Event
Game Marathon «Moscow—Indonesia: Meeting Each Other»
October 1–3, the international game jam «Moscow—Indonesia,» hosted by the Agency of Creative Industries (AKI) at Skolkovo’s Moscow Video Games and Animation Cluster, took place. Over two days, participants were tasked with developing a game prototype, and on the final day, they presented it to a judging panel.
Since the game jam was international, students from both Russia and Indonesia took part in the development.
The «Moscow — Indonesia: Meeting Each Other» Game Marathon
Initially, participants had to submit an application with personal information and a portfolio; subsequently, the commission selected 10 teams from Russia and 10 from Indonesia. The contestants competed for a chance to attend a video game exhibition in a friendly country. A day before the marathon began, the theme «Meeting Each Other» was announced. Following this, my team and I began to brainstorm how to interpret the theme while reflecting Indonesian culture, as conveying the country’s character was one of the specific requirements.
Design Process
The «Moscow — Indonesia: Meeting Each Other» Game Marathon
The theme «Meeting Each Other» was associated with us not only with physical movement but also with mutual aid and hospitality. Local residents swim toward the player, kindly offering them ingredients for dishes.
«Moscow — Indonesia: Meeting Each Other» Gaming Marathon
Indonesian culture is incredibly rich—we were inspired by the amazing nature, tropical forests and rivers, legends and traditions, clothing, the fruit stands on boats, and the beautiful, unique cuisine.However, we decided to focus on the country’s food and nature, as these are notably vibrant aspects of Indonesia, and we were interested in conveying them.
«FOOD RIVER» Game Gameplay
Concept: Recipes for dishes appear before the player; to cook them, they must collect ingredients from passing boats in time. Gradually, the canoe speeds up, and points are awarded for completed dishes.
Objective: Survive for as long as possible and accumulate as many points as possible.
Personal Contribution
There were only three of us on the team, so the tasks were divided into code, visual design, and technical implementation; I took on the role of the game’s visual designer.
«Moscow—Indonesia: Meeting Point» Game Marathon
First, a mood board with visual style references was compiled. It was decided to create a cartoonish, vibrant visual aesthetic that would reflect the pleasant, relaxed gameplay while conveying the national character and cultural specifics of the country.
Game board for «FOOD RIVER»
It was important for us to personally experience the country’s atmosphere and create an authentic visual style, so all the assets and textures for the game were created by hand by me. It was crucial to preserve the vibrancy, saturation, and color palette characteristic of Indonesia.
Game Marathon: «Moscow — Indonesia: Meeting Each Other»
When creating the models and textures for the dishes, it was important to maintain visual fidelity between the assets and real food. This was done so that Indonesian players would recognize dishes familiar to them from childhood, enhancing their enjoyment of the game. In the end, six dishes and six ingredients were created from which these dishes can be prepared. Additionally, when designing the characters, I paid close attention to the appearance and traditional clothing of the country’s inhabitants; therefore, the characters in the game are dressed in recognizable national costumes.
Traditional Indonesian Dishes: Satay and Mi Ayam
Gameplay of the game «FOOD RIVER»
In line with the game’s overall casual style, I aimed to create satisfying feedback. The game responds to every player action through sounds and effects, which adds an element of interactivity and engagement.
Gameplay of the game «FOOD RIVER»
Every detail of the created effects—size, color, shape—serves to affect the player’s perception. Care has been taken to balance the absence and excess of visual effects on the player’s screen.
I was also responsible for sound selection and level environment design. I set up the lighting, vegetation, and mountainous terrain, striving to accurately convey the nature and soundscape of Indonesia.
Achieved Results
Gameplay of the game «FOOD RIVER»
Faculty from HSE provided information about the opportunity to participate in a game jam, and our team immediately responded, as it was a fantastic chance to test our skills in real-world development.Even though the event was not affiliated with the university, the knowledge gained over three years of study at HSE fully came into play during the actual development process. It was the university that gave us not only professional skills but also the ability to work in a team, think creatively, and not be afraid of complex challenges.
