About the project
Captain: P.E. Class Simulator is a short mobile game in which the user and the "CPU" take turns picking players for their teams, until there is one remaining player left.
It is a personal project I made when first learning about UX and interaction design. With a creative writing background and an understanding of the importance of empathy in UX, I wanted to figure out a way to tell a story that evokes a relatable experience — and all of the feelings that come along with it — merely through a series of clicks. Remembering some of my own anxieties from high school, I came up with Captain.
Role
Product Designer
Tools
Figma, Piskel
Art + Style
To create the players, I started with a pirate character from the Pirate Bomb game assets pack by Pixel Frog. Using Piskel, I edited the characters expressions, outfits, and colours to create a nostalgic, vintage gym class feel. I designed the basketball court setting and the backboard from scratch.
Interaction
Although the core mechanic of the game is are simple clicks on a character sprite, I wanted to give it weight and consequence.
To emphasize the emotions and evoke empathy for the little players, I changed their expressions after each each round, giving them an increasingly heart-broken face every time they aren’t chosen.
Playthrough
In addition to a growing sense of sympathy, I also wanted users to feel a sense of guilt. Inspired by the 2007 game, Bioshock, the picks are ordered so that the user is forced into dealing the “final blow” of leaving somebody as last.
