​Anti-Virus Arcade Game

Being a game designer in a team of three on this Anti-Virus Arcade game was a lot of fun and gave me a significant amount of creative liberty. My team took inspiration from the game Subway Surfer, and we put our own spin on it, not only by changing the theme but by introducing enemies that the player has to fight and a unique set of powerups to change up the gameplay experience. 
As can be seen in the video, the player is confined to three playable lanes by laser walls that I created to endlessly continue. To ensure that the level was not too expensive for storage space, we composed the game out of chunks that would be randomized each time about three or so chunks ahead of the player. Think of it like a treadmill track that ends up in front of the user after it has passed behind them. 

With that understanding of the fundamental gameplay loop, I will get into my other game design contributions. 
I made the enemies which are viruses taking on the form of flying saucers that shoot at the player from afar and can only be destroyed by the player shooting back or using the laser ability pickup. Only two of these enemies can be on the screen at a time to make sure that the player is not completely overwhelmed, especially since there are only three lanes to move in. ​
The other enemy type are stationary turrets which can be destroyed by the player or completely avoided if their chosen route allows that option.
I made the visual design for all the various powerups which clearly indicate their purpose, and I had to make several design decisions for their implementation in the game. One consideration was the duration of the abilities as well as how much or little they affected the player's stats if applicable. Another decision was the frequency of the items and at what point in the game they appear.
For example, magnets used to collect coins are common and found early on to allow the player to buy upgrades from the shop at the end of their run. ​
On the contrary, pickups such as the time dilation or the laser are less frequent and tend to show up after a substantial amount of time played.
Lastly, I created some of the obstacles like the archway that challenges the player to not jump while underneath it. This decision was made based on the player's tendency of jumping rapidly to reduce the likelihood of getting hit or running into a hazard. Timing becomes crucial as a result.

Summary

These decisions really allowed me to get a better sense of the pacing and balancing in the game, which I was quite pleased with.