Public Release & Not getting nominated


Hello, Dennis here. Thanks for trying the game, I hope you found some enjoyment in it. I have some things to share, so let's get into it.

First of all, the game is public! It's not a long game, but it has some passion behind it. Consider this release more of a first demo, instead of a finished product. The game was made under a deadline for the LBS game awards, which is why it might seem a bit unfinished or rushed in some places. We had high ambitions and managed to include quite a bit, but there are some stuff missing. I'm hoping to update the game (or make a new version in another engine?) in the future, so stay tuned for that. You can expect to see a new foe appear at the end of the level...

Now, that's the good part. This is where the bad part comes in. We didn't get nominated to the LBS Game Awards, but not for the reason you might think. But to fully explain this, I feel like I have to explain the process. 

It all starts with getting put in a group. This group typically consists of four programmers and two graphic designers. I am a programmer, so my job was to make code for the game. The project started in the beginning of this year. We were tasked with coming up with an idea for a game and to then develop that game. There was not that many suggestions from my group, but I did have an idea for a game, which ended up to be this.  We developed the game during 10 days and the result was this: 

It was honestly not that great. There was not much to do and the movement was slow and kind of hard to control. A far cry from the game we were aiming to make. During this time we had all split up our tasks to make it fair for everyone. My tasks where to make the character movement and the game system (sounds, loading rooms, etc.), but I also made art for the character. The problem is that we were slow. We didn't get to add as much as we wanted. We barely even had graphics in the game. The thing is that this is the first time for many that they make a game, which is what school is for, but if we wanted to be nominated, then we would need a better game. 

School continued as normal after those days and continuing work on the game was optional and needed to be done on your own free time. After asking the other members of the group, it was clear that I and Alex would be the only ones continuing development. It was a lot of work to be done, but it wasn't impossible, especially with a teammate. However, just a few days later, Alex broke his arm. This left me alone to complete the game. A bunch of art, a bunch of code and a bunch of sounds. I didn't let this stop me. I was determined to be nominated to the LBS Game Awards. I was up at nights and days, working during school hours and pulling all-nighters frequently to make the best game I could in the short time span. It might not be the best game in the world, but I am honestly kind of amazed how I managed to make so much in such little time. It's all a bit of a blur. I had worked hard, and it seemed to pay off. I managed to turn the project in on time. All I could do was wait. 

 It was one and a half month ago the game was turned in, but it was just today I got the news regarding our nomination. We didn't make the cut. I was honestly kind of devastated inside, since my one goal with this project was to be nominated. I was honestly kind of confused too. I don't want to be mean to the other groups, because everyone has worked hard to create something I think they deserve to be proud of, but I didn't think that the nominated project was better than ours. Later during the day, one of the teacher responsible for picking out nominees took me aside to talk to me, and she revealed the true reason why we weren't picked. It was because it had become less of a group project and more of a solo project. I honestly didn't know what to feel. I don't know what to feel now. She made it clear that we would've been nominated if it wasn't for that reason, and I have apparently secured a good grade in both my programming and digital creation class, but I still feel kind of powerless by it all. Me and her both recognized that there is not much I could have done differently, and it bothers me. 

I might come off as arrogant or as a liar. It might seem like I'm coping and that I can't accept the truth, but this is honestly what happened. I'm not trying to be mean or to make anyone feel bad about themselves. I only want to have the true reason out there. I don't want to take anything from anyone, and I don't want the nominated game to be un-nominated. 

 This is all kind of a mess. I don't know what to do, how to feel or what to say to who. There is one thing I know though; I have a headache. Bye everyone, thanks for reading.

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