What can we do when there’s no clear “best” path to follow, either at a step or at the start of a round? Lay down on the street like a lizard in the sun, resigned to sit motionless all day? Appealing as that may be, decent Geoguessr players often start to follow a different search algorithm intrinsically: a depth-first search.
Read MoreMiyazaki and his team have a great eye for composition, technique and a masterful grasp of what makes Victorian horror so enthralling and timeless. I could dedicate an entire series to the artistry of Miyazaki’s visuals and his ability to capture past artistic achievements such as Ruskin’s Nocturnes, Goya’s historical paintings, and other influences and turn them into completely original works. However I believe that one of the most ignored facets of the video-games-as-art argument is the use of game mechanics as an important part of what makes a video game art.
Read MoreI did something early on in the design [of 10 Mississippi], I was thinking about a lot of like having meaningful choice—this really key game design idea. But I thought that that was kind of adding another dimension to it that I didn't really want to bring in. I wanted to focus on the idea of the interaction, and turning and making a metaphor of the keyboard from this interaction as much as possible…
Read More[T]he more successful a game is at naturalizing the user, the more it draws the user away from the “real” world and into a curated one. Thus, an aesthetic of total immersion stands not in opposition to an attention economy, but in deference to it.
Read MoreFor all of the low-resolution chainmail bikinis and cloth panties and thigh-highs have a most curious property: if you wear them as a male character, they change into mild full-coverage chestplates and nondescript pants. When I first started playing, I was upset that the female armor didn’t look like the male’s. Now, I’m angry the other way around!
Read MoreThe term “industry standard” really holds a lot of people back because they're like, Oh, I can't do this. I don't have the proper gear. I don't have the right whatever, whatever. But you can kind of use anything to do anything. Kind of how bedroom pop artists are getting big from recording songs on their iPhone
Read MoreIdentifying ghosts is not the real point of Phasmophobia. Phasmophobia is a game about screaming into a walkie-talkie while another friend is safe in the van, watching you flail around a basement on remote video, allowing you to safely experience the ghost hunting experience without risking demonic attachment.
Read MoreAs games become grander and more complex, with every action you take being a piece of serving the overall goal, we lose out on those moments… When I play a game I like to choose a spot where I imagine my character can settle down, where coming back to this one place gives them a feeling of comfort, of coming inside from the cold.
Read MoreBlack Friday is a virtual experience in a department store that explores the beauty there is in the deterioration of man-made, of nature reclaiming its space and thriving within and without human encroachment. It also encourages the player to reflect on our consumerist tendencies through a poetic narrative. The typography of the narrative mimics retail spaces that constantly fight for our attention, forcing us to look at the next offer before we’re done looking at one. It reminds the player of malls being the architects of our false desires, wanting you to take in more than you came in for.
Read MoreThis scene centers around the idea of bringing rehabilitation to an abandoned space that has fallen into disrepair because of neglect and poor economic conditions for the owners. Additionally I sought to give the users an engaging and rewarding way of bringing new life and vitality to this space. As the user enters the space they are confronted with the conditions of what a once thriving mall would look like after several years of neglect, leaving nature to reclaim what once resided in the area.
Read MoreRegeneration is a room that explores the participatory process of dynamically reclaiming space, immersed in the desolation of past capitalist prosperity. Participants are prompted to select a plant to fill the room with, and to design this space with their creativity. The space can be used to meditate as the participants stand inside their traces of nature or look through the glass panes. The later visitors can make additions to the room as a powerful continuation of life and hope.
Read MoreThe interaction reveals itself as you walk closer to the store front located in the top back corner of the shopping mall. The sound of turbulent wind appears as you walk closer and what appears to be particles of snow begin to spill into the mall from one of the store fronts. Looking into the store front, the player is greeted by a transitional space usually seen in traditional japanese architecture. This is a space that acts as a gateway to nature which lies on the back most wall of the room. Upon entering the space, the sound of wind and snow becomes louder. As you touch the back wall you are immediately transported to the middle of a frozen lake during a snowstorm with towering mountains in the distance.
Read MoreButterfly Garden allows the visitor to transform a cold and empty space into one full of flowers, butterflies, and ambient lighting. They are encouraged to take their time and enjoy the environment. The project aims to focus on mental health, especially mindfulness and meditation, and provides a soothing "outdoor" space where the visitor can take a moment to relax and remember the beauty of nature, even if it is virtual.
Read MoreThe Twilight Years is a virtual reality otherworld, encouraging the player to travel via screen past the cracked, fading veneer of capitalism to an ethereal, dreamlike realm. The experience of teleporting via screen to another realm while we can only see each other through screens is a form of wish fulfillment, a commentary on our pandemic experiences. In this scene, the player may wander amongst dusty shelves, play music, and bring life to the otherwise dying mall.
Read MoreThis Arboretum is reminiscent of a small garden space that lets the player experience a therapeutic environment surrounded by natural elements like flowers and butterflies by having designated areas to observe and indulge in the growth and comfort. The concept attempts to utilize a set of small motions and interactions to give a sense of breathing, caring, nurturing, and an opportunity to associate with nature that we do not see in our day-to-day life.
Read MorePlus some of our favorite cozy moments in video games.
Read MoreThe cinema is desolate, empty rows of seats show no signs of the premier of Pixar’s Onward from March 2020. Clicking on the cassette player next to the movie theatre allows one to toggle through the collection of videos displaying stock footage of people commuting, working, gathering, and then eventually shift to videos of the events of the current pandemic. The ambient lighting from the spotlights surrounding the movie theatre also correlate with the content appearing on the screen, using the average color of each frame as the color for each light source. Each seat is able to be clicked on to move the player to the seated position.
Read MoreAquascape Aquarium is bringing a therapeutic experience that stems from loneliness and feeling alienated in an abandoned aquarium underground that is home to many fish schools. The scene calls to question the isolated worlds that we are living in while virtually staying connected thanks to the internet and contemporary technology. This scene is inspired by the New World Mall Building in Bangkok, Thailand. Similar to the marine ecosystem in this space, we can observe networks of people ever connected but separated by external forces.
Read MoreFor the Fall 2020 Design 500 Seminar, I wanted the project to serve as a sample portfolio existing within the VR/Unity space. I wanted viewers to be able to walk through work and view in a different light than just presented in a portfolio PDF. From my own background in design, I find that there is often an impersonal element with the completion of each piece. Before one project even ends, a new one is started, with minimal thought given to previous work. When projects are done, they’re done. I found it fitting to title my project, NEXT.
Read MoreThere’s a lot of things that can make a video game feel more immersive, and dogs in video games help connect the physical player to the digital space. They assist in immersing players into an imaginary realm where you can forget about the stresses of reality and focus all your attention on that imaginary realm.
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