of your music! You know you have won when you get the picture of you holding your gold music!

HOW TO PLAY OR USE

Use the space button to jump to collect the music and crush the other bands! But you have to find the purse first!

CREATIVE PROCESS

Brian and I were brainstorming our games together and we both came up with crazy ideas to incorporate our favorite artists into our games to make it our own. In the end, it ended up really working out and our games are very fun and creative!

Alien Escape

By Meg Hart using Block Based code.

DESCRIPTION

BAM! The alien Sme crash lands on the Red Planet, home of the ancient monsters who worship orange spheres, and have a tendency to not talk to other species. Sme soon realizes he ran out of fuel in the wrong neighborhood and has to scramble to find the gems to fuel his ship. But, he may be too late because the Kharloe, Acul, Jamin, and Nod monsters have found him. Kharloe yells "I am taking you prisoner because your type is known for not producing excellent spacecrafts." Panicked, Sme looks at the fuel tank and realizes he needs 25 gems to get his ship up and running. Can he do it? Will Kharloe capture him? All in the hands of you.

HOW TO PLAY OR USE

This is a multiplayer game for two. If you are playing as the pink alien, Sme, your goal is to collect as many gems a possible to refuel your ship. You will use the arrow keys to move your Sme around. If you are playing as the teal alien, Kharloe, you will use the keys "a, s, w, d" to move him around. Your goal as the Kharloe is to catch the alien to stop him from leaving your planet.

CREATIVE PROCESS

Going into this game making process I wanted to focus on one aspect of my game that would stand out. My overall game concept is pretty simple and not that interesting, but I think the multiplayer aspect of my game makes it much more fun. I was thinking back on my elementary school life that was filled with Cool Math Games. Cool Math Games was the pinnacle of the days in the computer lab. So, I took it back to my "roots," if you will, and thought about the ultimate game on Cool Math Games, Fireboy and Watergirl. This is where the core idea of my game came from, and I drew inspiration from it.