What it takes to make a video game

A sailor escapes an enemy ship during WWI and drifts at sea for days, waking up on a colossal molten island that has seemingly risen out of the deep. This island is so large the sailor cannot see or hear the ocean around him — his vision is fixed on a massive obelisk at the bottom of a trench.

This is the story of “Dagon,” an Unreal engine video game created during a Becker School of Design & Technology Game Studio I led during the second year of my MFA program. When the studio began in September of 2023, we started prototyping game ideas under the name “Project Squid” and recording our progress. “Challenge. Change. Presents: Project Squid” is a podcast miniseries that dives deep into what it takes to make a video game as a college student.

BSDT students can take Game Studio starting their sophomore year. The year-long course replicates the experience of working in a professional game studio. Clark’s course has three sections: undergraduate studio, typically led by a professor, sometimes featuring a project proposed by an outside entity; greenlit studio, in which students make a game they pitched, approved and led by a faculty member; and graduate studio, which is led by a second-year MFA student and functions as a smaller team with greater expertise.

When my team of nine got to work, I felt inspired to create a game inspired by the fleshy sea creatures in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” — hence the “Project Squid” name. The idea evolved into “Dagon,” loosely based on the H.P. Lovecraft short story of the same name.

In our gamified retelling, the player awakes as the sailor on a beach next to a rowboat with ghostly messages dictating directions: “Arm yourself,” “Nothing is free,” and “Going up?” The missives hint to the player that a fight is about to ensue. The sailor must fight eldritch creatures while climbing the obelisk and try to keep his sanity intact.

I’ve always been fascinated by the works of Lovecraft and only a handful of games have been adapted from his works. My goal is to become a 3D hard surface artist in the games or entertainment industry with a focus on props and weapons. This project was a wonderful chance to put my own spin on a classic story and develop my art skills while leading a team, preparing me for life and career post-education.

“Dagon” was made by Ed Greig ’23, MFA ’24, Brien Rondeau ’24, MFA ’26, Caden Loll ’25, Shivansh Awasthi, MFA ’25, Ben Clingen, MFA ’25, Christopher Mattarelli ’24, Sam Yang ’25, George Patterson ’25, Joshua Barbato ’24, and Emma Millin ’25.

Challenge. Change. Presents: Project Squid is produced by Brenna Moore ’24, MSC ’25, and Ed Greig ’23, MFA ’24, for Clark University. Find episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.