Video game development during a pandemic: a student's perspective

This paper seeks to go over a student's journey of video game development during the Covid-19 pandemic. It will showcase the unique challenges of working on a project remotely and the development process that was set out by the University of Utah's Entertainment Arts and Engineering Capstone Class. It will also show the work the student did on 2 video games in the game engine Unity. The first video game is Chromatique an artsy 2D platformer where the player can traverse a monochromatic world using various abilities from the colors of a magic paint brush. It will look into the various mechanics that were added into the game. While showing remorse for the game getting cut from the development process. The second video game is Shattered Slime a 2.5D platformer about a cute slime that can change densities to traverse platforming challenges and avoid getting shattered. It will take a dive into the various aspects of the game the student worked with such as: the slime's size changing mechanics, prototyping, implementing a video game controller, and releasing the game to the public. This paper concludes with the lessons learned over the course of the capstone project. It will show how getting a product published is a difficult journey. Concluding with the struggles of creating a video game remotely and reflect on different philosophies for game development.