Sandra HeijnekampUX designer
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SimDate

A game I came up with, illustrated and coded myself, in which you go on a virtual first date.

  • Front-end
  • 2021
Play SimDate ↗
SimDate on a laptop: an illustrated date at a table with action buttons and a heart meter

How can I use JavaScript to create a small game that the user can play?

1Front-end

The idea and the plan

It was during the pandemic and loneliness was a hot topic. That inspired me to make a virtual date simulation with a 2D look: small enough to build myself, fun enough to keep playing.

Sketch of SimDate: a heart meter at the top, a figure in the middle and six action buttons at the bottom
The first sketch of SimDate.

2Front-end

Design

I designed the game experience and illustrated all the visual elements myself: the date, the table, the buttons and the heart meter.

3Front-end

Coding

Then I wrote the code in HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Every action, from flirting and talking to ignoring or leaving, affects the heart meter.

4Front-end

Test and iterate

Play, adjust, play again: I kept playing the game until the date's reactions felt both logical and surprising.

5Front-end

Delivery

The result is a working prototype that I fully conceived, designed and built. Can you bring the date to a successful end?

SimDate on a laptop
Can you bring the date to a successful end?

SimDate

  • A working game in which you go on a virtual first date.

  • I made all the illustrations myself.

By coding everything myself I learned how interaction really works: every button, animation and reaction had to be thought up and built by me.

Loves Me, Loves Me Not →My first vibe coding project: a cosy browser game in which you pluck a flower petal by petal.

Looking for a UX designer?

I'm looking for a permanent role as a UX designer. Do you have a spot on your team, or would you just like to meet? I'd love to hear from you.

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