About

Udon Uncaged is a GDC 2026 Finalist student alt-control game of the University of Utah, where tiny hamster Udon tries to escape from the bedroom to join the family trip. The game was designed to bring short but special moments for the entire family to share a special memory by going inside the giant Zorb ball as a controller.

Project Highlight

Software used:
OBS, Google Suite, Storyboarder, Canva, Jira, Miro

Challenge: Designing an Accessible Controller Experience for Convention Players.

Designed specifically for high-traffic convention settings, our game required an intuitive onboarding experience for a highly diverse audience with varying gaming backgrounds and physical capabilities interacting with our custom hardware for the first time.

To optimize this public showcase, we executed a multi-method playtesting framework to target both software and hardware usability:

Field Usability Testing

Conducted field usability testing during a live convention showcase to evaluate controller ergonomics and physical player experience. By tracking behavioral interactions and collecting spontaneous feedback, I analyzed ergonomic comfort, physical fatigue, and hardware sanitation compliance to assess the viability of the controller in a high-traffic public environment.

Post-Playtest Survey

Collected quantitative playtest metrics including cutscene completion rates and control input responsiveness to evaluate player satisfaction and pacing. Using these insights, I storyboarded revised cutscenes and adjusted sequence lengths to match target rest pacing for better gameplay-to-narrative transitions.

Comparative Playtesting

Evaluated a directional input model against a movement-only control scheme to determine whether users favored explicit directional mapping or a high-agency, physics-driven interaction model.

Our analysis revealed a strong player preference for speedrunning, leading us to completely eliminate directional controls to support timing-centered model.

Think-aloud Protocol

Utilized think-aloud testing and targeted probing questions to evaluate player comprehension of input mapping, movement mechanics, and objectives, uncovering key mental models to refine core gameplay clarity.

Impact: Through a multi-method playtesting framework, we demonstrated that successful alternative control schemes require a careful balance of physical mechanics, ergonomic comfort, and intuitive onboarding guidance. Additionally, we validated that cinematic framing techniques can effectively manage player cognitive load during state transitions. Implementing dynamic letterboxing (black bars to alter the screen aspect ratio) served as a strong visual anchor, enabling players to seamlessly distinguish narrative sequences from active gameplay elements.

Contributions

Added narrative concept using storyboarding to support gameplay clarity.
Moderated think-aloud playtests focused on player physical exhaustion while using a large zorb-ball controller, informing gameplay pacing and recovery breaks.
Assisted the designer by updating the GDD and replacing art assets in Unity to adjust player path based on playtest results.
Conducted gameplay testing, documented bugs with categorized logs and video evidence, and traslated findings into actionable development tasks.
Edited gameplay video, Behind the Scenes (BTS) video, and launch trailer video for social media and game festival submissions.
Led an iterative Agile workflow, continuously updating the Game Design Document to align mechanics, narrative, and environment design with gameplay vision.

Rendered Level Overview

Assisted in importing and replacing art assets in Unity according to the level blueprint.

Level Map

Created level maps in collaboration with designer to document gameplay layout for the Game Design Document (GDD).

OpeningStoryboard

Created a storyboard for the opening animation to guide character animation requirements and camera setup for the animator.

Jira board

Managed task tracking in Jira by creating actionable tickets with requirements and references to my teammates.

GDC 2026 Press kit

Organized and managed press kit assets, providing images and video materials required for the GDC nominee video.

Udon Uncaged (GDC Alt.Ctrl Finalist 2026)