Any views expressed within media held on this service are those of the contributors, should not be taken as approved or endorsed by the University, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University in respect of any particular issue.
For the final presentation, I made a poster, slides and a short video to introduce our project. Rubik’s cube is the key element of our game, so I used square shaped wireframes as the main content of the poster. And each cube shows elements corresponding to game story. I also added some puzzle elements and used various colors, hoping that this can emphasize the key words of our project, which is “Play”. The scattered puzzles also conform to the concept of the game.
The video will be displayed at the entrance of the room, which provides a brief introduction and guides the audience.
In the exhibition in the MoMa, the goal was to make the video games they were showcase accessible, regardless of skill level or any other barrier to entry. Their whole exhibition was build to be inviting, with open spaces and controllers easily at hand so visitors can jump in and start playing whenever they like. “The push for accessibility is also highlighted by the exhibit’s large, street-facing screen, which displays games and beckons passersby to come inside the exhibit gallery. As Galloway remarked, “the way into the museum is from the street.” (Aguasviva, 2022).
Similarly, with working with the constraints of the Atrium’s layout and materials available, we were able to create dynamic sign at entrance of our exhibition that signaled to visitors they were welcome with brief details about the game. We also had a mostly open layout, so we decided to have game stations that created that kind of community play aspect, so visitors could watch people play, and join when a seat became available.
As mentioned in the report on the MoMa exhibition, one of the curator’s Paul said “…games are as much about watching other people play as they are playing yourself, and it becomes this social thing. So we wanted to make sure there were as many opportunities as possible for that.” (Aguasviva, 2022). We wanted to create a similar kind of atmosphere, and though we did not have as big as a venue as MoMa, we used placed projections of pre-recorded game play using white projector screens to create the different opportunities for play to be witnessed and experienced by more people in we didn’t have room to make as many stations as the MoMa.
All in all, our goal was to create an environment that made people curious about our game, and invoke feelings of curiosity and play as they walked around the room and watched other people play, be it the visuals on the large projector screens or seeing others sitting at the tables and playing.
Sketch and plans
a. There are two areas for the audience to play the game, and there are two computer devices per area. The curtains around the two areas will be closed. We can use the TV to show the introduction slides of the project. Two projectors will display some video clips of the game.
b. There will be four computers in the corners of the room, which allow audience to play the game. The location of the projectors and TV remains the same.
Final Decision and Layout
There are four areas for the audience to play the game, each of them has a monitor, a laptop, headphones, and a mouse and keyboard. There is a display screen at the entrance of the room, which displays a brief project introduction. Two projectors will each project the same video, which includes game clips and introductions. There are two speakers in the center of the room, playing background music from the game. The entire room is dimly lit to create an immersive atmosphere where it’s the glow of the screens and video being seen.
In order to make players understand the story of the game clearly, I think the game can add simple text animations that can be triggered in some rooms. When a player collects a specific item or moves to a specific location, the storyline text will appear. Take Dark Deception as an example. The text automatically appears in the screen when the player reaches a specific location. Another example is What Remains of Edith Finch.
The key words of this life stage are ego integrity and despair. In this room, the character will review the whole lifetime’s achievements and unforgettable experience of regret.
Visual design and game play
There are seven towers and many rocks in this room, which are floating in the air. Each tower represents a specific stage of the character’s life and has special decoration. The main game mechanics of this room is jumping. Players need to jump between rocks to reach the next tower through the cliff. Players identify the life stages symbolized by each tower and place the previously collected item in the corresponding tower. When all items are properly placed, the portal to the final room will open.
This room relates to the early adulthood stage of people. The keywords of this stage are love, isolation and relationship. Based on these words, this room attempts to display the emotion and atmosphere of loneliness and longing for love. I want to use lighting to create a contrast atmosphere. The overall tone of this space is warm, but the house in the center of the space uses cool colors to create a lonely atmosphere. The trees outside the house are designed to show the vitality and warmth brought by establishing close relationships. The house presents three different scenes as the players explore, which show the loneliness and psychological contradictions of people at this stage.
Map
Basic Models
Rendering examples (without textures)
Key item-Finger ring
Visual References
Gameplay
The whole environment is divided into six different parts by lakes and river. There are five portals for each area. The players need to explore each area and walk through the portal to enter the next area. They will enter the house and collect the finger ring. The portal to the next room will then open.
The main theme of this game is about memory and emotion of a person, and the content and style of each room will be designed according to the emotions of the main character at that particular stage.
According to the theory on psychological development of human beings (Erik H Erikson), the development of human psychology can be divided into eight stages. There are more details follow this link. Each room of this game can be associated with a specific stage and the objects in the room are designed according to what the main character is likely to experience during this stage. For example, the room that represent the stage of infancy will contain items related to the mother, mildness and other things that connect with trust/hope.
Infancy, Trust vs. Mistrust
Toddlerhood, Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt
Early Childhood, Initiative vs. Guilt
Late Childhood, Industry vs. Inferiority
Adolescence, Identity vs. Role Confusion
Early Adulthood, Intimacy vs. Isolation
Middle Adulthood, Generativity vs. Stagnation
Late Adulthood, Ego Integrity vs. Despair
Idea of Gameplay
Each room has an incomplete phenakistoscope as the key item.
The player needs to explore the room and collect pieces to repair the phenakistoscope, which contains elements reveal the life stage that the room represents. When the player collects all the pieces, the phenakistoscope will begin to rotate and show the animation that reveal the experience of the character.
Each space of the Rubik’s Cube uses a different art style to represent character’s memories and various emotions, and each space has a specific theme. Here are some visual references for the aesthetic style of each space.
Room1: Loneliness
Color tone: Dark blue, orange
Sound style: the atmosphere is silence and cold. It contains the sound of dripping water, the sound of leaves when wind blows past.
Description: This room describes people’s loneliness by utilizing the concept of contrast. It will use contrasting colors to depict the melancholy of loneliness and the feeling of placing hope in something specific.
Room2: Anxiety/ Confused feeling.
Color tone: Black and white
Sound style: Electric wave sound, the noise of people talking.
Description: Everything is in black and white in this room, and the shape is dominated by lines and simple geometry. This room will show that it is difficult for people to feel the colors and emotions of the outside world under the chaotic and anxious mood. Irregular lines can describe this psychological state.
Room3: Happiness/Relaxed feeling
Color tone: Various colors with high saturation
Sound style: sound effect of sunshine and breeze, the laughter of children at play, and slow music.
Description: This room will contain daily objects with bright colors. The collocation and placement of the models can be referred to Wired core. The aim of it is to create a cheerful atmosphere.
Room4: Fantasy/Mysterious Feeling
Environment: Universe
Sound style: The sound of people speaking on a radio station, the sound of a female chant, the sound effect of sand and gravel.
Description: The universe is always full of unknown and mysterious for the human. This room can be designed as a cosmic space, in which there are no living things, only abstract graphics and stars.
The game can utilize the principle of non-Euclidean to design the environment and puzzles. It can combine several different spaces, and the player needs to find a way into the next space based on the clues gathered. The clue items can be physical objects.
For example, by exploring the environment, the player is given a key. But the size of the key does not match the lock. The player needs to adjust the angle of view to enlarge the size of the key to unlock the door.
