When I was 12, I was just playing games built with Unity.
Unity was once just a logo I saw before games loaded. Then it became the place where I learned to make objects respond, spaces feel interactive, and research questions become experiences someone could actually step inside.
That is why the hackathon win felt so full-circle. It was not only an award; it connected the kid consuming a world with the engineer now building one. I still feel like a beginner surprisingly often, but maybe that is why the engine has stayed fun. There is always another system to understand and another weird prototype to attempt.
Never crossed my mind that one day I’d actually be building with it. 😅
I built my first Unity project about four years ago, and since then it’s been quite a journey.. from research projects and XR prototypes to winning Google’s first Android XR Hackathon… sponsored by Unity.
pretty wild how things come full circle.
Unity has been such a fun engine to learn, build, and experiment with, and I’m excited for everything still ahead.
Thanks, Leah, for putting together such a great recap. Looking forward to building a lot more!!
What I remember most is the shift from an idea in my head to something another person could actually touch. Shipping makes the questions sharper, the feedback more honest, and the next version much easier to imagine.