Published on January 14th, 2019 | by Kirk Hiner

Play Just a Small Spaceshooter, then learn to make your own Apple TV game

Originally developed for iOS as a spare-time project by Stefan Josten, Just a Small Spaceshooter has just been released for Apple TV and Apple Watch. The tvOS version offers exactly what you’d expect from the title—players navigate a spaceship through an increasing number of enemies using the Siri Remote. Collect extras and try to survive as long as possible.

That’s pretty much it, but as anyone who has played and enjoyed Asteroids, Space Invaders, or even Flappy Bird will tell you, some games don’t need a whole lot more than that. Seeing how long you can avoid your impending doom is a noble and time-tested arcade endeavor.

The Apple TV version of Just a Small Spaceshooter is available now for $0.99 in the App Store, but that’s not the only reason we’re telling you about it. To help budding developers, Stefan is sharing his experience and coding knowledge at his website: developerplayground.net. There, players and developers can access numerous tutorials on how to use Apple’s developer tools to create your own games. The tutorials are broken down by category: Objective C, SWIFT, etc. He was one category set up specifically for tvOS, although there are currently only two entries: “How to use the Apple TV remote to control a sprite in your TVOS Apps: and “Quick Tip: How to use the remote control in your TVOS Apps for Apple TV in SWIFT.”

The tutorials are mostly text-based and require a decent knowledge of programming, but are free to the public and full of helpful code you can utilize in your own projects.

So, if you’re looking for a fun, light arcade game to play on your Apple TV, check out Just a Small Spaceshooter. If you’re looking to make an Apple TV game of your own, check out developerplayground.net.

Tags: apple tv, apple tv games, just a small spaceshooter, Stefan Josten

About the Author

Kirk Hiner has been writing for the Apple web since 1997, having served as editor of Applelinks and the Technology Tell Apple Channel. In addition to his work with BEST Apple TV, Kirk currently contributes to Mac Gamer HQ and Pure Nintendo. He lives with his wife and three children in small-town Ohio where the land is cheap and the air is (relatively) clean.