Specialism Design – Brief 2 (No Graphics)

Why this Brief?

This Brief I chose to be my second due to my extreme interest in the concept. As a designer I love creating levels and game concepts but once I get to the process of making that game I always struggle with the art for it. I would say the art part of any game is what I would struggle with the most and as someone who is not very keen on learning how to draw etc. I will always try and find a way around using art for a game (it gives me less to do!) So one could imagine my excitement when first viewing this brief.

Although many might see this brief as being one of the hardest due to there being endless possibilities, however it might be viewed as something that has none. Art in any game is essential: games can be based around their art, art can ‘save’ a game – if the mechanic isn’t good enough the art has the ability to make up for it. Thus, to some this brief may be seen as a lost cause, but not me!

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To me, this brief was one thing – a weight lifted off my shoulders. Without a worry to make the game look nice or do mood boards, colour swatches, art inspiration as well as implementing all the assets into the game, I could focus solely on one thing – the game itself.

First I had to find games that were similar to the game I’m attempting to make:

Luckily, I had found 2 games which share common themes, mechanics and designs:

The first game I had found uses VR and ‘echolocation’ to guide the player through the game – this game was useful as it’s narrative is similar to my game (Horror, navigating through a building) However, this game uses echolocation (sounds become images) which is a form of art/graphics.

The second game I found is a game which has no art and uses sounds (songs) to allow the player to create a soundtrack.

These two games can be combined to make my game – the firsts narrative and mechanics (escaping building, using walking stick) with the second games lack of art and use of sounds. This research helped me a lot to come up with the design of my game.