Woodland Digital Pet

I was really inspired by digital toys from my childhood, specifically Pixel Chix, and made it a bucket list item to create one of my own! After researching other digital toys and microcontrollers, I picked my theme to be cozy and created a paper prototype, playtested it, and developed the game using Python and Makecode Arcade. I then altered 3D models, printed them, and painted them to create the tree stump case. Finally, I assembled all the parts and did a bit more playtesting. Professor Johnson guided me and offered valuable feedback at every step, including best practices for assembly and where to acquire the electronic components. His and Professor Honoria Starbuck’s class on Toys and Technology definitely helped set me up on this path as well.

What are you most proud of for this project?

That I followed through the whole process to create something finished and tangible. It’s proof to me that I can do what I set my mind to.

Any tips or advice you have for incoming/current AET Majors that really helped you?

Don’t discredit whatever you learn in your classes. The general workflow for most projects you’ll do is the same and can be applied to anything you decide to create (in fact, it will make your life easier). The knowledge I used to create this project came from all the different classes I took — skills I would not have otherwise learned. 

And don’t be afraid to try new things, even within the assignments! Not everything has to be just a game or just an illustration. Find what you want to do and innovate on that.