The purpose of my project is to make the player aware of the effects of trash & pollution on marine life, and show that we should protect the beauty in nature that surrounds us.
Narrative & Gameplay:
The basic idea that I have for my interactive is somewhat surreal, almost like a transition from a dream to a nightmare. The player controls a diver that is exploring the depths of the ocean. The setting is a mix of nonfiction and fantasy. At first, the player is awed by the beauty around them. They can freely move around and interact with objects to inspect them. However, as the journey continues, the world slowly becomes more eerie and terrifying. Jellyfish are replaced by plastic bags. Corpses of marine life you once inspected with curiosity float around. The player’s life then becomes endangered by vengeful sea monsters made up of trash. Eventually, after surviving the long journey, the player escapes to the surface, and the game ends with a view of an ocean filled with waste.
The concept of the journey the player goes through is still a work in progress. I also have ideas for a more complex narrative, with the player trying to solve some sort of mystery, which gives them a reason to start the journey in the first place.
Set Ideation:
The wooden spool is set up as something like a fish tank, with elements like rocks and underwater plants making up the physical set. Everything else, such as the player and marine life swimming by, will be added digitally. The set will mostly be paper craft, and maybe other textures such as fabric and different types of paper will be added as well. Since the set will be filmed in darkness, I also have plans to make some elements glow in the dark later on in the player’s journey.
Inspirations include games such as Abzu, Inside, Song of the Deep, and Lost in Thought
Concept sketches:
concept art for side scroller version
References:
World’s largest collection of ocean garbage is twice the size of Texas
Marine Animals are Dying Because of Our Plastic Trash