AboutFish! was created for the ocean game jam (Berlin 2017). It was a team project and I took the main role of artist, while also contributing ideas for the gameplay and discussing balance. The game was made in two days and was one of the 3 winning titles. It was also one of my first finished projects and my first ever game jam.
ScienceBefore the planning and team building stage of this game jam there were a bunch of presentations held by academics, illustrating the beauty but also relevant problems we are facing with our oceans.
We decided to focus on the issue of over-fishing, as it was the best opportunity for gamification. The gameplay was meant to create awareness for the issue by punishing too active fishing, but also for too scarce. Finding just the right balance to not kill the entire population, but also survive yourself (after all you need to sell fish) should be the goal. Post MortemThe jam was an amazing experience. Especially creating assets on the fly and seeing them directly incorporated was rewarding. I also learned how to deal with feedback from team members.
Overall I was very satisfied with what I managed to draw in less than two days of time, but also kind of disappointed that not all of that made it into the final game (top right picture is just a mock-up). This was perhaps the time where I realized I had to learn how to program too. There was also another group which had a very similar idea to us, but made more of a simulation than a game. Looking back at it, we should have probably joined forces. |