Piskel to Play: 2D Character Creation in Unity

Unity2D equips developers with the tools necessary to design and create engaging 2D games. In this workshop, students will explore the full pipeline of creating an original game character and bringing it to life inside Unity. Beginning with Piskel, a free pixel art editor, students will design their own creatures inspired by–but not copied from–existing games and media. While designing, they will consider how color symbolism and shape can communicate a creature’s identity and personality. Once artwork is complete, students will import their characters into Unity2D, ensuring their sprites remain crisp and clear. They will debug and fix a few premade issues inside the project, gaining hands-on problem-solving experience. From there, students will program custom attacks for their creatures and balance the variables that control their damage, speed, and visual effects. Finally, students will design a simple overworld where their character can roam—and even follow them—before showcasing their creations with the rest of the class.