A Hollow-Horned Rumination: Game Design
Game design process for A Hollow-Horned Rumination (to be released), a choose-your-own-adventure browser-based text game and my RISD Senior Degree Project. Read the full game documentation here. See also: visuals and concept art.
I began this project in 2019 after witnessing a scandal at an institution and seeing the psychological toll that it took on the people I was working with there. In its aftermath, each of my coworkers navigated different ethical and practical dilemmas while bracing themselves against the public backlash that the institution received. I wanted to tell their story.
Q: How do you communicate the validity of multiple reactions to a controversial event?
A: Empathy through interaction and repetition. A branching narrative game where players make choices that turn out to be both personal and political. There are no right answers; every consequence is uncomfortable in its own way.
Q: How do you communicate the validity of multiple reactions to a controversial event?
A: Empathy through interaction and repetition. A branching narrative game where players make choices that turn out to be both personal and political. There are no right answers; every consequence is uncomfortable in its own way.
Narrative structure exploration
Q: How do you navigate an uncomfortable topic with thoughtfulness and sensitivity?
A: Learn from artists who have faced similar challenges in the past. Conduct interviews with your coworkers and listen to them without judgment. Find core themes that connect their experiences and use them to tell a universal story. Step into the realm of fiction and create a world that others may more easily immerse themselves in and emotionally connect with.
Game concept art
Q: How can you tell if it’s working?
A: Ask each person who plays your game what message they were able to extract. Sometimes the game needs more context to be fully understood. Sometimes the game was destined to be a text adventure...
Screenshot of VR game prototype built using Unity and Tiltbrush
Q: How do you make it better?
A: Research design strategies employed by games that communicate well. Pick up a new skill or three. Build something that better serves your message. Ask for feedback. Repeat. Learn how to crystallize a complex idea into an accessible, engaging, and visually unified experience.
Current prototype built using Twine (narrative map, title screen, and in-game interface)
Q: What now?
A: Goat Game: A Hollow-Horned Rumination will be available to play in October 2021 as an entry for IFComp 2021!
A: Goat Game: A Hollow-Horned Rumination will be available to play in October 2021 as an entry for IFComp 2021!