1The Mission
Most game development courses teach theory. This workshop teaches by doing. At the start of the session, participants have an empty folder on their machine. By the end, they have a deployed game with a real URL they can share.
The focus is on a microgame — one single, polished mechanic that is immediately fun to play. Not a game demo. Not a prototype. A finished, ship-ready, playable game built in 90 minutes. This is not a simplification of game development. It is game development done right: high constraints, fast feedback, real output.
The secondary goal is to internalize a workflow. After this session, participants can build and ship another game independently. The stack stays the same. The workflow stays the same. Only the game changes.
Three things keep players coming back: intuitive controls (if you need a five-minute tutorial, the mechanic is too complex), a clear mission (a score or timer that rewards improvement), and reactive feedback (the game must respond visibly to every meaningful action). These are not finishing touches — they are the foundation.
2The 90-Minute Sprint
The session is structured as four consecutive phases. Each phase builds on the previous one. There is no "watch the instructor and copy later" — every participant codes live alongside the instructor.
- Choose a game name and concept
- Create GitHub account and repository
- Create Netlify account for hosting
- Create Supabase account for leaderboard
- Clone the repo and initialize the project
- Set up Vite + Three.js development environment
- Build the 3D scene: floor, camera, lights
- Create the player character and controls
- Add enemies with spawn and movement logic
- Implement collision detection
- Connect game to Supabase leaderboard
- Implement score submission with initials
- Add IP geolocation for player flags
- Build the in-game leaderboard display
- Add visual feedback and "juice"
- Final polish and bug fixes
- Git push to GitHub
- Connect repository to Netlify
- Game goes live on a public URL
- Share links and compete on the leaderboard
3What You Will Walk Away With
4The Tech Stack
Three.js
Abstracts WebGL into readable JavaScript. You describe what you want — a cube, a light, a camera — and Three.js handles the GPU. No graphics programming background required. This is the rendering engine behind the demo game embedded in Tutorial 01.
Vite
The development engine room. Instant hot-reload during development, optimized production builds when you deploy. Start the dev server with one command and see every code change reflected in the browser within milliseconds.
Supabase
A hosted PostgreSQL database with a REST API. Your game can read and write scores directly from the browser — no backend server, no monthly bill on the free tier. Used in production at Kempston Pilots across multiple released games.
Netlify + GitHub
The deployment pipeline. Push code to GitHub, Netlify automatically builds and deploys. Your game is live on a global CDN in under a minute. HTTPS included. The free tier handles any indie game comfortably.
5Game Design Principles Covered
Beyond the technical stack, the workshop covers the design thinking that determines whether a game is fun. These principles apply regardless of what tool or engine you eventually use.
Instant Playability
A game that takes five minutes to understand before you can start playing has already lost most of its audience. Every design decision in the workshop game prioritizes getting the player into a meaningful interaction within three seconds of pressing play.
Emergent Difficulty
The workshop game has no explicit difficulty settings. Enemies simply spawn slightly faster as time runs out. This single parameter change creates a natural tension curve without any complex difficulty-management logic. Simple systems, deep feel.
The Role of "Juice"
Visual and audio feedback — hit flashes, screen shake, score popups, sound effects — are not decoration. They are how the game communicates with the player. A mechanic without feedback feels broken. The same mechanic with feedback feels satisfying. We spend dedicated time on this in the workshop.
Competition as the Core Loop
The leaderboard is not an add-on feature. It is the reason the game has long-term replay value. When a player can see that someone in another country is 200 points ahead of them, the game becomes a conversation between strangers. That is the power of a global leaderboard on a simple mechanic.
Interested in Attending?
This workshop is offered as a private, online, instructor-led session for small groups. Sessions are customized for the audience — technical depth, pace, and game concept can be adapted. Sessions are offered for a fee (no free slots). To inquire about scheduling and pricing, write directly:
hello@kempstonpilots.comInclude a brief note about your group's background, preferred format (solo, small group, or team), and any specific focus areas. Response within a few days.
No payment infrastructure is in place online. All arrangements made directly by email.