Stats
vention team members
year of active engagement
thousands of downloads at launch
Project description
Recognizing the power of visual storytelling in technology, Postman is always looking for innovative ways to get their API-first philosophy out there. After the success of their epic graphic novel, The API-First World, the company geared up for the next chapter: designing a game to guide users through Postman's API-first universe in an educational and engaging way.
In their quest for an engineering partner skilled in gaming and tech aspects of SaaS, Postman scored big with Vention. We quickly brought on board a team of 10 specialists — with expertise across game design, 2D/3D art, Unity engineering, and project management — all set to build the pioneering mobile game, Postman: API-First Journey.
The idea? Set in a realm of disorganized API processes, the game introduces players to the Postmanaut, a character struggling to build software in a monolithic environment. Players use Postman tools to navigate this chaotic world, travel through the Cloud, and ultimately reach the API-First World.
The solution’s creation involved unique challenges in both game design and development. Our first focus was on the game's setting — a post-apocalyptic, futuristic computer space — which required high-quality visual assets to capture the essence of this unusual landscape.
In tune with the storyline, we structured the game into three main stages: The Broken World, which illustrates the existing chaos; a transitional stage representing the shift to cloud technology; and the cutting-edge API-First World. To progress, players guide the Postmanaut through these stages, collecting pieces of the API shield — a crucial item for entering the API-First World and a symbol of the player's API mastery.
Interestingly, the game's levels are made up of randomly chosen tiles, guaranteeing a unique experience with every replay. The tiles differ in size and are initially hidden by visual barriers, which adds an element of unpredictability. The length of the world depends on the number of tiles, their complexity, and completion time — key to creating an ever-evolving and dynamic gaming environment.
Another vital aspect of our project was to seamlessly incorporate API-related educational features into the gameplay. We achieved this by enriching game mechanics with various obstacles that metaphorically represent different aspects of working with APIs. Additionally, we implemented an adaptive difficulty system that scales with the player's progress, offering a personalized learning curve.
To further boost player engagement, we also added a series of power-ups. These power-ups allow players to eliminate bugs, bypass obstacles, and even gain the ability to fly, which adds an exciting dimension to the game and enriches the overall experience.
The result
The collaboration with Postman resulted in a truly game-changing solution that skillfully blends education with entertainment, establishing Postman as a frontrunner in the gamified learning sector in tech. Our interaction and cooperation were transparent and open from day one, allowing us to manage and resolve unplanned situations smoothly.
The game's launch received a highly positive response from the community, as demonstrated by more than 1,000 downloads within the first week and significant social media interest.
“The Vention team members were perfect partners for the project; they were quick to execute, understood our vision, and collaborated with us seamlessly,” said Shruthi Venkatesh, Visual Lead at Postman. “The team had really valuable insights that helped us finesse the mechanics of the game. Overall, working with them was game-changing, quite literally.”
Grab the game for your mobile device from the App Store or Google Play.
Unity
