Introduction
Man, where do I start? Since the program (Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU, commonly referred to as ITP) I go to is not a game specific program, but rather an "art and technology" program, making games is always a challenge in itself. Luckily there are some game classes, but you have an easier time applying concepts from other classes to games than taking a true video game development class.
The game classes that are offered I find to be amazing in their own right because they force you to think of games in new ways. Our "Game Design" class by Frank Lantz is actually more centered around board games and understanding classic gaming structure. And the other Frank Lantz game class, "Big Games," was a definite inspiration for our game, seeing as we created it for that class. If you don't know about the Big Games movement, or ARGs, or Live Action Games, or whatever you want to call it, just check out some of the other amazing things to come out of the class, like "Pac-Manhattan" and "Nintendo Amusement Park," or the recent Come Out and Play festival by our good friend Greg Trefoy, which featured some amazing games, even letting us join in the fun with snagu.
The original idea for snagu started in December, but we didn't really get to building the game until around March or April. To make development a little easier on us, we tried to use the game to fill class assignments. I created it for my "Big Games" class, while Jaki Levy used it for his "Ubiquitous Mobile Computing" (UbiComp) class, taught by the infamous founder of dodgeball.com, who also worked on the "Pac-Manhattan" game, Denis Crowley. Cory Forsyth, our lead developer used it for both Big Games and UbiComp, which definitely helped as he did such a great job with the programming.
We had to make a quick prototype for our classes and test it out fast to make sure we were going down the right path. We knew the game was interesting and fun soon in to the development, and were constantly looking for ways to make it even more fun. We got to test it during the semester, during the ITP Spring Show, and held a month long play-test during the summer.
Our advisor, Clay Shirky, and professors were constantly helping us, giving us tons of advice and support, along with getting it from the other students in our program. I learned tons during the development about games, working in groups, and the politics involved in companies. I don't think I would every have gained an experience like this at any other program or anywhere else.
So what made this experience so great?
