Ace Spinvaders

Summer 2021

It's hard to make games fun. And there's a big difference between game DEVELOPMENT (coding and stuff) and game DESIGN (rules and mechanics and game loops and psychology and reward cycles and fun). So as I've been learning to develop, I thought it'd be interesting to take a classic game that's already proven as a good game design, and see if I could replicate it from a development perspective.

When I let a friend of mine play it, he was hooked. I felt pretty satisfied until I realized that he was enjoying the game of Space Invaders, which I had nothing to do with. But it helped me realize an important lesson: Even the most perfectly developed game is not a good game if it isn't a good GAME!

The simple gameplay and aesthetic also allowed me to focus more on fundamental development concepts: moving through levels, upgrades and data management, timing enemy movements, scores and UI components, music and sound design.

I did add the unique element of being able to purchase upgrades for your little ship, though. That was pretty fun. Plus, my very first BOSS! You'll have to beat a few levels to get to it.