GCG Readers Design Jumpless Platformers

Gamasutra sister educational site GameCareerGuide, which runs a weekly game design challenge, has named the top three submissions to a recent challenge, in which the readers had to design a platformer game that did not have a jump action, nor any kind of grappling or similar ability (the player could move via the left and right buttons only). Game designer Abhishek Deshpande’s game idea, called Rotator, received top honors. The concept is that the player is situated on the rim of a wheel, which can expand or shrink in size; and the player also serves as the wheel’s pivot point for mounting a platform. Deshpande also submitted two diagrams to help clarify his concept. The control scheme Deshpande created solves the problem of moving around the world while also creating challenges of accuracy and navigation. Another notable concept that came out of the challenge was Martin Bilello’s. Bilello, a senior technical architect and independent game designer, proposed a platformer in which the player is a villain, a type of character who often does not have a jump function in that genre of game in the first place. His game, called Get Out of My Tomb!, is a tag-like game that involves a mummy protecting his tomb from treasure hunters. GameCareerGuide.com also this week named its next Game Design Challenge: design a new lemming for the classic game Lemmings, and explain how the new character’s role will work in the game. Professional game designers are welcome to participate in the challenge for fun, or to comment on the ideas and thought processes some of the other contestants work out via GameCareerGuide.com’s free and public forum. GameCareerGuide is a sister site to Gamasutra.com and is aimed at serving the community of aspiring game developers (especially students) and lesser-experienced developers. For more information about careers in game development, including descriptions of different jobs in the industry as well as salary figures, visit the site’s Getting Started section.