Under Development – An interview with a student game designer

Hobbies and ambitions have many things in common – They pass time effectively, get us to be proactive and can ultimately lead to new skills being developed. But what if you decide to take those hobbies and ambitions further? For 3rd year Game and Arts Design student Ash Toner, the project ahead of him will turn his hobby into a reality.

With 28 game development companies in Brighton and Hove alone, it is considered the third biggest congregation of game companies in England and the UK (the top two being Greater London and Surrey). While this does not cover every single small creator, what it does show is the sense of community Brighton brings in for aspirational gaming developers. At the University of Brighton, they take these opportunities very seriously, allowing students on relevant courses to go for placements.

With these experiences, alongside the previously mentioned hobby/ambition, for those in their third year of study, they can finally create what they have planned for so long; their final piece.

I was extremely lucky to be able to have a chat with Ash about his project and what inspired him to take such a subject.

“It was from a thing when I was about 15, when I joined quite a nerdy computer science club,” he said, “and an animation club before that.”

“When I first started learning how to make games, I just had my friends play them. Watching them play and have fun, something just clicked in me. That’s when I decided this is something I want to do for the rest of my life.”

For his current and final major project, Ash has decided to make a 2D platform shooter. The game is based around a small superhero platforming and shooting his way through levels. While I was unable to record footage of gameplay, I was able to get some sneak preview screenshots for a week’s work:

Picture of Ash Toner's game - first draft

“It’s a very basic 2D platformer” he explains, showing me the controls that he has currently set up. While it was only in the starting stages, he had already been able to connect the commands to his Xbox controller (which he brought to show me the demo). Features that have already been implemented include jumping, weapon switching and recharging ammo “kind of like the shields in Halo” Ash mentioned.

“At the moment, it’s very basic and I need to start adding in the AI,” Ash explains. “This week’s been more working on the concept art and the environment.”

Growing up with a speech and language difficulty, as well as coming from an artistic family background, Ash was able to easily get into drawing “especially cartoons.” The superhero he has used in his game was a character he created years ago that he has been able to update over the years. “It got to the point where I thought ‘might as well make a game out of it’”, he adds.

Curious about being a game developer, I asked Ash what he felt were the pros and cons of the experience.

“Being a solo developer is like being a one-man band, where you’re playing all the instruments. In my case I’m doing all the art, doing the programming. “It’s stressful, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend going at it alone”

He explains that due to his course, he is confined to working alone on this project. “If I could ask for help, I would in a heartbeat,” he said

Now for the important question – What is his favourite game genre to play. A question we all struggle with, and Ash was no exception. However, he was able to narrow it down to his top 2.

“So platformers, I’m a big Sonic and Ratchet and Clank fan, and shooters, I like Halo and those kind of shooters”

For those who are not as aware of the process of making games, like myself, it was very interesting to see the start of a project like this, as well as get a little more insight into what a solo developer is like. It was a pleasure to have been able to talk to Ash about something he is passionate about, giving me even more respect for those creators who do end up making their games solo.

Ash will be presenting his project to the graduation ceremony, starting June 1st to June 10th. This will be his completed version, which will be fully playable. For those keen to see what the final product is, stick around until June, and all will be revealed.