Transforming My Portfolio into a Game Demo: A Journey of Fun and Creativity
In early 2025, I embarked on an exciting project: reinventing my portfolio as a dynamic game demo. With a renewed focus on creativity and user engagement, I aimed to showcase my skills while making the experience enjoyable for visitors.
The Inspiration Behind the New Portfolio
The motivation for revamping my portfolio stemmed from my experiences working with WebGPU. Though I appreciated my 2021 design, it was time to showcase the skills I had developed over the past two years. Additionally, many of my previous projects were now offline, prompting a fresh start.
Setting the Ground Rules
- Incorporate WebGPU Scenes: I envisioned multiple procedurally generated scenes, exploring themes like particles and boids simulation.
- Personal Design: Despite my design limitations, I wanted to create a unique visual identity that allowed for greater freedom and expression.
- Focus on Fun: Most importantly, I wanted the experience to be enjoyable for users.
Overcoming Design Challenges
The Design Process
Initially, I struggled with design choices—fonts, colors, and layout felt overwhelming. Consequently, I defaulted to basic light and dark themes, relying on my past content, but it lacked excitement.
Realizing the need for a more vibrant aesthetic, I created a random color palette generator that added some flair. This marked the start of my design evolution towards a retro, cartoonish vibe reminiscent of classic video games.
Content Strategy: Less is More
One of the toughest decisions was whether to include detailed case study pages. Ultimately, I opted for a single landing page that would guide users to selected projects and videos, ensuring that the content remained relevant and accessible.
Final UX Enhancements
As the project progressed, I reflected on user interaction. Although I had introduced colorful animations and engaging visuals, the experience lacked interactivity.
What if I turned my portfolio into a game? This idea led to integrating gamified elements like unlocking UI features and interacting with WebGPU scenes to progress through content. This decision, while risky, provided the uniqueness I was striving for.
Technical Aspects of Development
With the vision clear, I turned to my tech stack. I chose Sanity Studio for its user-friendly interface and Nuxt3 for seamless integration. For smooth animations, I relied on GSAP and Lenis, complemented by the gpu-curtains library for the WebGPU scenes.
Performance Monitoring
To ensure optimal performance, I implemented dynamic imports and monitored FPS to automatically adjust quality based on device capabilities.
Emphasizing Accessibility
Accessibility was a priority in my design. I made sure the UI was keyboard-navigable and respected the prefers-reduced-motion preference, providing users with an inclusive experience.
Conclusion
Creating my portfolio has been both a technical and emotional journey. While I still experience self-doubt regarding design and creativity, this project effectively reflects my growth as a developer and individual.
I hope this case study proves insightful, offering lessons on technical processes and the creative journey behind transforming an idea into an interactive experience. Thank you for joining me, and remember to embrace the fun in your projects!
Related Keywords:
- WebGPU Projects
- Game Design Portfolio
- Creative Process in Development
- Portfolio Redesign Tips
- User Experience Design
- Interactive Web Design
- Accessibility in Web Development
