The Nutty
Arcade

GitHub

View the full project documentation here.

About

NYC Open Data Week is an annual festival of community-driven events across all five boroughs, organized and produced by the NYC Open Data Team at the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI), BetaNYC, and Data Through Design. This festival recognizes the anniversary of NYC's first open data law, signed in March 2012, and serves as a powerful reminder of our communities' interconnectedness.

This workshop explores the intersection of data visualization and gameplay using real NYC squirrel census data from The Squirrel Census. Participants learn how to use programming language Lua with the game engine LÖVE to work creatively with data through the lens of game design principles.

Process

I developed this project over several months, reaching checkpoints along the way:

1. Brainstorm
2. Submit a proposal
3. Develop materials
4. Deliver workshop

Typefaces

Hipchick.ttf: Park names and squirrel counts

Sprite Sheets

Cinnamon squirrels: SunnyLand Woods asset pack
I used Figma to create the monochromatic versions.

Player + environment: Sprout Land asset pack

Coordinate plane: Representative of the format of a typical coordinate plane in 2D games. The origin sits at the top left corner, and the y values increase as you move down the screen.

Soundtrack

"cozy animal crossing music" playlist by stellarsheik

Reflection

Building this gamified data visualization was an incredible exercise in taking the skills I learned from independent research and applying them to a real-world scenario. I was able to fuse aspects of design and tech as I developed the program, simultaneously broadening my pedagogical and documentation skills as I generated the workshop. It was quite interesting to compare my experience with this project to the one I built last year for Open Data Week 2024 (Jamming with Environmental Data). I found that this year, I had a better sense of how to best present the information in a way that was accessible, comprehensive, and organized. I also felt that my material preparation was more concrete, and designing the overall workshop flow came more easily.

At the same time, I encountered new challenges, such as trying to keep the workshop engaging for people with a range of no coding experience to those at industry level. Since Open Data Week connects data-driven people from all across NYC, and the CSC primarily hosts introductory events, I found it difficult to manage contrasting expectations while staying true to the missions of both. To address this, I made sure to check in with event participants frequently, asking if they needed me to repeat information or troubleshoot. I also took a temperature check at the beginning of the event to assess how many people actually had any sort of coding background. Allowing space for questions and feedback throughout the workshop helped me to identify if my pace was appropriate and if my explanations were clear.

Ultimately, this experience pushed the limits of my comfort zone: I designed a project that challenged me in terms of what I knew before I started, and I created a corresponding 2-hour workshop that amplified my public speaking and instructional skills. I was also able to connect (and reconnect) with many folks involved in NYC data, technology, and innovation, which has ushered in fruitful discourse and networking. I definitely plan to continue my involvement with this festival in the future. Happy Open Data Week 2025! 🐿️🌳📊👾

Event Photos