Ruby Walne
Game Developer | Programmer
Game developer based in Cape Town, South Africa.
My Projects
Itch.io – Ruby J. W.
Much of my work can be found on my Itch page where I upload my game jam and personal projects.
Our Last Hand
In the depths of space, you approach what may become your new home. However, the barren rock you descend upon may not be so welcoming.Our Last Hand is a Deckbuilder-Basebuilder where you attempt to scratch out an existence on a strange world. Play cards to build clover structures, balance your resource generation with population sanity, and manage an ever-present agitation from the rocks under your roots. As you survive each season, draft cards from six domains to take on new challenges.
Slime Fight Club
Welcome to the Slime Fight Club, Slime-o-mancer! Start your journey with a handful of slimes and grow them into a formidable horde as you advance through each stage. Every time you defeat an opponent, their slimes join you for the next fight. As a Slime-o-mancer, you have the ability to craft your slimes into new types, making them stronger and more specialized. It will take the perfect collaboration of slimes to survive each stage. Will you make it to the final fight?
Holey Moley
you are mole
eat worm, grow big and strong
eat city maybe?About
This game was made for the 2025 SA Game Jam in 72 hours by a group of hobbyist game developers in Cape Town, South Africa. The theme was "You are the monster".⭐ Holey Moley won the Overall and Best Hobbyist categories!
🎮 Holey Moley went to Playtopia 2025!
🪽 Holey Moley was nominated for the 2025 WINGS x AGW award!
Trailblazer: Odyssey
Trailblazer: Odyssey is an exploration-driven game about embarking on journeys and forging new connections in a world rebuilding from societal collapse. Chart a journey through an unmapped landscape, but be careful not to run out of fuel as you gather resources and connect settlements. Discover the story of the Old World as you build a new one.About
Trailblazer began as a 2-day game jam with the simple idea of completing a journey with limited resources. Through some trial and error, we set out to expand the jam prototype and see how far we could push the idea. Big thanks to the Makers Massive community in Cape Town who playtested and gave valuable feedback over the dev cycle. You guys rock!
Echoes in the Sand
This game is a collaborative passion project, born from the collective creativity, skills, and dedication of a group of friends. It forms part of Micaela Loubser's MMus Composition Portfolio, which explores the connection between music, narrative, and gameplay.The adventure-driven story follows a young girl and her robot companion as they navigate the ruins of a post-apocalyptic world, searching for lost parts.
Amalgam
The magic items and materials you haul back from a day delving in the dungeon won’t be enough, what ever will you do?! Luckily (or unluckily?) for you, a mysterious visitor has the offer of a lifetime and a method to manifest the riches you dream of.Amalgam is a game of combination and balance. From your meagre dungeon takings, craft and combine to create the highest quality items possible. Run out of combinable items? No problem, your mysterious patron looks at your items hungrily and promises great returns, but be careful, feed them too much and they might just eat them all!⭐ Amalgam was rated 1st place overall!
The Rat Race
The clock sloooowly ticks time by as your spreadsheet increasingly frustrates you. You could really, really use a break.BIIING!What's this?! An email saying there is only one seat left on your DREAM CRUISE?! Just what you needed. But then, a horrible twist! All your coworkers have received the same email, and all look ready to jump from their desk chairs to claim that final seat on the vacation of their dreams. No. NO! Race to the pier and claim that vacation as your own, escape the Rat Race!The Rat Race is a short racing game created for 8 Bits to Infinity's VimJam 5, with the theme "escape." We also decided to implement some of the optional diversifiers: mouse-only controls, and a four-color palette.
Goblin Problems
You’re a happy-go-lucky gnome who just wants to wash your dishes in peace. But when those pesky goblins smash up your water supply, you must take matters into your own little hands and go a tinkerin’!Goblin Problems is a 2D platformer developed in Godot for the Godot Jam Round 2 game jam. The jam's theme was “Out of Order,” and who better to put things back in order than a wee gnome?⭐ Goblin Problems was rated 3rd place overall!
Activities
Some highlights from my time in the game development industry over the years.
Table Of Contents
Roots and Pixels 2026
In 2025 I applied for the Roots & Pixels programme and was incredibly grateful to have been one of 9 selected participants.The programme ran from the 23rd of March to the 3rd of April 2026 and took place in Kortrijk, Belgium at Howest, Digital Arts and Entertainment.Week one consisted of a week full of learning! We had two workshops a day and a more casual discussion during lunch. We attended a Women in Games meet up with Idisen, visited the Game Nest, a local game dev co-working space in Gent, and saw some of the beautiful towns of Belgium. We were surprised with a visit from VRT NWS (national Belgian television) on day one! The feature can be watched HERE.During week two, we collaborated with Microsoft Xbox Game Camp and took part in a game jam. We worked closely with Games For Change to create games in four teams of four with the theme "Outgrow Hunger". I am very honoured to say that out of these amazing games my team's game, Root Resistance, was selected as the winner within the Roots & Pixels category.
Playtopia 2025
I was a volunteer at Playtopia 2025 and was very grateful to have had two games in the arcade!The first was Shawshank Shootout, a game made as part of the Super Friendship Arcade game jams throughout 2025. I worked on this project as one of the main programmers. This game, in true SFA fashion, uses a handmade, cardboard controller and a physical split screen to play through a cooperative prison break.The second game was Holey Moley, our entry to the SA Game Jam 2025 that ended up taking home both the Overall Winner and Best Hobbyist categories! You play as a hungry mole who just wants to eat worms. It's not his fault that he ends up devouring the entire city along the way! A cool moment at Playtopia was to see our game sitting between Neva by Nomada Studio and Ball X Pit by Kenny Sun, two incredible games!Some photos taken from the Playtopia 2025 archive.
Africa Games Week 2025
In preparation for Africa Games Week 2025, I was approached by Games For Change Africa and asked to do a talk during their annual festival that would be taking place as part of Africa Games Week. I ended up speaking on a panel with Azra Parker and Tatiana Skliarenko where we touched on the opportunities that exist for youth and women in games.
About
I’m a game developer and programmer based in Cape Town, South Africa.After a short stint in the tech industry, I transitioned into game development, where I build games both independently and as part of a team. My work focuses on programming, systems, and implementing gameplay mechanics from the ground up.I’m actively involved in the local game development community, regularly participating in game jams and industry events, and have had the opportunity to win a few along the way. I’m committed to fostering a supportive environment that encourages others to get involved and grow within their local game dev communities.
Contact
I'd love to hear from you! Reach out with any questions, collaboration requests, or general chit-chat![email protected]