Background

During Google Season of Docs, I learned that the open source 2D game engine, GDevelop, needed new tutorials. It was a great opportunity for me to try something new and contribute to an open source wiki.

Method

I reached out to the creator of GDevelop to learn more about his users. He told me that the majority of GDevelop users, although comfortable with computers, were new to game development. We agreed that additional step-by-step tutorials in building simple games would increase user confidence. Since I had never developed a game, I figured I could learn and document at the same time.

GDevelop comes bundled with several game examples. I chose to reverse engineer the Breakout game example to create a tutorial.

Outcome

The tutorial was approved by the creator and published here: GDevelop Breakout Tutorial

My improved game example also replaced the old version  (release notes 5.0.0-beta76).

Background

In one of my certification courses, I had to write a complete set of instructions on any technical subject and publish a condensed version online. I wrote about how to install WordPress in a local environment, because I needed to install a local environment myself. I chose to publish on Google Sites because I hadn’t used the platform before and I was curious about the user experience.

Method

I researched the topic online and identified the general workflow, but I had some questions about best practices. I asked on Reddit, and a very helpful, knowledgeable programmer agreed to be my subject matter expert. He answered my questions and gave me additional tips based on his experience with local environments.

Once I had all the information gathered, I chunked the process into 5 smaller tasks:

1. Downloading and installing XAMPP
2. Installing WordPress in a local directory
3. Launching the XAMPP Control Panel
4. Creating a MySQL database
5. Configuring WordPress in the local environment

Outcome

The site is published here: Installing WordPress in a Local Environment. The full technical document can be downloaded from the first page.

Cancelling Your Cable: Are You Ready? is a guide I wrote for Canadians who were frustrated with the high costs of cable TV but who knew very little about streaming. The goal was to let them determine if alternatives to cable could work with their viewing habits and save them money.

To create this guide, I sketched out exactly what I needed to do to retain the TV programming I liked when I cancelled my cable subscription. I grouped those steps in big chunks to make up my outline. I included a chapter-by-chapter case study that the reader could follow, as a way of livening up the guide and adding financials at the same time.

This information is being used as a teaching tool and handout by libraries and seniors’ groups.

Please see the Mexican Train Dominoes post on my blog for more information about this project.