aaron vanderbeek

Balloon Man was created in 48 hours during the Global Game Jam at the Pittsburgh, PA location. It was created based off of the following theme: "As long as we have each other, we will never run out of problems" and was required to make use of one of the following adjectives in the design: illusionary, pointed, or persistent. We chose illusionary. The game experience was also to last less than 5 minutes. Balloon Man was created using Actionscript 3.0 using Flash CS4.

Balloon Man was born out of the interaction. It was the desire of the team to create an intimate moving mechanic that was responsive and delicate. Whenever the player moves the mouse in the direction of the Man, he should move as if the mouse was pushing wind towards the man. We opted not to tell the player exactly how to move because we wanted the player to explore methods of motion and have a moment of discovery when they figure out how to move the Balloon Man.

Two interpretations of the theme arose out of Balloon Man. One focuses on the relationship between the Man and the Balloons, as the Balloons carry the Man higher and higher above the earth into more dangerous territory. Once space is reached the balloons are no longer necessary, serving as the conclusion to the experience. The other interpretation is more centered around the Man's relationship with the ground, the balloons serving as an escape from the problems that are so common in the reality of ever-persistent planet below. The balloons serve as a vehicle bringing the Man into space at which point he is finally separated from the planet and all of its associated issues.

Balloon Man is set in a dream-like setting to further enhance the feeling of escapism. It is a personal experience that strives to get the player to reflect on their own dreaming and ways that they escape from reality.

Game Designer: Participated in brainstorm sessions, coded and balanced the character movement, discussed the progression of events, critiqued sound and art contributions.

Lead Programmer: Created the framework for the game, prioritized the addition of features, delegated programming tasks.