51ĀŅĀ×

Three students from 51ĀŅĀ×'s Scripps College of Communication stood out at the 2025  convention, earning awards typically won by professional game developers. Their game, "Gnome Invasion," won Most Innovative Game and placed runner-up for the Gamerā€™s Choice Award, marking OHIOā€™s first win since 2019.

Unlike some other competitions, GDEX has college students going head-to-head with professional game developers who have been working on their games for years, which makes the win for OHIO even better.

GRID lab Director John Bowditch said the convention is a valuable experience for students because of the professional exposure it offers. ā€œItā€™s an excellent opportunity to see all of the incredible game studios in the region,ā€ he said.

The idea for "Gnome Invasion" came together in a spring 2025 class Mixed and Hyper-reality Development, where the three OHIO students teamed up. William Hamilton, an Honors Tutorial College senior in media arts and studies focusing on game and virtual reality development; Shane Shevlin, a senior in animation and emerging communication technologies (ECT); and Evan Beers, an ECT graduate who earned his degree in May.

Originally "Gnome Invasion" was going to be a home invasion-like simulator, but instead Hamilton wanted something "more fantastical and less depressing." The product is a virtual reality tower defense game, where the player has to defend their castle from gnomes. Players use the Meta Quest 3 headset to scan their environment and have to fight gnomes that are ā€œbreaking in.ā€ 

Each member of the team brought distinct strengths to the project. Hamilton served as producer, drawing on his prior game development experience to delegate tasks and keep the project on track. Shevlin concentrated on the art and animation, shaping the overall look and feel of the game while supporting the creative ideas of his teammates.

Over the summer, Hamilton reworked the prototype the team had created in the spring, introducing new resources and mechanics to improve playability. Instead of relying on handheld controllers, the game uses hand-tracking technology, making it accessible for virtually anyone. The team wanted to make sure that players did not need to know how to use a controller to be able to play their game. 

Not yet published, "Gnome Invasion" has an unknown future. Hamilton said GDEX judges and attendees made many remarks about how they would purchase it if it hits stores and many developers wanted to buy the game from Hamilton, to whom the publishing decision falls because of his role as director and producer. Hamilton said he is still debating whether to sell the game or release it for free, despite interest from potential buyers.

The Most Innovative Game award marked OHIOā€™s first win at GDEX since 2019, when a student team earned Best VR Game and Best in Show. The University has sponsored GDEX since its launch in 2013 and has sent students to compete each year. Hamilton said facing off against professionals and universities such as Miami University made this win even sweeter.

Though the concept for "Gnome Invasion" initially felt unusual, the team was motivated to keep developing, which eventually led them to winning Most Innovative Game, and placing as runner-up for the Gamerā€™s Choice Award. Hamilton said that seeing players play the game, regardless of their age, was one of the most rewarding parts of GDEX.

Hamilton and Shevlin said the recognition took them by surprise. While they felt the game was strong, they acknowledged many other entries were equally impressive. Shevlin noted that the straightforward tower defense format helped "Gnome Invasion" connect with players, making it easy to pick up and quickly engaging.

Earlier this year, Hamilton joined OHIOā€™s Japan: Animation and Culture in Tokyo study abroad program, an experience that had a lasting impact on his creativity and approach to game development. What began as uncertainty about his game idea grew into an appreciation for its uniqueness, particularly with the quirky concept behind Gnome Invasion.

ā€œJapan has a history of enjoying absurd things. The whole premise of starting off with a horror game and then turning it into a gnome game, I left there feeling a lot better about it," Hamilton said.

The trip not only gave him confidence in his own work but also reinforced the importance of originality. He encourages other developers to embrace experimentation and share their projects even if they feel unconventional. 

ā€œIf you think you have a good idea, even if it sounds weird, and it's hard to describe someone's probably gonna like it,ā€ he said. ā€œWhether it's a 70-year-old or a four year old, someone's gonna like it.ā€

Looking ahead, Hamilton hopes to continue refining his creative process and pushing the boundaries of what games can be. The recognition at GDEX served as both validation and motivation, reinforcing the value of trusting weird ideas and embracing experimentation. He sees game development not just as a technical craft, but as a way to tell stories. 

As he thinks about the job market, there is some concern as many companies are implementing AI into their process. But Hamilton remains committed to building experiences that surprise players and spark conversation across media platforms.

"I want to make something that's good, and [that might become] one of the games HBO wants to buy and turn into a TV show," he said.