GMU DRIFT
GMU Drift is a fast and fun kart racing game for PC and Winnitron Arcade Cabinets. Drift around sharp corners, dodge obstacles, and race your friends on tracks inspired by GMU campus spots.
- Team Size
- 30
- Duration
- 4 Months
- Engine
- Unity
- Roles
- Lead Designer and Level Artist
Trailer
Role
Lead Designer, Level Artist
I led the development of GMU Drift, a high-speed kart racing game inspired by DS-era visuals, created over four months with a team of 30 developers and artists. I designed the game’s mechanics, UI/UX, levels, VFX, and art direction, while managing tasks, milestones, and team coordination to ensure a successful launch. The maps, based on real GMU campus locations, were built using a mix of my own assets and those from the art team. The project was developed in Unity, alongside tools like Photoshop, 3ds Max, Blender, Audacity, and Git for asset creation and version control.
Map — Rappahannock Deck Detour
Map — JC Circuit
Map — Mason Pond
Characters
Challenges
Leading the development of GMU Drift came with a variety of challenges. Coordinating teams of artists, sound designers, and programmers required clear communication and thoughtful leadership. I had to not only define the game’s mechanics and visual direction, but also create accessible guides to help the team align with that vision. Balancing leadership responsibilities with hands-on design work meant learning how to teach, support, and collaborate effectively. Maintaining open lines of communication and hitting weekly deliverables was essential to keeping the project on track.
GMU Senior Game Expo 2025
Problem Solving
In GMU Drift, we faced the challenge of adapting a modern kart racing experience to a classic arcade cabinet with just one joystick and two buttons per player. As design lead, I crafted a dynamic control scheme: one button for acceleration, a double-tap of the same button to initiate a drift in the joystick's direction, and the second button dedicated to using items. This streamlined approach ensured players could seamlessly accelerate, drift, use items, and even reverse.
A Word From My Mentor
I had the pleasure of seeing Alex's work in a semester-long, 30-person game development project (https://gildedtoxin.itch.io/gmu-drift). In this project, Alex served admirably as design lead and helped guide his team through the creation of three significantly large and beautiful racing tracks in a Mario Kart-esque racing game themed around the GMU campus. He was a joy to work with and I would recommend him to anyone who wants a considerate and skilled collaborator.
