Impending Doom Essay
Buried alive
For this assignment we are to create a game concept with the topic ”Impending Doom”. Impending Doom suggests that the player will be in a situation where it’s impossible to get their desired outcome; the player will instead be given a sense of false hope. I chose to create a game where the player is going to be buried alive.
Setting
At the start of the game there is a short cinematic where the player is shown to trying to get out of the coffin, there is not much that can be seen since all light comes from the phone. When the character realize that they are buried alive the player gets the controls.
Gameplay
When the player enters the game the only item the player will have access to is a mobile phone it is also the only thing that tells the player that they are running out of time through the battery life. At 10% battery life there will be a small sound to alarm the player that the phone is dying. The player is able to move the phone around in the coffin searching for better reception. When it’s found the player can call a few pre-programmed phone numbers. When calling, the A.I might pick up the phone and talk with the player. Calls will be disconnected from time to time and the player will just have to try again. In the end, the person on the phone will be able to track your phone and when the location is found they send a rescue unit. When they are tracking the location of the phone it will run out of battery. The game is over when the phone is dead. After that the player will see an end screen that says ”There is no one coming to rescue you. Within five minutes your brain cells will start taking serious damage. Eventually, you will die from lack of oxygen, in the darkness, all alone.”
Controls
Oculus rift, Wii remote and Wii nunchuk. Oculus rift will give the player the feelingof actually being in the coffin. The combination of using Wii remote, nunchuk and the player lying down will create the closest experience to actually being in the game. The wii remote controls the right hand and anything to do with the phone. The nunchuk control the left arm.
Why?
The reason I chose a “buried alive” theme is that I have taphophobia (the fear of being stuck in a grave while still alive). I wanted to give the player a sense of the feelings I get when I think about it. I decided on using a phone as the sole item in the game because I felt that other items would fail to add to the core experience of the game.
There is so much potential in just a phone as it will give the player false hope of being rescued as they talk to the emergency services. It will also put time pressure on the player by having a low battery that continues to drain.
The reason for using Oculus rift is that whenever I play a game I find it hard to imagine that I’m actually immersed in the game. By using virtual reality, the player will get the sensation ofactually being in the dark and not knowing what’s really going on. After I chose to use VR in the game I walked around the house with different controls imagining what it would be like to play the game in different places. Neither in front of the computer with keyboard and mouse or in the couch with a PS3 control did it for me. I then realized that just laying down with the Wii remote and nunchuk would create the most satisfying experience.
 
About Joakim Ädel
2014 Programming
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