It’s been just over seven months since Convict Interactive, an independent studio comprising present and former University of Wollongong students, took on the ambitious task of designing a video game from scratch.

In an industry dominated by big players - by some estimates, video gaming is now larger than the film industry - it was a daunting challenge, according to Rebecca Fernandez, who handles programming and marketing for Convict.

Speaking on the day their game, Triangle Man, officially hit the web, she could only laugh and say it felt ‘‘pretty good’’.

Described as a ‘‘punishment platformer’’, the game puts the player in the shoes of a protagonist as he works his way through a series of levels.

The road to release wasn’t easy, Ms Fernandez said, with funding difficulties threatening to derail the project before flu struck down three quarters of Convict in the crucial final days of development.

To make matters worse, a glitch meant the game was posted online days before it was due to be officially launched, and included a bug that made it almost unplayable.

‘‘Suddenly it was publicly available - which sucked a little bit,’’ she said.

But after some quick fixes, Triangle Man officially launched last Friday through independent distributor Desura, and the game is getting good reviews.

‘‘Awesome game, very challenging and heaps of levels to get through. Highly recommended!’’ wrote one player, while another described the experience as ‘‘wonderfully hard but addictive’’.

Ms Fernandez said budding game developers should follow two simple rules - make as many games as possible, and never be afraid to ask for help.

She said Convict Interactive would now work on updating Triangle Man, as well as starting to work on another, yet-to-be-announced project.

Triangle Man is available on PC through Desura