Game Design Reflection 8/2
I had a lot of fun last week doing the research for my world because I gained so much insight as to what I could shape my world into. I first heard the term “worldbuilding’’ a couple of months ago after speaking with Carla Gannis about my upcoming thesis project and how I could generate worlds within Unity. I have my pre-thesis set in one world so far, which was a great starting point for this project. I already knew I wanted to base my game around Life is Strange and my pre-thesis, so I started from there.
I researched various timelines of what breakthroughs in science and technology will emerge in the next hundreds of years and then looked through what type of natural disasters will happen on earth during said timelines. After looking through this research, I tried to decide how many worlds I could build out of the information I learned and what year my worlds should take place in. I first thought about an earth where climate change and disease have taken over much of the planet and now humans are just trying to escape the detriment whenever they can. The problem I contemplated is that many humans couldn’t afford to escape because only those who were upper class could afford the transportation, housing, and opportunities available on other planets. The other planet I thought could be the new “earth” for the ultra-wealthy is Mars since it’s most likely the first planet we’ll make habitable for humans. I then wanted to incorporate the world, Proxima B, from my thesis and make it a paradise for artificial intelligence and robotic life.
Aside from the funky, futuristic element I’d like my player to enjoy, I wanted my game to also have meaning and be relatable to some of the demographic. Life is Strange evokes strong emotions after a player makes various choices in the game which brings awareness to the subject of mental health and depression. I did some research on mental health, the meaning of life, and how trauma can affect certain individuals when they’re older. Using both the sci-fi and mental health topics I researched, I designed my main character to be a robot who was once a product of whole brain emulation from a 20-year-old individual who survived through family tragedy and trauma growing up. Before whole brain emulation, the character was put on life support due to a serious accident. Once their consciousness is uploaded to a robot, however, they’re misguided as to what their new life will be like.
Now, my main character is the only living inhabitant of a storm-torn planet, along with her assistant who eventually becomes a best friend… or so they both think. As I’m starting to incorporate my narrative into Twine, I’m trying to think of the best way to have my story play out and consolidate so much of the information I’ve gathered, while also trying to think of new ideas. I’ve gathered some visual assets from my mood board, and I’ve chosen some music and sound clips I’d like to incorporate into my Twine story. I’m not sure how I feel about the name of my game still, however, that may be the last change I make to my game.
