Campus Cook-Off

General Information

Cooperative Party Game Genre

Campus Cook-Off is a fast-paced couch co-op game where up to four players collaborate in a chaotic college kitchen. Inspired by games like Overcooked, it combines accessible controls with frantic minigames, player communication, and absurd ingredient combinations. Whether you're chopping pineapples or blending tomatoes, the game is designed for lighthearted local multiplayer sessions that escalate into joyful disorder.

Development Information

  • Team Size: 36

  • Engine: Unity 2021.3.8f1

  • Platform: Winnitron / PC

  • Development Stage: Released

  • Distribution: Itch.io

Itch.io Page

Lead Producer

I coordinated a 36-student team through a semester-long studio course to bring Campus Cook-Off to a playable state. My work focused on organizing sprints, maintaining the task board, and helping teams stay aligned on scope and priorities.

Each week, I ran retrospectives with team leads, tracked progress, identified blockers, and reassigned tasks when workloads shifted. I also reviewed gameplay features during playtests and implemented a simple onboarding system to guide players through the game loop.

Throughout development, I supported team communication, feature integration, and overall project pacing. My goal was to keep the project manageable, maintain clarity across disciplines, and help the team deliver a polished build by the end of the semester.

Lessons I Learned

Campus Cook-Off was my trial by fire as a producer. Here are the lessons that stuck with me and continue to shape how I lead:

  • Clear deliverables prevent confusion. Making expectations explicit helped keep work predictable.

  • Technical oversight matters. Regular check-ins with engineering ensured the build stayed stable.

  • Cutting scope is sometimes necessary. Focusing on fewer systems allowed the team to finish a stronger final build.

  • People work differently. Supporting teammates’ strengths led to more consistent progress.

  • Leadership is facilitation. My role was to provide direction, remove blockers, and help the team succeed—not to control the creative process.

  • Asking for help is important. Collaboration and shared responsibility made the project better and more sustainable.