ESP Biography

LUCAS WANG, First-year who loves CS, Design, and Teaching

Major: Computer Science

College/Employer: Stanford

Year of Graduation: 2027

Brief Biographical Sketch:

As a freshman at Stanford University, Lucas Wang is a curious learner who has always been fascinated by the intersectionalities of design, development, and teaching.

Since elementary school, Lucas has always loved designing game ideas. Having doodled over 147 pages of hand-drawn comics today, he fell in love with the concept of creating at an early age. Initially, accustomed to finishing projects in mere minutes, he viewed the lengthy nature of programming as monotonous, being skeptical about the fun of video game development. However, the block-based programming language on the Scratch website was his transition to enjoying computer science, leading him to embrace the game development process as an art.

After publishing a game on the Scratch website that accumulated over half a million views under the alias “LWCoding”, he decided to move past Scratch to take on new challenges. From a background in drag-and-drop code, he translated his skills to the licensed Unity game engine, researching the C# programming language to create marketable, copyrighted games. With this unfamiliar and relatively difficult engine, collaborating with others to develop games became a lifestyle: a way to embrace the communal aspect of game development.

Inspired by his collaboratively driven self-fulfillment, he brought his passion into his high school, proudly establishing the Video Game Design and Development Club, along with founding and leading four other clubs all aimed at teaching programming and/or game development. It was here that he developed a love for teaching, sharing his passion for design and development in a school that had few computer science opportunities. Today, he does online coaching for the Applied Computing Foundation, teaching kids from K-12 as well as college students and adults to cultivate computer science learning and a passion for design and development.

Past Classes

(Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

C8046: From Player to Maker: 2D Game Development in Splash Fall 2024 (Nov. 16 - 17, 2024)

Have you ever played a game and wondered how the developer(s) created it? From the smooth move-and-jump physics of Cuphead to the animated slam of a card onto a table in Hearthstone—this class aims to demystify the gaming process that players (like you and I) typically take for granted. Throughout this course, we will explore the Unity Engine, which has played a part in many signature titles (in addition to those mentioned above!), like Among Us, Hollow Knight, Genshin Impact, Pokemon Go, Beat Saber, and many more. We will break down Unity’s seemingly complicated user interface and get a taste of scripting in the C# programming language to interact with objects in our game. We will also work with pixel art, utilizing the Piskel website to create digital assets to import into these games! NOTE: Enrolled students MUST download the Unity Hub (https://unity.com/download) and install a version of the Unity Engine within the Hub *before class* if they would like to participate in programming! (Otherwise, more time may be allocated to art/ideation.)

C7939: From Player to Maker: 2D Game Development in Splash Spring 2024 (May. 18 - 19, 2024)

X7999: OwO, What's This: About the Furry Fandom in Splash Spring 2024 (May. 18 - 19, 2024)

Have you ever doodled a fox standing on two legs? Have you caught yourself enjoying movies like Zootopia and Sing? Maybe you’ve heard of the term “furry” before or even consider(ed) yourself one. No matter your experience, anybody interested is welcome to join and learn about the furry community! In just 45 minutes, we'll dive into the heart of furry culture—exploring the vibrant community, its artistic expressions, and why dressing up isn't just for Halloween. Otherwise, it’s a creative space to celebrate anthropomorphic animal characters! We’ll play some games regarding popular terms in the community, and snacks will be provided. We’ll also discuss the art, costumes, and storytelling that bring these characters to life. Additionally, despite any previous background in art, we'll do a bit of sketching and character development in this class. Pencils and paper will be provided. By the end of our session, you'll be able to bring your own furry character to life! Who knows? You might just discover your inner animal spirit! (Bring any questions you have as well!)

C7886: From Player to Maker: 2D Game Development in Splash Fall 2023 (Dec. 02 - 03, 2023)

Have you ever played a game and wondered how the developer(s) created it? From the smooth move-and-jump physics of Cuphead to the animated slam of a card onto a table in Hearthstone—this class aims to demystify the gaming process that players (like you and I) typically take for granted. Throughout this course, we will explore the Unity Engine, which has played a part in many signature titles (in addition to those mentioned above!), like Among Us, Hollow Knight, Genshin Impact, Pokemon Go, Beat Saber, and many more. We will break down Unity’s seemingly complicated user interface and get a taste of scripting in the C# programming language to interact with objects in our game. We will also work with pixel art, utilizing the Piskel website to create digital assets to import into these games! Enrolled students are encouraged to download the Unity Hub (https://unity.com/download) and install a version of the Unity Engine within the Hub before class to speed the process up.