Click to jump to: Project Brief | Outcome 1: 3D Game | Outcome 2: Experimental Game Controller
Project
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Wind Will Tell
3D Game | Therapeutic Art | Experimental Game Controller
3D game is a collaborated project with Hannah Oh
(5 weeks, Role: User Researcher / 3D modeler / Game Engine Artist)
Tools
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Unity
Blender
Arduino
Description
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An immersive game journey through a series of globes in search of a dandelion, featuring ambient sounds of swaying grass, moving rails, and shifting cityscapes.
With first-person and third-person perspectives, players immerse, heal, empathize with heightened perceptions of their surroundings, and contemplate their presence as a human, a plant's seed, or even the wind itself.
People with higher sensitivity, like orchids, struggle more to adapt to new environment.
The problem statement is…
Through a restorative environment, Reshape perceptions of our environment by fostering empathy and understanding among people with varying sensitivities.
The project envisions…
Research
We want to create a restorative environment by bringing natural elements and reducing distractive activities to help “orchid” people regain their attention.
We aim to design an interactive narrative game that’s surreal, slow-paced, and emotionally evocative.
Player Research
As the user researcher, I gave the 7-point scale quiz to 31 students aged 12 to 22. All flower types were interviewed for a comprehensive analysis on restorative environments.
46%
32%
22%
“Road trips are my stress relief. You don’t have to think much when driving, and the scenery makes the journey worthwhile.”
Rena (she/her):
Age: 21, Location: California, United States
“I hope to learn to communicate with HSPs. I can resonate with my best friend but don’t know how to support him.”
Yinghao (he/him):
Age: 17, Location: Shanghai, China
We refined our design focus based on interviews from the two following aspects:
Sensitivity: “Orchids” are sensitive to both stressful and positive environments, perceiving the world through a subtle and aesthetic lens.
Empathy: There's a growing demand to learn the perspective of "orchids" and understand how they process deep emotions compared to other types (78% of the sample).
Game Elements Design
Outcome 1. 3D game
The game design focuses on environment storytelling and healing gameplay elements.
The game is made from scratch with Unity 3D and custom C# scripts for generated gravity and interactive animation. The final build is available for download and play (Windows only) :
#Faux Gravity #Interactive Animation #POV #Post-Processing
*Notes on Game Control: WSAD to move, 1&2 to switch camera
Game Flow
Garden Globe
Train Globe
City Globe
Dandelion Globe
Visual Reference & Concept Development
Outcome 2. Experimental Game controller
The experimental game controller aims to enhance the nonverbal therapeutic experience through simple movements.
Controller View
Exhibition Space View
Game View
Design Concept
To further enhance the nonverbal therapeutic experience, I hope to redesign game controllers as rolling balls in a sandbox. Clockwise rolling (key W) moves the player forward, which mimics the planet walk in the game.
*Notes on new key controls:
Rolling the ball by each increment would press W once.
Faster rolling speed results in a smooth planet walk.
Design Development
Final Display
Credits:
Outcome 1:
Collaboration project by Yichen Pan and Hannah Oh
Role: User researcher, 3D modeler (scene 3+4), Game Engine Artist
Outcome 2:
Individual Exploration by Yichen Pan