Gem Mine

Become the next high-scoring miner! Gem Mine is an intense, multilevel, gem-catching, rock-avoiding, ax-throwing, and power-up game that will have you playing for hours! The object of the game is to catch gems while avoiding the falling rocks of the mine. Try to reach a high score by throwing your ax and using power-up shields to avoid the rocks. You only have 3 lives, so beware of what you collect in the mine!

Overview

Details

First mobile app created in college.

Responsibilities

Concept Artist
Graphic Artist
Testing

Tools Used

Corona SDK
Photoshop

High-LEvel

Project Summary

Gem Mine is a mobile app game I created in collaboration with Austin Graham during college, blending arcade mechanics with a playful, gem-mining theme inspired by Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. As the project’s artist, I crafted visuals to bring the mine to life while Austin handled programming. Players slide a gem cart across the screen, dodging falling rocks and catching gems of various point values to reach target scores and advance levels. Smaller gems are worth more, adding an extra layer of challenge, and power-ups like temporary force fields shield the cart from damage. Designed to be a timeless experience, Gem Mine became a hit with testers of all ages who found it hard to put down!

Current State

Originally published on the Google Play Store, Gem Mine was available for download and enjoyed by players for several years. However, due to extended inactivity and a lack of code updates, the app was eventually removed from the store.

Lessons Learned

Working on Gem Mine as my first college project was an invaluable experience. I discovered my passion for brainstorming game ideas and learned to use Photoshop, which was entirely new to me at the time. Looking back, I can spot areas for improvement, but I’m proud of what we achieved for a first-time project. One day, I’d love to see it back in the app store, bringing that sense of accomplishment full circle.