Blocktober greybox header

October. A month like any other, but for us level designers it feels a little special. This is when our unwritten “holiday” happens — a time when we’re more eager to share our work with the world. We call this event #Blocktober.

The work I’m talking about is the very first step in building any level, map, or scene: the blockout. It’s simple, unsophisticated geometry meant to present the concept, the idea, and the outline of what we want to put into the game. We often start with a rough 2D plan (on paper or in an app) and then move it into a 3D environment such as Unreal Engine or Unity.

In this raw form, a level is already playable (e.g., a concept playtest) and lets us check whether it fits our needs. If it does, it will likely go through many iterations before it’s ready to be filled with proper assets (meshes), lighting, and all the remaining elements needed to finish the level.

I encourage everyone to give this event a try. And don’t forget to use the #Blocktober hashtag 😉

A handful of links → the history of Blocktober

Here are some of the selected works:

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