I attended Global Game Jam 2015 at the UT Austin. Austin has a thriving game development community, and I estimate at least 60-70 people turned up for the weekend. Corporate sponsors made it rain free Red Bull and pizza at various times, providing welcome refreshment/energy.
I had the pleasure of working with Tom Long, Stuart Imel, Kez Laczin, and Keith McCormic. Our game was Dino Rampage, where the player controls a schoolbus in a doomed attempt to escape a dinosaur park. It can be played here
I decided to pivot the End Run project in a new direction. The new goal of the game is to put players in an environment where every major instrument in the song has a visual that appears when it plays. The drums, for example, have fireworks appear if the player moves on a beat when there are drums. The prototype level is complete and ready to play! I recommend downloading the windows version for higher resolution and more responsive controls, but there is also a web version available.
End Run is a rhythm/arcade prototype I created during May 2014 and refined in between my summer travels. Players move once per beat toward the end of the level while dodging obstacles. After getting settled into Austin, I chose to pivot the game in a direction that would allow players to visualize and interact with the music on a deeper level.
The first three levels are refined and complete, and can be played below!
I attended Burning Man again this year. It’s an exceptionally creative and often misunderstood festival. If you’ve never heard of it, check out the event’s website for a very general idea. In the end, the only way to know is to go!
I finally got my USPA Class A skydiving license! There is a formidable amount of education, training, and certification neccessary to become a skydiver. It took me 30+ jumps, dozens of hours of preparation, and two summers. I’m now able to jump on my own, with other skydivers, pack my own main chute, and generally enjoy skydiving!
My awesome instructor Steve Kanat recorded a video of the final dive I needed for my license, available below.
I’d like to thank Skydive Tecumseh for providing an excellent AFF course and supportive community. I highly recommend them if you’re located in Michigan.
