Giancarlo Peñalba

The Seagull Simulator

My final creative project was greatly informed by how I felt about my position in this program. I decided to try to push myself to make something emblematic of many of the things that I wished I got to learn, but that meant having to learn those things on my own while working on it. As of the time of writing, I have what I like to call the “alpha build” of my first proper video game, the Seagull Simulator: a small sandbox game meant to give you a taste of the freedom that is synonymous with being a seafaring bird, gently flying above an endless ocean and around seaside landscapes, though at the time I am still limited to a small island setting. I wanted to put more of the focus on the movement and atmosphere than into any particular game mechanics, so it is more of a visual experience than a true game. It will likely still be in development for the foreseeable future, as I continue to add elements to the environment and refinements to the visuals and gameplay, but I hope to give the gallery audience a good experience with this first build of the game.