Project-
Mindful Forest
3D Game | Meditation Space
Solo Project (2 weeks)
Tools-
Unity (C#)
Blender
Description-
With no instruction on direction, the player is expected to progress through a dark and abstract world inhabited by breathing trees, fireflies, and echoes. They meditate by experiencing the peaceful coexistence with the forest, which remembers the path they’ve taken.
People in cities are turning to meditation more frequently as a solution to reduce stress and find inner peace.
The problem statement is…
Cities as 'mindful forests' to innovate urban living and engagement, aiming to enhance physical and mental well-being.
The project envisions…
“The fact remains that it has no walls, no ceilings, no floors: it has nothing that makes it seem a city except the water pipes that rise vertically where the houses should be and spread out horizontally where the floors should be: a forest of pipes that end in taps, showers, spouts, overflows…“
Research
Topic 1: City’s Metaphor
Medium
— "Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino
Concept 2: Practice of Mindfulness
Site visits to meditation events and exhibition spaces
Outcome 1: 3D game
The game development focuses on creative problem-solving towards designing an immersive and ambient environment.
The game is made from scratch with Unity 3D and custom C# scripts for randomly generated game maps and specific mechanisms. The final build is available for download and play (Windows only) :
#Randdom Generation #Cinemachine #Particle System #Toon Shader
*Notes on Game Control: WSAD, mouse to rotate POV
Player’s Flow and Game Development
Design Towards Immersion
Game Screenshots
Outcome 2: Meditation Space
Gameplay Session
Similar to the game design, the exhibition space uses light and ambient sound to mediate the mindful atmosphere. The event was divided into an integrated gameplay session and a meditative session, fostering player engagement and interpersonal connections in the same public space.
Meditation Session 1
Reflection Session
Meditation Session 2
The meditation session aims to immerse players within the game’s narrative in physical space.
Credits:
Solo project by Yichen Pan
Meditation Event documented on Oct.20th, 2023
Participants: Angel Chen, Joyce Xu, Lillian Sun, Ruyi Lu