Cody Taylor (left), Andrew Ptaszek, Melanie Najera, and Zane Wolfe, student game developers from Florida Polytechnic University, won first place at the two-day FIEA Collegiate Game Jam, which ended on Sunday, Jan 14. Two other Florida Poly teams also competed at the event, with one nabbing the second-place spot.
Two teams of Florida Polytechnic University students showcased their exceptional video game creation skills and swept the first- and second-place awards at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) two-day Collegiate Game Jam, which ended in Orlando on Sunday, Jan. 14.
The video game competition tasked 17 teams of undergraduate students from across the state to build a fully playable video game from start to finish in only 48 hours. The games needed to be creative, playable, and have original assets and concepts while adhering to the theme of sunshine. A separate contest was held for graduate-level teams.
The first-place team was made up of four Florida Poly sophomores who have collaborated for previous game jam competitions. Although the team members said they were proud of the work they had done with on game entry, “Floral Felines,” they couldn’t help but be nervous about the statewide event.
“Once we got there, we were still very proud, but we could tell it was going to be a tough competition,” said team member Cody Taylor, who is in computer science. “All the other games we’d seen were very impressive, both technically and in general.”
Other teams participating in the event were from universities such as the University of Central Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Full Sail University.
“We looked shellshocked in the video when they said that we won,” said Melanie Najera, who is majoring in data science. “We were so excited.”
Floral Felines focuses on Felix, an apron-wearing cat running a flower shop during a heatwave, requiring strategic flower growing to meet customer demands.
“Since you’re in the middle of a heatwave, the flowers will burn, so you have to make sure you get to them in time, or you can’t serve your customers,” said Zane Wolfe, who is majoring in computer science.
Its members relied on their artistic, design, and programming talents to reach the top spot. Wolfe and Taylor focused on the game’s front- and back-end programming, while Najera and Andrew Ptaszek created the artwork and upgrade system, respectively. Ptaszek, a computer science major, also created the game’s music and contributed to its programming.
“Melanie’s artwork really made the game stand out from the rest,” Taylor said.
The team members said they felt exceptionally prepared to develop a prize-winning game at the event. They said they enjoyed every part of developing Floral Felines.
“It was fun and was a really smooth experience,” Najera said. “I didn’t get to play it until the end because I was so focused on the art and animation, but on that last day I started playing and kept playing it like nobody’s business.”
Christian Navarro, a Florida Poly instructor of computer science, was one of the judges at the graduate-level competition and tracked the three undergraduate teams’ performance.
"This is an excellent opportunity for students to grow, become better programmers, collaborators, and work under tight timelines,” he said. “It's not just about winning; it's about the experience and learning how to navigate challenges in the tech industry."
Florida Polytechnic University students Cecilia Merion, Parker Becton, Seth Ewer,
and Luke Thomson took second place at the FIEA Collegiate Game Jam, which ended on
Sunday, Jan 14.
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