MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
What a Day! is a 2.5D game for iPad set underwater. The player is a worm who has to attract fish and lead them up to a fisherman’s hook while trying not to get eaten. There are different fish with different speed capabilities so the player must vary the worm’s speed accordingly.
Aimed at a younger audience, this game is a light-hearted adventure with a stylised art direction. The game progresses in stages. Each stage adds difficulty by increasing the number of fish the player needs to catch and also adding different, harder to catch fish.
Dare has been an incredible experience and given us great insight into what it is like to work in the games industry. It can be hard to gain industry experience which is why Abertay University running Dare is so good. Also, meeting industry experts and gaining their knowledge has been a priceless experience.
It has been interesting to see the other teams’ progression and how they work. Although it is a competition, there is great camaraderie between all the teams.
As individuals we have improved our skills in our respective fields as well as our ability to understand how our role affects the others. The main thing that we have all learned is how to work together as an efficient team.
Personally, as a Scottish ambassador, I have learned how to communicate better through a cultural barrier. It has helped me to explain my ideas more clearly and also understand my team’s ideas better. With a playable game now under our belts, we feel Dare has given us the experience we need to start careers in the games industry.
We have all been thinking about ProtoPlay since before Dare started. The opportunity to have thousands of people play a game that we have developed is a goal that we can all tick off our list.
We just hope that we have been able to take our mentors’ advice and apply it to a great end result that people enjoy playing. We are also excited to see everyone’s games finished and to celebrate our achievement.
After Dare we all plan to find employment at games companies so we can continue to pursue our passion of game development. Dare has provided us with the experience we need, so now we want to use it to contribute to other great companies on amazing game projects.
Follow LazzyBrains on Twitter @dare2012_lazzyb to learn more about their game.
Dare ProtoPlay and Indie Fest takes place between August 10th and 12th in Dundee, with all 15 Dare student games on show, as well as indie games, conference talks and much more.
