Exhibited at the Pace University Arcade Machine!
Role: Game Designer
Duration: March 2025 (2 days)
Engine: Unity
For Vortex Vertigo, I worked as a Level Designer to highlight our unique gravity mechanic in a circular level. Specifically, I:
• Built a game meant for an arcade cabinet suitable for touring museums during the Phenomenal Arcade Game Jam.
• Contributed to the rapid iteration of several prototypes to balance movement and platforming.
• Managed version control in GitHub, debugged code, and blocked out levels with a time constraint of two days.
Game Design
Designing for the Arcade
Contributions:
• Clarified player objectives through an arcade-style point system which utilized a star collection mechanic and limited lives.
• Enhanced playability by adding a double jump, which counteracted the randomness of the central gravity mechanic.
• Focused the core gameplay loop on a movement mechanic that highlighted the theme of gravity.
Core Mechanics
Star Collection
Double Jump
The main objective for this game is to collect stars to obtain a high score. During the design process, I thought about what mechanics defined the arcade gaming experience for me. Ultimately, I decided on an infinite point system with a life restriction, adding a double jump to enhance the gameplay towards these objectives. Given more time, I would have implemented a scaling difficulty system to avoid endless gameplay.
Vortex Vertigo GDD
Initial ideation
My team and I focused on the phenomenon of gravity to fit the theme of this game jam and chose a moving gravity mechanic to emulate the pull of a black hole. While playtesting this mechanic, the element of randomness stood out as a key reason for player death. To balance this, I chose to give players five lives for enough protection against this randomness while still staking some risk in the game.
Level Design
Circular Platforming
Contributions:
• Designed a single-stage, circular level to prioritize an "arcade feel" for the game.
• Iterated upon platforming sections to consider playability even when movement was restricted by gravity.
• Assigned obstacles and platforms with a clear visual identity to communicate intent without explicit instructions.
Level Blockouts
Linear platforming design
Circular platforming design
While blocking out our original plan for a side-scrolling platformer, I felt that it was difficult to clearly convey the gravity mechanic and resulted in an unfulfilling gameplay experience. Instead, I experimented with a circular stage, which emphasized the presence of gravity while naturally creating an infinitely playable stage that is typical of arcade games.
Initial prototype
End result
In my initial prototype, the limited field of view made platforming too difficult to juggle with the randomness of movement. Expanding the field of view for the finished product gave players enough visual space to plan their movements ahead of time and avoid surprise, which contributed to a much more satisfying platforming experience.
Game Jam Photos
Parsons + Pace Phenomenal Game Jam
