VARIANT: LIMITS
Variant: Limits was an ambitious project with the goal of building a better kind of educational game - one that combined research-backed learning design with an entertainment-quality gaming experience - to cover Calculus, no less. The initial concept was developed at Texas A&M's LIVE Lab and Triseum was tasked with taking the concept and making a game that could be published.
Preproduction
Excerpt from game style guide
Excerpt from game style guide
Excerpt from game style guide
Character concept art
Environment concept art and references
Environment concept art
Color study concept art for series
Screenshot from visual slice
Screenshot from visual slice
Screenshot from visual slice
As we began preproduction, we assessed the provided prototype and decided to start from scratch, taking several lessons and ideas from the initial concept. Working with the learning, game design and art teams, we established our art bible based on our primary goals, looking at color, shape, stylization techniques, etc.
While the game design and learning teams began mapping puzzles and white boxing levels, the art team worked through concept art to solidify style decisions and begin building tools and processes that would allow us to meet the deadline. Preproduction culminated in the creation of a visual slice, allowing us to test our ideas, tools and processes and see how everything performed.
Screenshots from Game
The initial release of Variant: Limits was on time and met or exceeded all the requirements we were given. Feedback from instructors and students as well as our own desire to improve the product led to a second release that included quality and performance upgrades.
Branding and Collateral
Game one-sheet (front)
Game one-sheet (back)
Textbook mapping
Instructor Guide
Graphic for t-shirt
Conference banner
Email announcing game-based course
In addition to overseeing art and other creative elements of game production, I was also responsible for establishing the brand and supervising or creating much of the accompanying collateral. This involved the development of the logo, document templates, trailers, marketing, sales and instructional pieces.
