Genre: Platformer

Engine: Unity

Platform: PC (with the goal of releasing on consoles)

Release: 2024

Originally designed in 2010 using Game Maker, my passion project Boingo returns for a planned official release! Boingo is a friendly fellow who must embark on a grand quest to save his family - and perhaps the world whilst he's at it.

In this game, you must help Boingo bounce, wall-jump, and air-dash through a wealth of exciting 2D platforming challenges. Collect as much Star Power on your way as you can in order to explore more of the world! It features pixel-art graphics made by my partner, music by my sister, and will retain lots of the designs conceived in the original game 13 years ago, refined with my more recent game design experience.

05/02/2024 - Drop In and Play @ DCA

In November 2023, my partner encouraged me to participate in the Drop In and Play event hosted by her place of work, Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA). This event, hosted annually, is an opportunity for local studios and independent developers alike to demonstrate their work to the public, allowing guests to play early prototypes and recently finished games. The event would take place on the 9th of December 2023.

At this moment in time, I'd made a prototype of Boingo, but it merely consisted of a test environment full of various mechanics that were in development. It wasn't close to being commercially playable, but it had received casual testing from peers, so I decided to tidy my work by making short levels for a trailer, and used that video and this page to apply for the event. I then committed to making a fully-playable prototype over the next few weeks.

After I was accepted, I made a plan for a demo that would contain up to 4 different levels (with plans for more if time would allow), and started tracking my progress and self-imposed deadlines in Excel. I aimed to showcase an engaging primary gameplay loop, from title screen to level clear to the next level, with each level demonstrating different mechanics. The levels would scale in difficulty as well, meaning the target audience at the event (children) would be eased into the experience with a couple of easier levels, with the option to take on a bigger challenge if they wanted to.

The best part about dedicating 3 weeks to extensive development was being able to focus on level design. I had been looking forward to it, and was ready with plenty of ideas from the go. Being able to fulfil my passion on a personal project whilst working towards a deadline was a rewarding experience, and it has greatly cultivated my design skills and confidence in my work.

Shortly before the end of development, I made a second preview trailer to drum up some hype, and help attract people to the event. It showcased the fruits of my labour over the course of the 3 weeks, and indicated how far the game had come in such a short time.

Committing to presenting a polished, playable prototype at a public event quickly became a beneficial and enjoyable experience for myself, and gave me the opportunity to do things I really wanted to do, from seeing the public enjoy my creation, to printing business cards for myself. It went better than I thought it could go!

Whilst I gained valuable experience watching people play Boingo, I also greatly benefitted from meeting people and spending time with the community. I was able to bump into old friends and make new ones, as well as begin to establish a name for myself, and hopefully be recognized by people at the next event I attend!

Things I gained from this experience:

• Massive progress on Boingo, from messy prototype to polished demo, which has led to more design experience

• Improved my ability to present my work independently, since I last did so with Rune, which allowed me to have many lovely interactions with parents, children and fellow developers alike, as well as receive a variety of helpful feedback

• Thanks to said feedback, I was able to crush some major bugs I wouldn't have found otherwise

• New friends and connections

• A memory I will cherish

• The drive to finish Boingo, once and for all!