Two Port Moody brothers learned that it’s one thing to play a video game but quite another to make one yourself.
But for Brydan Cotichini, 10, and Jake Cotichini, 11, who recently launched their Puffy Demons game for Android and iOS, making the whack-a-mole-type game was as much fun, if not more, than playing one of the thousands of games available online.
“One we started thinking about it, it was super fun,” said Brydan, who goes to Anmore elementary school and is the artist who designed the avatar and the game play.
HIs older brother Jake, an Eagle Mountain middle school student, did all the coding for the game, using Game Maker Language from YoYo Games (it’s free to use the tools but you have to pay for a licence to make the game available for sale.)
SATISFIYING AND FUN
“It was satisfying to be working on your own game,” he said.
As with any game there were a few challenges.
Originally, they wanted the creature to be a skeleton but the puffy demon they ended up with looks like a popcorn-shaped fuzzball with a ferocious grin.
The loveable mischief-maker turned out to be just the right kind of crazy creature that motivates you to try to swipe him off the planet while trying to avoid hitting one with a heart and losing a life. There are also power-ups, including bombs, time boost and a bonus star to help you rack up streaks and scores.
The brothers admitted they would sometimes disagree on what the demon should look like or how he should act. But then they would draw out their ideas, exploring various options, before deciding on the best.
Over two years from conception to completion, the boys worked on every aspect of the game, from design, to sounds to how it moves in the digital space.
Their workshop is the basement, a comfy room with chairs and lots of computer screens and tablets at hand.
Their dad, Stephane Cotichini, is a game designer who works out of his home and he shared some of his knowledge with his boys and other kids in game making classes at his son’s school.
But he didn’t interfere too much, noting: “In terms of the actual design, they did 90%.”
The boys are also active, finishing off a season of lacrosse and are looking forward to camping with their parents and two younger brothers.
Now that Puffy Demons is out in the world, the brothers hope other kids will buy the game so they can start on the next.
• You can find Puffy Demons on the Google Play and Apple App stores.
