Independant Project
Client
Research & Testing
Role
Game Design, Narrative Design, Physical Computing, Interface Design
Industry
2024
Year
Tools
A chaotic, food-fueled multiplayer arcade game that blends narrative design, interaction mechanics, and physical cabinet play.
As part of The New Arcade course at NYU, I worked on a collaborative team to design and build a custom arcade cabinet game from scratch. The result was It’s Raining Vegetables! — a fast-paced, two-player game set in a whimsical universe where players dodge junk food and collect nutritious ingredients to keep their gelatinous friend, Jello, alive. Our goal was to reimagine arcade play as something tactile, communal, and narratively rich — a love letter to chaotic co-op games and absurd worldbuilding.
Goals
Design a playful, fast-paced arcade experience with real-time cooperative gameplay
Build an intuitive and joyful physical interface that encourages interaction
Develop a compelling game world that heightens player investment
Merge storytelling, visual design, and game mechanics in one unified experience
Phase 1: Worldbuilding & Narrative Design
The project began with building out the game’s fictional universe — a surreal world where rival cities are made entirely of food. I developed lore that gave meaning to player actions: what happens when you feed Jello too much sugar? Why do certain ingredients matter more than others? These stories weren’t just aesthetic; they directly influenced game logic and visuals. By tying mechanics to playful narrative arcs, we created a setting that felt both absurd and coherent — anchoring the chaos in purpose.
Phase 2: Gameplay & Interaction Design
Translating that world into mechanics, I helped design a fast, collaborative gameplay loop where players must catch healthy ingredients while avoiding harmful ones raining from above. The timing, penalties, and rewards were carefully tuned to encourage cooperation and raise the stakes. I worked closely with the development team to implement these systems, ensuring the gameplay escalated in difficulty while staying accessible. Every decision — from food types to pacing — was driven by how it would feel in a live, co-located arcade setting.
Phase 3: Cabinet Interface & Physical Design
Finally, we translated the digital experience into a tactile, physical interface. I co-developed the cabinet’s visual identity and helped design the button layout and screen housing for maximum clarity and delight. Our focus was on creating a cabinet that invited curiosity — bold food-themed visuals, oversized buttons, and a sturdy structure designed for playful chaos. The result was a sensory-rich game space where players could lose themselves in laughter, cooperation, and food-themed absurdity — a full-bodied experience that extended well beyond the screen.
It’s Raining Vegetables! isn’t just a game — it’s a joyful collision of story, play, and physical design. This project deepened my ability to design across mediums and taught me how to build cohesive experiences that engage players emotionally, physically, and socially. It reminded me that good design can be weird, loud, and full of vegetables — and still be deeply meaningful.
