Game Design — Vandana Rajesh

Overview

When Design and Engineering Are the Same Job.

Building games in Unity is the closest thing to product design with no handoff — every visual decision is immediately a scripting decision. These two games were built to explore what happens when a designer writes the AI.

"The fastest way to understand player experience is to build the thing that creates it."

My background in Computer Science meant I wasn't adapting to the technical constraints — I was making decisions that used them deliberately. Sound cues timed to state transitions. Lighting tied to proximity values. A 2-minute timer that reframes the entire spatial design of the level.

Working in Unity deepened my understanding of player movement, AI behaviour, and environmental design — skills that translate directly into interaction design and the emotional arc of a user flow.

Unity 3DC#AI State MachineTerrain Tools

Horror Through Environment, Not Just Encounter.

A chilling escape room horror game where players must navigate through terrifying environments, collect clues, and survive a zombie encounter to escape. The design challenge wasn't making the zombie scary — it was making the room scary before the zombie appeared.

Trigger-based zombie AI — state transitions tied to player proximity and environmental events
Dynamic lighting system — light levels tied to AI state for sustained suspense
Escape room puzzle mechanics — clue placement designed around player attention flow
Immersive 3D sound design — ambient audio layered with proximity-triggered cues

UnityC#AI Scripting

Fig. 2 · Exthinktion gameplay — full walkthrough of the escape room horror experience.

Fig. 3–4 · In-game screenshots — environmental storytelling and dynamic lighting.

Fig. 5 · Spider Chase gameplay — full run of the stealth-chase experience.

Fig. 6–7 · Forest path and temple destination — environmental contrast as narrative device.

Two Minutes to the Temple. Don't Get Too Close.

A heart-pounding stealth-chase game where players must reach a distant temple in under 2 minutes. The 2-minute constraint wasn't just a difficulty mechanic — it was a spatial design tool that forced every route to have a tradeoff.

"The spider doesn't chase you unless you get close. Restraint as a design principle — for the AI and the player."

AI-driven spider behaviour — custom state machine with idle, alert, and chase states
Proximity-based transitions — distance thresholds that feel intuitive rather than arbitrary
Time-pressure loop — 2-minute constraint reframes spatial decision-making
Atmospheric forest environment — terrain-sculpted level with occlusion-based tension

UnityC#AI State MachineTerrain Tools

Takeaways

What Building Games Taught Me About Design.

These projects taught me how to build atmosphere through visual storytelling and how game mechanics can dramatically shift player emotions. From horror pacing to chase sequences, I learned to balance tension with player agency — the same balance that makes any interactive experience worth using.

Working with Unity's systems deepened my understanding of player movement, AI behaviour, and environmental design. It's a space where technical implementation meets creative vision.

The most direct lesson for product design: constraints are mechanics. A 2-minute timer, a proximity threshold, a locked door — they're not obstacles, they're the design.