JVS student uses AI to create racing game

A Jefferson County Joint Vocational School student is pursuing his dream of becoming a video game designer with help from an artificial intelligence program.

Chuck Carter, a senior in the multimedia and design program at the JVS, used the Base44 app builder to create “Rally Racer,” a racing game featuring a series of turns on a multi-surface course. Base44 allowed him to turn text-based directions into applications to build the track and establish the game’s parameters.

Carter, the grandson of Dean and Mary Carter of Adena and a student at Buckeye Local High School, plans to attend Kent State University at Tuscarawas after graduation to study animation and gaming. He said he also plans to take classes in 3D modeling.

Multimedia and design instructor Cody LaRue said Carter created the game in a short amount of time and gave it features that make it accessible to everyone.

“In 10 minutes, he made a racing game,” LaRue said. “Chuck wants to study game design, and this is one way to use AI to increase his workflow. From his standpoint of being limited physically, this is a useful tool to learn the basics of game design.”

Carter was born with arthrogryposis, a congenital disorder that affects the joints and can make them short and stiff. He uses a wheelchair operated with switches. He has been assisted by aide Laura Morrison since fifth grade and continues to work with her at the JVS.

Despite his physical challenges, Carter has developed a strong interest in art that grew into a passion for character and game design. He designed the game on his touchscreen computer using a stylus held between his teeth. He said the project was inspired by a game he played as a child and could never find again.

“There was a game I played 10 years ago on my iPad but could never find again,” Carter said. “It was very similar to this and I wanted to play the game again. I thought, ‘I could design this.’”

Using Base44, he developed a circular track with simulated asphalt and dirt surfaces and made updates so the game’s cars could follow mouse controls. The vehicle’s distance regulates speed as it moves through the course.

“I’ve had to go through multiple iterations for the track that feel good to drive,” he said. “This was a project I worked on and took about one hour to complete. The hardest part is figuring out what to type in and what problems to fix.”

LaRue said the real-time testing process is helping Carter better understand game physics.

“He’s using AI and testing it in real time, which is teaching him a lot about game physics,” LaRue said. “Being able to describe it can help him build from scratch. He’s keeping real-world physics in mind, and I thought this was a cool use of AI.”

LaRue also introduced an applications of AI course this year. He said the goal is not to persuade students to use artificial intelligence, but to study it from a neutral academic standpoint, including the ethics involved.

Carter said he once had reservations about AI, but the project changed some of his views.

“AI is allowing me to better respond to issues I’d come across on day-to-day game design,” Carter said. “It feels more like a collaboration and is coding what I cannot. I’m doing the main design aspects, and it’s just getting to write the code. It’s a learning tool to utilize AI.”

Carter said he plans to continue improving the game by adding features such as a countdown for each race, ice-covered roads and slide control. He eventually hopes to make the game available to the public.

“People can make their own challenges and get rewards,” Carter said. “It’s been a lot more fun than I thought it would be.”