Overview

For those unaware, video game modding is the process of taking a finished game and injecting your own custom alterations into the code with the goal of creating a new experience. Super Mario 64, developed by Nintendo EAD, is probably my favorite game of all time; growing up, I recall watching videos where people would play the game with different characters or different levels, and I would eventually learn that these were mods - downloadable modifications to the game that were created by fans.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself with plenty of free time on my hands (as I'm sure most of us did). In April of that year, a YouTuber I watched at the time announced a Super Mario 64 modding competition. Viewers were invited to develop and submit their own mods of the game, where they would then be played and judged in front of a live audience. I decided I wanted to compete; a month was provided to created the mod, so I immediately began my own research into the process. I found a fan-created program with a user-friendly UI that allowed me overwrite levels in the game with my own 3D models. I had used SketchUp in some of my high school classes, which was my only experience with 3D modeling. SketchUp is primarily for designing architecture, but here I was, using it to create levels for a 30-year-old game.

I finished my mod in time, and submitted it to the competition. I ended up placing near the middle of the pack, with around a 7/10 rating from the viewers, but I had a really great time. It was so much fun to watch the YouTuber play my levels and provide constructive feedback, and seeing how supportive the viewers of the livestream were really motivated me. After that initial competition, I would continue to compete in later competitions, consistently producing higher quality mods with each release. Later projects would lead me to teach myself Blender, basic C syntax, 3D level design principles, vertex painting, texture creation, and optimization tricks.