Moodboard:
My moodboard was mainly based on the style of the game and less so the game mechanics/similarity. I went for a trippy theme with colors that popped and images that were altered into novel and unnatural ways.
Spotify Playlist (link):
Directions:
1. Physics-based “sports” game:
With each stage, the player is made to play some kind of game (hockey, soccer, etc) against either a real opponent or the computer, and winning this game is what lets you progress to the next stage.
Kind of Fun:
- Challenge: the player has to figure out how to beat the other player. Field might include obstacles etc.
- Exploration: map/field will be new and “untraditional”, leading to an aspect of exploring it and trying to figure out how to use it
Narrative approach:
- Embedded narrative: as player moves from arena to arena, the narrative will reveal itself.
- Emergent narrative: the mechanics of how to win and progress create a novel narrative of getting out of the psychedelic trip.
2. Puzzle/escape room
The game is a journey through a psychedelic trip, and as such it is kind of just one big escape room to get back to reality.
Kind of Fun:
- Exploration: The player has to explore their psychedelic trip and the spaces they are thrown into (the fridge etc) in order to escape.
- Sensation: The player is tripping, and as such they get to experience and sense a world that is far unlike reality.
- Challenge: The player must navigate their psychedelic world to get out, something that will be challenging
- Discovery: The player must discover how the game works and what a player can do in this new psychedelic world.
- Fantasy: Simply put, the world will be unlike any reality.
Narrative approach:
- Emergent narrative: we will create a psychedelic world with new physics, and the player will have to build their own narrative inside their head
- Embedded narrative: as player moves through their psychedelic environment, a story will emerge.
- Enacted stories: freedom will be limited, the player is trying to get out, and thus there is a story being enacted as they move through their trip
3. Different choices lead to different outcomes (think Black Mirror: Bandersnatch):
There isn’t just one outcome or end result from the game. A player can make moves that completely alter the narrative and as such, the gameplay. Players can play multiple times to experience all the different combinations.
Kind of Fun:
- Exploration: The player explores different routes and gets to choose the path they go down, giving them more freedom in a game that is technically somewhat rigid.
- Discovery: The player gets the chance to discover multiple different paths and endings to the game, altering the experience every time
- Submission: The player has to accept that if they want to see the entirety of the game, they have to follow the different paths the game has laid out for them.
Narrative approach:
- Enacted stories: each different path will tell a different story of getting through the trip
- Emergent narrative: The player builds their own narrative by making the choices they make.
