A collection of your best work that shows what you can do
Goal
What you want to finish by the end of the sprint
Real game companies work in sprints — short bursts of focused work. In this course, we have 4 sprints. Each sprint has a specific focus.
Sprint 1: Characters
You will refine and polish your character designs to make them portfolio-ready.
Sprint 2: Level Design
Sprint 3: Game Screens
Sprint 4: Final Review
Do you understand what a sprint is? Can you name the 4 sprint topics? Tell your teacher before moving on.
2 Set Your Sprint 1 Goals
Write 3 goals for what you want to finish in this sprint. Here are some suggestions:
Goal 1
Suggested: Redesign my hero character with more detail and colour
Write your first goal here...
Goal 2
Suggested: Create a second enemy character
Write your second goal here...
Goal 3
Suggested: Create 3 different collectible items OR add a background to each character design
Write your third goal here...
Now tick each goal as you work on it:
Goal 1 — completed
Goal 2 — completed
Goal 3 — completed
Not sure what to write? Look back at your L04 hero design and L09 Game Design Document for ideas. Pick goals that will improve what you already have.
3 Build Time — Refine Your Characters
You have 50 minutes for this section. Follow these steps in Canva:
Step 1: Open your L04 hero design, OR create a NEW improved version.
Find it in your Canva projects or start fresh.
Step 2: Add more detail — facial expression, clothing details, accessories.
Make your hero look more interesting and polished.
Step 3: Make sure it uses your game's colour scheme.
Check your GDD for your chosen colours.
Step 4: Create at least 1 more enemy (different from the first).
Give it a different shape, colour, or ability.
Step 5: Create at least 2 more collectibles (different types — coin, gem, potion, key, food).
Each one should look different and be easy to recognise.
Step 6: Each character should be on its own 500 x 500 canvas.
In Canva: Custom size → 500 x 500 px.
Step 7: Use a consistent style across all characters (same outline thickness, same level of detail).
They should look like they belong in the same game.
At the 25-minute mark, show your work to your partner. Ask them: "What looks good? What could be better?"
Stuck on design ideas? Search Canva for "game character" or "pixel art" for inspiration. You can also look at your favourite games for ideas.
4 Start Your Portfolio Presentation
Now create the presentation that will hold ALL your best work:
Step 1: In Canva, click Create a Design → search Presentation (16:9).
This creates a widescreen presentation.
Step 2: Page 1 is your Cover Page.
Add: "Game Design Portfolio", your game title, your name, and today's date.
Step 3: Page 2 is "My Characters".
Paste all your character designs here. Write 1 sentence about each character (who they are, what they do).
Step 4: Rename your presentation: "Portfolio - [Game Title] - [Your Name]"Click the title at the top of Canva to rename it.
This is the START of your final portfolio. You will add more pages in Sprint 2, 3, and 4.
Check: Does your portfolio have a cover page AND a characters page? Show your teacher before moving on.
5 Sprint 1 Review
Take a few minutes to reflect on your sprint. Answer honestly — this helps you plan for next time.
Which goals did I complete?
Write which of your 3 goals you finished...
Which goals do I still need to finish?
Write what you still need to work on...
What will I focus on in Sprint 2?
Sprint 2 is about Level Design. What do you want to improve?
Submit a screenshot of your character designs and portfolio to Google Classroom.