Project

Christmas Blackjack C++

Media

My partner and I built a fully interactive C++ game from the ground up, and it was selected for presentation at the Engineering Foundations Showcase.

We developed a complete game architecture in C++ using a modular state-machine design that handled the main menu, world navigation, shop flow, blackjack engine, player stats, and banking systems.
I implemented object-oriented systems with custom classes for card and hand handling, inventory management, chip logic, value calculations, UI components, and overarching gameplay flow.
The game includes collision detection and interactive world mechanics so the player can move through spaces and trigger scripted events.
I integrated custom pixel-art assets and animations to maintain a cohesive Christmas-themed visual identity across menus and gameplay scenes.
We also built an in-game theater that plays a short educational micro-film on teen gambling risk, combining technical implementation with research-driven impact content.
The final project balanced gameplay depth, software structure, and social-impact storytelling, which led to our nomination at the Engineering Foundations Showcase.

A modular state-machine architecture makes large game projects significantly easier to scale, debug, and extend under class project constraints.
Separating concerns through object-oriented classes reduced cross-module coupling and let us iterate faster on game mechanics without destabilizing the full codebase.
Collision and event-trigger systems require careful logic boundaries to keep world interactions predictable and avoid hidden state bugs.
Designing educational content into a game works best when it is integrated into gameplay context instead of treated as a disconnected add-on.
Presenting at a showcase reinforced the value of building projects that are both technically sound and intentionally designed for user impact.