MyAquarium

MyAquarium is a simulation reliant on user-generated content created for the Solo Studio class in UT Austin's Arts & Entertainment Technologies Major.

Link to project: https://ucantbemedev.itch.io/myaquarium
Link to prototype: https://ucantbemedev.itch.io/myaquarium-prototype

The assignment the original prototype was created for involved pitching an installment to a virtual convention, so my original proposal imagines a screen with a QR code allowing visitors to add their own drawn fish to the simulation with their phones. In the spirit of that idea, my prototype and final game were made in the Godot game engine with browser and mobile compatibility in mind, though I ultimately decided to favor a landscape design for more enjoyable playtesting.

I first created the drawing tool for the game, which featured a 3D preview and initially only accepted keyboard inputs for the various options, and after several rounds of prototyping with peers, I landed on a UI design I feel is both stylish and functional. The simulation also saw development between the initial prototype and the current version, receiving a fully 3D background, scrolling light shader, and particle effects in the event a fish eats another. More than perhaps any other game development project I have undertaken, MyAquarium has deepened my understanding for several aspects of programming and design.

Playtesting this game was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in college thus far, and I think a large part of that is the inherent fun user-generated content can bring to a project. Allowing user expression in almost any sort of game or programming project can create a greater attachment to one's work, but almost nothing beats the fun a bespoke painting tool can provide.