It’s Me, DIY Mario! Now You Can Draw Your Own Video Game
You know you’re having an awesome Sunday afternoon at your parents’ house when you hear that chirpy little plumber exclaim, It’s me, Mario! Well, what if you could design your own Mario-esque video game, with nothing but paper and a smartphone? Thanks to the geniuses behind Pixel Press, this pipe dream might just become a reality.
Here’s the basic premise: You are designing five floors of a video game level. Your hero will start at the bottom and attempt to overcome challenges you create to reach the elevator at the end of each floor. Then the hero will advance. Like most early video games, the goal is to create levels that are more challenging from top to bottom.
To draw, you can print the Sketch Kit PDF on any white paper. Create terrain, hazard pits, monkey bars, moving platforms, and the link using a shorthand system provided in the PDF. Depending on how complex you want to go, designing one level can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours.
Now that you have your drawing, use the Pixel Press app to snap a photo of your level.
The app transforms your drawing into a playable video game!
Test your level and see if everything works. If not, you can edit your drawing and re-upload. If it does work, onto the design phase.
This is where things get really fun. You can choose skins and music to customize your game, or even upload your own to really take things to the one-of-a-kind level.
Last, share your game with friends! Anyone who has the Pixel Press app can play your game, share their games, and you can play any public games available on the app. It’s a win win win!
