Win the White House

I worked alongside another software developer for Win the White House. As a mentor, he helped me understand the layout of this game as well as the code. After playing the game for a bit, I was given the task of localizing the game from English to Spanish. This meant that users could switch from English to Spanish or vice versa.

The task was very time-consuming, as I had to check in every scenario of the game if the switch could happen, but it helped me learn about diligence and hard work. Once I finished, I was proud of myself and the work I put in.

I also spruced up the text of the game by updating them to Text Mesh Pro, a unity text component that made for crisper text on the screen. Lastly, I worked on error fixes, small things that broke from updating the game for many years. Working in an Agile/Scrum environment, I had to learn time management and be able to give estimates to my producer. It was the beginning of my experience working with others and it helped mold the rest of my time there.

Engage With Older Adults

Working on Engage With Older Adults was, for me, a wonderful opportunity to work as a solo developer. At Filament, many teams work for different clients, so each team has one developer. Because I was so new, they put me with mentors for all projects except Engage With Older Adults. It was really a chance for me to prove myself, no matter how small the project changes really were.

The game was already made, but the client wanted changes and updates and added features. I was given the opportunity to add VoiceOver to the narrators and characters and update some narrative paths and balancing features. This gave me an insight into what narrative design and writing would be about, and it made me excited to pursue it in the future. The game is currently not out yet.

Branches of Power

The last project I was a part of was Branches of Power. I was part of the alpha playtesting and part of beta sprints meaning I helped get it to a point where it could be played by a small test group and then continued on to assist another developer in growing the project.

During my time in this project, I learned a lot about what a game ready for playtesting looked like. I learned what needed to be done in order to get the idea across to children who were the demographic for this game. I assisted in fixing errors and adding features such as selecting an idea to become a law and the point system. While Win the White House was about finishing a game, Branches of Power taught me more about how to start a game and gain feedback.