Arcade MiniGolf was created as part of an 8th Wall game jam where participants received a putt putt template and were encouraged to build their own creative courses. Irina Fawcett and Noah Ilbery took that challenge and delivered one of the most imaginative entries in the jam. Their levels transformed classic arcade and carnival games like skee ball and air hockey into playful, interactive mini golf holes that surprised everyone with their creativity and polish.

We spoke with Irina and Noah about their inspirations, development process, and the challenges of creating Arcade MiniGolf.

What inspired you to create your experience?

We are always excited to hop in on 8th Wall’s game jams. Noah has been wanting to create a mini golf experience for quite some time, so we were immediately excited when the theme was announced. Since this game jam was going to have a template for mechanics, we knew we wanted to focus more on getting creative with the environment and course building.

We thought, what better way to do research than to get some real life experience? So we went to the nearest Puttshack mini golf for entirely research purposes and definitely not because mini golf makes for a fun date night. We found a lot of inspiration while we played. Two holes stood out to us in particular: one inspired by Tetris and one by bowling. That got us thinking, what if we designed our own courses based on other games, specifically arcade and tabletop classics like skee ball and air hockey? That idea guided the entire style and layout of our game.

How did 8th Wall Studio help bring your vision to life?

We do all our 3D asset creation in Blender. From there, 8th Wall Studio makes it easy to import, position, and set up all the elements of each hole. The entity component system, or ECS, makes it simple to add reusable components that can be applied to each object to create effects, interactions, and responses throughout the game.

For example, we could easily add specific colliders and sound triggers to different objects. This experience also relied heavily on Studio’s built in physics. Once the club hits the ball, the rest of the gameplay is determined by the physics system and how the ball interacts with the environment. 8th Wall’s ability to quickly prototype, test, and publish on all devices without rebuilding for each platform was incredibly helpful.

What challenges did you face along the way? How did you overcome them?

The template for the core gameplay minimized a lot of potential challenges. Our biggest pivot came when we realized our imported models exceeded the custom collisions that 8th Wall Studio could handle at the time. We had to remake simplified collisions using cube meshes directly in Studio instead. This drastically reduced load times and minimized bugs. We were able to find this solution thanks to help from the 8th Wall Discord community.

What were the key steps you took to bring this project to life?

We always start with a casual brainstorm session where there are no bad ideas, just open conversation. We love to brainstorm while walking around the park since getting outside helps us think more clearly. Once we agree on a concept, we sketch our ideas and define the main mechanics of the game.

Next we move into 3D. Noah models, rigs, and animates each element as needed. We begin with greybox models to block out gameplay, which leads directly into development and testing. With base models in place, we develop the specific components needed for the interactions. During this stage, Irina added a tweak to the main putting mechanic so players hold down the button to charge the putt, then release to swing.

Once everything works as expected, we move into polish. This is where we refine the models beyond greybox, enhance lighting and textures, and ensure the courses feel cohesive and fun to play. We always make things work first, then make them look good. That approach keeps us focused and efficient.

What advice would you give other developers building with 8th Wall Studio?

One thing we always suggest to anyone getting started in XR and game development is to start with templates. Templates are a great way to understand how things work, give you a quick base, and can even be mixed together to form the foundation for more complex projects.

For this jam, the provided template for core game mechanics allowed participants to focus on creativity and design instead of spending all their time debugging basic functionality.

Additionally, being active in the community helps a lot. Having a place to get help, share ideas, and find inspiration makes the process more enjoyable and productive. We would have been stuck for a while on our collider issue if we had not reached out.

Where do you see the future of AR and web game development going?

Web games and WebAR are growing fast because they are fun, engaging, and easy to access. There are so many ways to use them, whether for websites, events, or standalone experiences. 8th Wall is continuing to establish itself as a one stop shop for game and XR creation. Between Studio for games, advanced AR features in the legacy cloud editor, and the new native app export option, it offers everything developers need to bring ideas to life.

Ready to build your own game?

Inspired by Irina and Noah's journey? Sign up today to create your own 3D game or AR experience for free with 8th Wall Studio. Whether you’re new to development or looking to push your skills further, our sample projects are the perfect place to start. Have any questions or ideas? Join the conversation on Discord.