Hong Kong students create winning video game in 12-hour hackathon
‘Monophobia’ tests players with puzzles and challenges, but watch out if you decide to take the ‘lazy’ options.
Screengrab of the winning game, Monophobia.Every week, Talking Points gives you a worksheet to practise your reading comprehension with exercises about the story we’ve written.
“You are your own enemy.”
This was the only guidance given to more than 40 teenagers. The task? Create their own video game in just 12 hours.
The student-led event, known as Counterspell, was open to anyone in secondary school. Eleven teams took part and no experience was required.
“We wanted to create an inclusive environment that celebrates creativity,” said Anson Chung, 16, one of the organisers.
These events are known as hackathons, with this specific type called a game jam.
This edition, organised by a global community called Hack Club, was held in November in Lai Chi Kok.
“It provided valuable leadership experience for the organisers and demonstrated to participants that young people can also make awesome stuff,” Anson said.
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A lesson about laziness
A trio of boys from the Chinese International School won the competition with their game, Monophobia.
The entry featured a surprise ending to carry the message of “you are your own enemy”.
“I needed a twist or something that was going to make sure that our game had something that set it apart,” said Theo Zhu, 17. “It meant showing and proving to people how their own laziness can affect them in the future.”
Players must solve puzzles and overcome challenges throughout the game. They are also faced with decisions, such as being able to avoid a puzzle or tackle it straight away.
Their choices will ultimately decide the difficulty of the game’s final boss. If the player chose all the “lazy” options, the last boss will be impossible to beat.
“It’s the perfect way to set a trap for people,” Theo said.
The path to success
The trio are all in the same computer science class. They felt their individual skills were well-matched.
Theo coded, while Andy Liang, 16, created the music, and Jay Lau, 17, designed the puzzles and art.
“This was a great culmination of all our skills in our first hackathon,” Theo said.
The trio also said their success was due to them already being friends.
Brainstorming sessions were an important part of their preparation. Given the time constraints, they made sure to stay busy throughout the 12 hours. The boys even skipped meals.
Theo said game development required teammates to trust each other.
“It’s about making sure that you’re all on the same page, but also allowing each person to do their own thing and trust that they’ll add something new,” he said.
Andy noted the team also struck a balance between independent work and collaboration.
Their game won first place after a vote among the contestants. The boys took home jackets and new keyboards as prizes.
“I think the project itself wasn’t like something that I was like the most proud of,” Jay said. “I was really proud of the fact that we could do it in such a small time frame.”
The young designer said there was plenty of pressure.
“But we managed to plan everything out ... through our teamwork and communication,” Jay said.
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