Hi guys, sorry for the late update. There’s never enough time. Here’s what I’m working on currently, if anyone wants to talk more about any ideas I’d love to, you can reach me by email and I’ll generally respond within a few hours (druatta@ucsc.edu):
-Since Gene has already created objects for holding the LEDs, I’ve since scrapped my idea. However, I originally thought it would be useful to use plexiglass or clear lexan.
-I was talking with Justin yesterday (I apologize if I got your name wrong, I’m terrible with names) and we were discussing our favorite game, Bioshock Infinite. For those who don’t know, the game has a sad ending, and unlike most games, the ending leaves you frustrated, confused, hurt, and shocked, that such a great game could end so horribly. The key here is that the game really makes you feel insignificant when compared to such a huge universe that you as a player feel like you’ve achieved nothing after working so hard to complete the game. This, I believe, should be our games focus: The game should be unwinnable. After playing Bioshock, I did something I’d never done before: I went online and did research into the storyline, desperately trying to figure out why the game had such a tragic ending. This is because the game had connected with me; I had such a strong emotional connection to the main character that I had this feeling that I couldn’t just say “ok, time for a new game”. I want the players of our game to feel the same way. Our game should interact with players, and then destroy any hope they have of winning with a harsh, unavoidable loss, that combines both the “angry” audio that we heard yesterday with messages about how drastically we have changed the oceans ecosystems. So I propose that we make the game unwinnable, and it should interact with the player throughout the game in order to connect the players to the environment and their goals within the game (lighting up the LEDs). This interaction will hopefully be enough to cause an emotional connection that we then roughly sever, which will leave the players distraught enough that they might go home and do research. If we can achieve this, then I would be truly proud of our game.
Also, my lever idea is coming into effect. I believe a clunky lever, while not perfect, will serve as a suitable mechanical interface for the game, as it is simple enough that it will allow players to focus on the game’s message rather than the “how to play” aspect. I will have a functioning prototype by next wednesday.
