Students Come Together for a 24-Hour Game Development Challenge
Fueled by snacks and sodas, 33 Game Design & Development students created a playable game in just under a day
Full Sail’s Game Design & Development staff hosted their latest “24 Hours of Gaming” event this fall, a guerilla-style coding session where students from across the program are given one full day to band together and create a playable game from scratch.
“I’ve always wanted to be able to offer a different kind of workshop for students,” shares organizer Keyvan Acosta, Associate Course Director for the Structure of Game Design class. “You have to create new ways for people to experiment with game design, and the idea was to get them to meet new people and get something fresh out of it.”
Thirty-three students stepped up to the challenge, and spent from noon Saturday to noon Sunday camped out in the Game Design & Development conference area. Four instructors oversaw the impromptu design studio, working through the night to help brainstorm, problem solve, and bring their original game concept to the screen.
“We actually had a few students show up that have only been through one class and were already hungry to make games,” says Kent Ward, Lab Specialist for Engine Development I. “So that was very impressive, for people that early on to be dedicated enough to get started on a game and work on it all weekend.”
Thankfully the staff provided plenty of fuel for the long night, with the group going through 16 pizzas and an endless supply of soda by sunrise the following day. A strict schedule also helped the production stay on track, with milestones set every four hours for the group to integrate their code and address any issues they were having.
In the end the team managed to hit their deadline with minutes to spare, delivering a game they dubbed Basic Window. This quirky 2D maze shooter offered four playable levels, multiple enemies, and a number of puzzles – with a premise which Ward describes as “being about a computer program that’s full of bugs, and you play as a robot that goes in and fights them using various programming tactics.”
“I’m really proud of how it came together,” said student Alyssa Detling, who worked on the game’s menu system. “We just wanted a small 2D game, and because we did it that simple it looked very professional and polished when it came on the screen because we were able to do lots of little things to it to make it beautiful.”
“I think it was a good experience and I would definitely do it again,” student Jay Baird added.
This latest gathering marked the second “24 Hours of Gaming” event the staff has held this year, and they continue to be encouraged by the dedication of their students, and quality of the work they’re able to produce under such tight time constraints.
“Ultimately I hope they look back at this experience and remember when they had enough energy to do it,” Acosta laughed as he packed up. “It’s a good memory from their time here, and if they can use that memory as inspiration to keep them going when they’re making games in the industry then that’s all I can ask for.”
“I’ve always wanted to be able to offer a different kind of workshop for students,” shares organizer Keyvan Acosta, Associate Course Director for the Structure of Game Design class. “You have to create new ways for people to experiment with game design, and the idea was to get them to meet new people and get something fresh out of it.”
Thirty-three students stepped up to the challenge, and spent from noon Saturday to noon Sunday camped out in the Game Design & Development conference area. Four instructors oversaw the impromptu design studio, working through the night to help brainstorm, problem solve, and bring their original game concept to the screen.
“We actually had a few students show up that have only been through one class and were already hungry to make games,” says Kent Ward, Lab Specialist for Engine Development I. “So that was very impressive, for people that early on to be dedicated enough to get started on a game and work on it all weekend.”
Thankfully the staff provided plenty of fuel for the long night, with the group going through 16 pizzas and an endless supply of soda by sunrise the following day. A strict schedule also helped the production stay on track, with milestones set every four hours for the group to integrate their code and address any issues they were having.
In the end the team managed to hit their deadline with minutes to spare, delivering a game they dubbed Basic Window. This quirky 2D maze shooter offered four playable levels, multiple enemies, and a number of puzzles – with a premise which Ward describes as “being about a computer program that’s full of bugs, and you play as a robot that goes in and fights them using various programming tactics.”
“I’m really proud of how it came together,” said student Alyssa Detling, who worked on the game’s menu system. “We just wanted a small 2D game, and because we did it that simple it looked very professional and polished when it came on the screen because we were able to do lots of little things to it to make it beautiful.”
“I think it was a good experience and I would definitely do it again,” student Jay Baird added.
This latest gathering marked the second “24 Hours of Gaming” event the staff has held this year, and they continue to be encouraged by the dedication of their students, and quality of the work they’re able to produce under such tight time constraints.
“Ultimately I hope they look back at this experience and remember when they had enough energy to do it,” Acosta laughed as he packed up. “It’s a good memory from their time here, and if they can use that memory as inspiration to keep them going when they’re making games in the industry then that’s all I can ask for.”
