Where are all the CHIIIIIIPS?
Fish or Chips is a frantic co-op party game for 2 players. At Deep Fryton Beach, a hungry flock of chips-addicted seagulls suffers because the humans are in lockdown. You and your friend play two seagulls who need to save their babies from starvation! You have to collect chips and fish to feed the crying babies before the time runs out. Of course, chips are hard to find and fish are hard to catch. Work together to save the seagull population!
The world of Fish or Chips comes alive through two mediums: an Instagram profile with animated stories featuring the adventures of seagulls Maude and Sully in their quest for chips, and a complementary co-op game that allows players to experience the perspective of these iconic birds.
Download here: https://illius.itch.io/fish-or-chips
Visit the seagulls on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fish.or.chips/
First Time Game Directing
As the game director, my role encompassed ensuring cohesion between the game's vision and the Instagram films, expertly directed by Julia Skala, while collaborating closely with our game developer, Justus Henne, to craft engaging co-op mechanics. Effective communication lies at the heart of gameplay; without it, the hungry baby seagulls won't be fed their fish and chips. To complement the seagulls' culinary dreams, we transformed the entire pier into a fast-food-themed haven. This project taught me invaluable skills in balancing a co-op game, facilitating communication between film and game teams, all while maintaining a shared vision and pipeline.
Challenges and Learnings
Fish or Chips marked my first venture into the world of video games, where I took on the role of Game Director. While I’ve led creative teams for several years, game development was unfamiliar territory. My background in designing interactive installations and applications provided a strong foundation in creative processes and frameworks. However, adapting these skills to focus on a gamified experience introduced me to new methods and terminology.
Drawing on childhood gaming memories and learning on the go, I quickly found my footing, managing the team and overseeing UX while relying on the expertise of my colleagues.
Drawing on childhood gaming memories and learning on the go, I quickly found my footing, managing the team and overseeing UX while relying on the expertise of my colleagues.
This project was also my first in-depth experience applying my graphic and interaction design skills to fully develop Fish or Chips' User Interface and logo. Though the UI screens were visually engaging, I overlooked the distinct navigation needs of keyboard and gamepad users, which made the menu less intuitive for gamepad navigation.
Fish or Chips taught me valuable lessons and brought me immense satisfaction. If I were to revisit this project, I would prioritize accessibility from the start, rather than addressing it retrospectively.
Credits
Film Director: Julia Skala, Game Director: Nina Weilbächer,Producer: Adrian Steuer, DOP: Niklas Wolff, Animation Lead: Vanessa Schneider, Game TD & Tech Art: Justus Henne, Pipeline TD: Paul Golter, Editing: Jan Wollenschläger, Art Direction: Niklas Wolff, Julia Skala, Matte Painting: Alexia Mokry, Sounddesign: Julian Berg, Bjarne Taurnier, Composer: Kilian Oser, Additional Modeling & Animation: Benjamin Gätzschmann, UI-Design: Nina Weilbaecher, Anna Moessnang, Senior Lecturer: Johannes Weiland, Anna Katharina Brinkschulte.
Fish or Chips was developed as part of the AniFilm / AniPlay semester at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg © Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
