Hello, I’m Aaron Low
I’m a technical artist with a background in motion capture, but I’ve always dreamed of working in game design. When I joined the Unreal Fellowship for Games, I was thrilled to hear that the theme this year was arcades. The theme resonated deeply with me, like a kid with far too many quarters to burn!
Arcade Games
Arcades, to me, are like the movie theaters. They create this unique, communal space where you don’t just play—you experience games. You go to them, and they become part of the outing itself. That idea became the backbone of my project and reminded me of the classic light gun games that defined that era. Titles like House of the Dead, Time Crisis 2, Silent Scope, Carnevil, Point Blank, and even Tomb Raider (yes, it had a light gun version!) came flooding back to me as inspirations.
What makes these games special is that they’re not something you can easily replicate at home, even in modern gaming. There’s a physicality to holding a light gun and the thrill of aiming and shooting that just hits differently in an arcade setting. That’s why I was thrilled to use the Sinden Lightgun for this project. It’s an incredible product that helped me focus entirely on delivering an authentic and immersive experience. Integrating it into Unreal Engine was a fascinating challenge, but the payoff was worth it—it brought the gameplay to life.
Celebrating Unreal Engine
One of the standout examples of Unreal Engine’s content that I used was the Realistic Rendering Sample. This was one of the first downloadable examples Unreal released that allowed creators to experiment and test on their own systems. It was an incredible experience to interact with something so polished and visually stunning right out of the box. What made it particularly special was the inclusion of multiple maps, each showcasing different lighting schemes. These variations became the foundation for my game’s menu system. There was something profoundly inspiring about starting with such a tangible, interactive example—it set the tone for the rest of my project.
Initially, I had a grand plan to incorporate as many Unreal examples as possible into my project. And while time constraints meant I couldn’t use everything, I still feel it’s worth celebrating how much can be achieved without leaving Unreal Engine. The tools available—Photogrammetry, Control Rig, Retargeting, and Blueprints—allowed me to work flexibly and efficiently within the three-week timeline. These tools made it possible to focus on the creative aspects of development, knowing the technical foundation was already rock-solid.
The Project in Action
Here’s the trailer for my project—take a look and see how it all came together!
For the readers, I’d like to leave you with a little surprise: if you enjoy pranks, please meet Damascus, an incredibly angry duck who has a habit of ruffling feathers. He might just be the star you didn’t know you needed.
Check It Out for Yourself
I encourage you to check out Unreal’s content examples—no, really, I’m leaving a link right here. These examples are an incredible resource that you can use to jump-start your own projects or simply explore what Unreal Engine is capable of.