On Sept. 24, the Oxford Academy video game development club launched its first meeting. Housing numerous students with an interest in programming and game design, the video game development club is a student organization that holds meetings every Wednesday after school, which consist mainly of collaboration among members and planning.

As of recently, meeting sessions have been very interactive for members, according to sophomore Brandy Xia, vice president of the video game development club. “Our development process is having all of our members collaborate and fulfill our group’s tasks, such as completing a character design on time or finishing a certain ability’s code, and then putting the separate pieces together to make the actual game,” Xia said. 

According to Xia, the club is currently undertaking its latest project: an original video game entirely programmed and developed by Oxford Academy students. “Our game right now is a work in progress. We don’t have an actual name yet. The game revolves around a guy who was reincarnated as a man with phoenix abilities. Our game’s theme is basically about redemption and how you can always have a second chance.” Xia said.

Each meeting held for the video game development club allows members to coordinate their distinguished roles in developing the club’s upcoming game. “The environment in our club is really comfortable, actually. We all sit at different tables. Each table is designated for a group…the end goal is [that we’re] trying to make a game together.” Xia said, emphasizing the importance of teamwork in the club.

Despite their united imagination and teamwork, some obstacles have certainly arisen with the upcoming video game’s development. 

“The game development process has been going okay. I think right now we are a little slow on approaching our deadlines. But I know everyone’s trying their best. And we’ve come up with great ideas so far. We just need to expand on that more. So I’d say we’re okay.” Xia said. Though there are many ideas that flow with every club meeting, there is some struggle along the development team’s journey.

The innovative and unified nature of Oxford Academy’s video game development club is undoubtedly effective for the club’s members. It not only allows them to systematically complete objectives, but also unlocks meaningful relationships amongst group members. “My favorite part of the game development process is definitely the ideas we’ve come up with. I would say I’m a pretty creative person, with a lot of people, we’re so different, we have such different perspectives on everything,” Xia said. 

As the video game development club’s members carry on with their team efforts and ever-flowing creativity, the release of the upcoming video will approach soon, inspiring future generations of Oxford Academy video game developers.