Lonely Wooden Puppets

Laurie Bujnowski

LONELY WOODEN PUPPETS is an interactive 2D horror game inspired by the creepypasta of the same name. The creepypasta itself has been written by Laurie Bujnowski and uploaded online for anyone to read. Thrroughout the game, the player will be brought to a mysterious forest, having been guided by a strange entity into an even more ominous village. The goal for the player is to figure out more about the story of the abandoned village. Who was the entity and what is the protagonist's purpose? In the game, one can explore the map by interacting with the different buttons on screen, each item activating a dialogue to read. The game is heavily story-focussed due to the nature of the project.

Laurie Bujnowski

My name is Laurie Bujnowski and I am from the Game Design ENG course. I have a huge passion for video games and storytelling as well as character design. I came here all the way from Luxembourg to study Game Design at the UE. Creating video games with different stories is something I enjoy doing a lot, especially now that I have the skills to create games on my own. The main reason I enjoy creating games is due to the nature that I want to share my stories and ideas with the world, wanting people to experience something new.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

I hope that I can live from my creative freedom in either the game industry, the 3D design industry, the animation industry or as an independent game developer. I did plan on moving to Canada with a friend of mine so we can both fulfill our dream of being independent and have a job we enjoy.

What is a good design for you?

There is nothing that I see as remotely bad design since all form of art is art. I personally tend to either like very simple designs or designs that have lots of details in them, especially when it comes to characters. I can enjoy characters as simple as the ones you see in Journey or more complex characters like the ones you see in either Dark Souls or Monster Hunter.

What was the most challenging experience during your studies?

The most challenging experience was to create games on my own with no coding skills. So, the last project, which is the Bachelor project, was the biggest one yet and took rather long to produce.

Who or what inspires you?

I have various sources of inspiration that change over the years as well as over the months. My main inspirations will always be the studios Thatgamecompany, Santa Monica Studio, Tricky Pixels as well as Nintendo for their newest games, especially the franchise "The Legend Of Zelda". I do take inspiration from low Polygon artists when it comes to 3D. As for 2D, I have various artists that inspire my art which is mostly in the Japanese manga or anime style, Shōji Satō being the mangaka that inspires me the most for his coloring technique.

How do you approach a new project?

When I work on a new project, I start by thinking about what I want the project to be: an animation, a game, a video? Once I have a set idea, I start to think about the story to tell. If a story doesn't come into my mind first, I tend to create a character and then the world the character should live in. Once the main idea is set, I then proceed to make a list of the main elements I need and work on, adding further elements later on as the project advances.

What advice would you give to students who just started studying in your programme?

Not everyone is a fast learner. No matter how long it takes, if you work on your skills you will reach the level you expect. Never compare your work to others. If you start comparing everything you do to people either younger than you or professionals, you will never make progress.

Have you changed during your studies? How?

I did change a lot throughout my studies: I accepted to work on projects I would normally avoid due to lack of confidence, I share much more of my works online no matter how small the audience is, I stopped comparing everything I do to others and I just create whatever I enjoy.

Why did you choose to study in your programme?

I chose to study Game Design since I have been fascinated with games from a very young age. Having tried other branches and studies, I realised that Game Design was what I did want to study after all. After my 3D Design classes, I took it upon myself to study 3D further by joining the Game Design ENG course.

What are you not going to miss in your studies?

I don't think I will miss a lot of things since all of this was a learning experience. I did enjoy seeing other people's projects, but this is why the internet is a good tool, to keep up with the people I want to see more projects of.

How are you going to celebrate your graduation?

I promised to tell my friends if I graduate. Once university is over, I will simply take time for myself and visit a friend that had helped me a lot during that university time and beyond.

Say hi!

2 comments in total

N 2021-07-31 21:55:57

Congrats.

Bro45 2021-02-13 00:07:53

Ayaya!

Lada Suomenrinne