Two video games Harrisburg University (HU) interns helped design are launching on Steam this holiday season.
“Volar,” a stop-and-go precision platform game about the titular hero’s heartbroken journey to outrun his past, simplifies traditional platforming controls with a single button. The second game, “Fist Food,” is a casual top-down arcade game where the player defends their pond as a frog by timing their aims to destroy enemies in their own way while scoring as many points as they can before time runs out. It is the perfect game to play if you have a quick 30 seconds to kill. Both games are available for purchase on the online video gaming platform Steam.
Throughout the past two years, HU Game Designer in Residence, Justin Sabo, worked with five interns to develop the games via Poccade, the University’s in-house gaming studio founded by Sabo. Four of the students helped with programming and one pitched in with marketing of the games.
“Students gained a wealth of real-world game development experience working on these games,” Sabo said. “They learned to make quick decisions, tested ideas, and grew accustomed to revising their work. They also saw their efforts transform into a finished project. Plus, they worked in a real game studio with other people, proposed new ideas, documented bugs/fixes, and verified their implementation.”
Senior Mason Harford has helped develop three video games during his time at HU. Mason enjoys the creative challenges game development provides to him.
“It was fun coming up with unique ideas and the challenges the player must overcome,” Harford said. “I believe I have a much better grasp of level design in games and testing for player information. Getting to practice almost every day has made me more confident in my capabilities as a game developer.”
For William Rubly, a senior Interactive Media major, helping develop the games provided an in-depth experience of working on the development of a game. He said anyone interested in game design should consider an internship with Poccade.
“I really liked being able to edit levels, coming up with different design ideas, and being able to spot any bugs through testing out different combinations of assets,” Rubly said. “I would recommend anyone an internship position at Poccade, whether they wish to do programming/design, or even an artist role if one comes up. It’s a good way to get the experience you need in those areas.”
Stay tuned for the next announcement to wishlist and get notified when both games are released.
ABOUT HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY
Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Harrisburg University is a private nonprofit university offering bachelor and graduate degree programs in science, technology, and math fields. For more information on the University’s affordable demand-driven undergraduate and graduate programs, call 717-901-5146 or email, Connect@HarrisburgU.edu. Follow on Twitter (@HarrisburgU) and Facebook (Facebook.com/HarrisburgU.
