A St. Paul-area game developer says the process of designing and building games is a creative journey.
Jesse Hlushko said designing a game involves several stages, beginning with an idea.
“The initial game concept usually stems from a nagging idea that I can’t get out of my mind until I complete it. This nagging will last several days or weeks until, almost instantaneously, I see the entire concept as one grand idea,” he explained, adding that at this point in the process it is imperative to get his ideas written down immediately before they are lost. “Once the idea train is moving, there is no stopping it until it gets to where it’s going.”
A couple of years ago, the concept for his most popular game, UNGA BUNGA, was conceived when Hlushko was developing a logo for his company, HKO Games. This logo contained a caveman chiselling several blocks, a supposed representation of himself, he says, as he was learning everything about graphic design and web design from scratch.
UNGA BUNGA, which hit the market a year ago, is a five-card pairing-game similar to Rummy, which involves players trying to become the ‘Ultimate Caveman.’ As Hlushko explains, players ‘make’ items like fire, a wheel and shelter by pairing the correct two cards and the first player to make all of their six items wins the game.
Once the concept has been established, Hlushko moves into the basic construction phase. The game developer continued by saying that almost all of the initial game can be produced from items purchased at a local hobby or dollar store. Boards and cards for a game can be made from construction paper while characters can be represented by basic toys.
“The key with the initial game is that it functions correctly, because if it doesn’t work when it is construction paper then it definitely won’t work when it is made out of card stock,” he said.
Once the initial game is complete, it’s time for play-testing. According to Hlushko, this is a crucial stage in the development of any game, and not only requires plenty of players, but the right players, meaning those who go out of their way not to stick to the basic gameplay, thus forcing him to refine the rulebook.
“When you are play-testing a game you need to play with the “jerk” players that intentionally play outside of the boundaries of the game and try to bend the rules in every conceivable manner,” he explained.
When moving a game into full development, Hlushko does as much of his own art as possible, but hires local artists for most of the character work on his games. Next comes the working prototype stage when he gets a couple of copies of a particular game made at a local print shop as a test to determine if people will like it.
Once the prototype has been played and all of the art re-work has been completed it is time to find a manufacturer. Unfortunately, since there was no manufacturer in North America that could handle the project, Hlushko was forced to manufacture overseas.
“There was a lot to learn about the manufacturing process and a few alterations to the art, like adding the Pantone Colour Matching for the brown borders, but in the end the manufacturer was very helpful with steering me towards perfection,” he said.
Hlushko has a variety of equipment for making his games, including an ASUS laptop and Abode Illustrator, which he uses as his graphic design program.
Initially, Hlushko worked out of his kitchen, making due with limited space and resources. However, once his company began to take form, and he knew he would need to be mobile, he bought a trailer which he turned into his office/warehouse.
“With my office-trailer I am able to travel throughout the summer all across the country and work on my projects wherever I go,” he said.
Currently, UNGA BUNGA is the only game that Hlushko has in mass production. He has another project ready to launch and a third one in early development.
Throughout 2023, he has been busy travelling across Alberta selling his games at different venues, including farmers markets, and even made a stop at one of the annual Christmas farmers markets in Lac La Biche.
All of this work appears to be paying off as UNGA BUNGA grows in popularity across the province. Hlushko concluded, “My experience over the last 12 months has been incredible. I have been all over the province, playing with people of all ages, and there is nothing better than when I am at a market and a group of kids see my caveman cutouts and shout, “UNGA BUNGA is here!” as they race to my table to play.”
The UNGA BUNGA game is available online and retails for $29.95
