It's a Match!

Sole Developer

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It's a Match! was a year-long project spanning my Junior and Senior year.

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In the game, the player works as the algorithm for the inclusive dating app MatchStick. They have to match every user that wants a match. Multiple things have to be taken into consideration to make sure that the user match in more ways than one. It is a highly abstract project that was meant to represent the difficulties of online dating, especially for the LGBT+ community.

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This project started as a PC game but as the theming of a dating app took a stronger hold it was developed further and tested for android.

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Objectives Achieved:

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Narrative

• Conveyed the multiple nuances of online dating through character movements to display individuality

• Wrote dialogue for two unique contrasting characters and maintained their differing personalities

• Developed a scalable story that could be told with the limited time and abilities

• Communicated the narrative between player and fictional Dating App through simple text cutscenes

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Game Design

• Conveyed the multiple nuances of online dating through character movements to display individuality

• Modeled game UI after a popular dating app to help players connect the game with that environment

• Converted the game from PC to mobile using Unity to match the source material

• Displayed multiple aspects of attraction through simple shapes and colors

• Researched various dating applications to find similarities in their UI to mimic in my design

• Taught subtle mechanics through narrative cutscenes utilizing fictional AI character

• Created simple rapid prototypes to test different methods of displaying couple matching

• Received and implemented feedback on gameplay to improve the overall experience

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