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Branding
Print
Type
Motion
Illustration
Packaging
Game
WSWS Process Doc
Walking Simulators
Why
Audience
Research
Proposal Outline
There’s an emerging genre of video games, if you can call them
video games, a heavily narrative driven experience in a video
game space. Many people have a problem with calling them
video games instead, opting to make fun of them by referring to
them as “walking simulators” or “screenshot generators” if the
games are graphically pleasing enough. Despite a lambasting
reaction from many who play games, these same games are
lauded by critics, reviewers, and many others.
The critical reaction simply comes from how new video
games are as a medium—how the language for them is underdeveloped.
In essence, nearly any interactive experience
could be considered a video game. Pong is just as much a video
game as World of Warcraft is, and yet any person can tell you
they are entirely different things. Despite not having the right
language, what makes these “walking simulators” so successful?
Personally, they’re incredibly engaging, an emotional or comedic
overarching narrative, spoken or written, while you simply
explore the environment. Just like video games, despite
being in one “genre”, each is as varied as the last. Some tell
incredibly dramatic stories, fragmented stories, some are
comedic, others sad and hopeful, and some are just people
trying to understand themselves. Part of the consensus seems
to be simply that because they’re so different from current
“standard” games, praise is given for straying from these typical
conventions. Though there has to be more, and it ’s easy to
know you like something, it’s something else entirely to
break it down and put it into words and research.
The largest and most pivotal part of this project is the research,
everything needs to be researched as much as possible, without it the final product will hardly be achievable. Gathering qualitative
data, as quantitative won’t be nearly as effective in the
scope of this project. Exploring narrative archetypes will fit
into this, figuring what is and isn’t successful in these regards.
After sufficient data has been collected it will be inserted into
an “explorable” 3D environment. Taking advantage of the same
techniques researched to explore and extrapolate this data into
its own entity of similar form and makeup. How this is done precisely
is largely up to the data collected.
Simply: what makes a walking simulator so successful? Breaking down several of their key components and finer minutiae. To understand what makes them so successful [or not]. Then create a standalone game, likely centered around featuring this data while using what’s been learned and building a story off all of it.
Simply: what makes a walking simulator so successful? Breaking down several of their key components and finer minutiae. To understand what makes them so successful [or not]. Then create a standalone game, likely centered around featuring this data while using what’s been learned and building a story off all of it.
STEEP
Inspiration
- The Beginner’s Guide
- The Stanley Parable
- Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist
Practice
Branding
Early Game Progress
Level Design
Terrain Design
Texture Design
BFA Exhibit Plan
- Title/Vinyl
- Game Collection
- Process Books
- Business Cards
- Takeaways
- Namecard
- iMac & Controller
- Stool