Role: Solo project | Platform: PC | Genre: First-person adventure | Engine: Unity | 2020-2021
Overview
Los was a 3D open world first-person exploration prototype which takes place in a fictional Scandinavian landscape. It was based on my MA research thesis, where I designed and built a functional prototype in Unity, which considers the capacity of videogames to evoke meaningful experience.
From the research I developed a design framework based upon various disciplinary perspectives (e.g. philosophical, psychological and spiritual) on the concept of meaningfulness and scholarship which considers how videogames might provide meaningful experiences in players.
The prototype focuses on discrete game characteristics such as Story, a players psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Introspection and player agency. In turn this resulted in a design framework which incorporated thoughtful exploration and deep freedom mechanics which allows the player to create a personalised version of the story.
The prototype may be downloaded from Google Drive or from Dropbox, or from https://tinyurl.com/c624t8nt
Design & related articles
Designing for meaningfulness – Player freedom and prototyping exploration mechanics
Projects of worth: Exploring meaningfulness in videogame experiences
Projects of Worth: Meaningful experience within videogames
Between Subjectivity and Flourishing: Creativity and Game Design as Existential Meaning