Apple Game: The Balance of Desire
Inspiration
When we joined the hackathon, it was pure chaos at first. Our team had only two members, both of us first-year students — and not even computer science majors! We studied Engineering Science, and all we knew back then was the basics of C++.
We remembered an old number-apple game we used to play, where you grouped apples with printed numbers to make a total of 10. It was surprisingly addictive. So, we thought:
“What if we make something similar — but with deeper meaning?”
As both of us are Christians, the apple immediately reminded us of human desire — the temptation, the craving, the balance we all struggle to keep. We wanted to reflect this spiritual and philosophical idea through gameplay.
Thus, Apple Game was born. A game not just about scoring points, but about balancing human desire — between greed and apathy, temptation and restraint.
What We Learned
This was our first-ever hackathon, and it taught us a lot more than just programming:
How to turn a vague concept into a playable idea
How to use GitHub (we struggled hard with git push and git pull)
How to apply our basic C++ knowledge in a real project
How to seek help effectively from YouTube tutorials and AI tools
How to work under time pressure and stay creative when things break
We realized that creativity doesn’t come from mastery, but from trying to make meaning out of what we know.
How We Built It
We started simple — a C++ game loop, and an idea:
“Make the player manage the desire, not just scoring points.”
We had to watch multiple tutorials on how to set things up and how to code a playable game.
After 6 hours of learning, we were able to pop up an apple image in a new window. After 18 hours of hacking time, we made the basic structure of the game. - Apples are falling, and the player collects them. After 22 hours, we inserted background music and sound effects.
##Challenges We Faced I(Tim) was so sick after drinking a Redbull :( couldn't code for the first few hours. Daniel had to code alone for those hours by himelf in a dark and quiet room.
Converting our basic C++ syntax knowledge into an actual working game.
Learning Git collaboration for the first time (we broke the repo several times).
Debugging logic for the Desire Gauge system — balancing it was tricky.
Designing consistent pixel art backgrounds that fit our moral theme.
Managing the difficulty of the game.
Managing time and stress as complete beginners in a fast-paced hackathon.
Apple Game
Each apple reflected a part of human desire: greed, temptation, restraint, and decay.
Life is all about desire. Your task is to balance your desire between hunger and restraint. To survive, you must eat… but not too much. To resist, you must endure… but not too long.
SCORE: Red apple: Balance. The natural, moderate desire. +20 score +20 desire gauge Golden apple: Temptation with risk. High value, low desire gain.? +80 score -15 desire gauge Rotten apple: Corrupted desire. Low value, but fills you dangerously fast. +5 score +30 desire gauge Missed apple: +0 score -5 desire gauge
Goal: Maintain your Desire Gauge between 30 and 80 while collecting as many points as possible.
If Desire < 20 → “Apathy” (Game Over: You lose the will to live)
If Desire > 80 → “Obsession” (Game Over: You are consumed by greed)
Opening animation
[Scene 1 – Darkness] A single red apple falls from the sky, landing on the ground with a soft thud. “The apple reflects the desire of mankind.”
[Scene 2 – Golden Light] A golden apple descends slowly, glowing in radiant light. “Some desires shine brighter than others…” “...tempting, precious, yet fleeting.”
[Scene 3 – Decay Spreads] The light fades. A rotten apple drops, bursting into dark mist. “But every desire carries danger within.” “Corruption follows those who crave too much.”
[Scene 4 – Dual Fall] A golden and rotten apple fall together—both spinning in slow motion. “We must choose…” “Which desire will we fulfill?”
[Scene 5 – Storm of Apples] Hundreds of apples fall from the sky — red, gold, and rotten — mixing in chaos. “At times, choice is not a gift...” “...but a necessity.”
[Scene 6 – Player Controllable] “How will you endure your own desire?” “Find the balance… or be devoured by it.”
GAME OBJECTIVE
Goal: Maintain balance between desire and restraint while collecting points.
Survival Mechanic:
Eat too little, and your desire fades → Game Over.
Eat too much, and you lose control → Game Over.
Victory Condition: Reach the end of the cycle with your Desire Gauge stable (20–80) and the highest score possible.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Apple Game became more than just our hackathon entry. It became a reflection of ourselves — our stress, curiosity, and search for balance between ambition and peace IN REAL LIFE!
We started as two engineering students with no game dev experience. We finished as creators of a meaningful, symbolic game.
“To desire is human. To balance it… is wisdom.”
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.