If you recall, a couple of weeks ago we had our first Game Dev Weekend where we introduced the process of Game Development and distributed some easy to use Game Development Kits. It also ended up in the formation of BongoHive’s official Game Development group, Ubongo Game Lab. As a follow up, we decided to have a Mini-Game Hackathon where our guests would make a game for themselves in 2 days using Stencyl or Construct 2. For the vast majority, it was a first time experience being exposed to making video games so the prospects were exciting.

On Saturday morning, the event started off by distributing the development kits to those who did not attend the previous session and also watching some tutorials that we hoped would come in handy during the event. While this was happening we also got our guests to brainstorm on ideas for their weekend projects and decide whether they would work alone or in teams. There were no rules. Except that you must use one of the 2 development kits we mentioned previously.

Alistair explaining his concept for DJ Fantasy the Squirrel.

We were all eager to get going on our ideas and by lunch time, most of the group had already gotten to work. The fact that there was little to no coding involved in the use of the kits meant put a lot of the users at ease and encouraged them to dive in right away. Some first time users had playable stages of their games within hours!

Animating the main character for one of the games

By the end of the weekend, we had 5 playable prototypes

1. Just get through it – A puzzle game where your objective is to guide your player to the other side of the screen while avoiding erratically moving obstacles
2. Pooperman – A Bomberman clone that….doesn’t stink as much as you’d think
3. DJ Fantasy the Squirrel – A platformer about a squirrel fighting his way through a spacey Mario like world….using music.
4. Rage Run – Guide rage guy through a haunted house while avoiding trolls and lols to battle the dreaded Yao Ming
5. Do you even Ninja bro? – Naruto is pulled out of ninja school and thrust into a new world with new powers battling popular video game heroes.

Pooperman in play

Another game that was working behind the scenes was a prototype of Sojo, a popular Zambian game that many can recall from their childhood that is similar to marbles but with bottle tops and more competitive.

Creating of Sojo in Construct 2.

It was a great opportunity to explore our creativity and share a couple of toilet jokes along the way. This was UGL’s first official gathering and we’re looking forward to welcoming new members to the group through more events.

Do you even ninja bro?

If you’d like to be a member of Ubongo Game Lab and find out more about our future events like the UGL Facebook page here or contact us with the address below.

Contact: [email protected]