Dev Log 1 - Conducting Research for Game Design
Welcome to my first dev log for this class/project!
To start of this log, I'm going to reflect on the research I did for my Research Paper Assignment. I chose to research virtual reality, but more specifically, virtual worlds. Some examples of virtual worlds are VR Chat, Second Life, and the Metaverse. In short, they are places where users can don an avatar, and the primary activity is communicating with other avatars in different communities.
At first I found it slightly difficult to do this research, but I realized that was because I had a certain bias against virtual worlds. I was mainly looking to write about the dangers of them. Once I allowed myself to just see where the research took me, I actually found a lot of positives about virtual worlds. For example, education can be enhanced in virtual worlds, and many people feel they can express themselves better in virtual worlds. Of course, I did still find negatives, but rather than making these the main focus, I decided to list them as things to be improved.
This research will be useful for my game pitch because it gives me a unique perspective on why people would start using virtual worlds in the first place. In my game idea, virtual worlds have become a new social norm because we found they could be used for education and self expression. However, since I also have looked at the dark side of virtual worlds, I can show through this game where things can go wrong. This would be a cautionary tale for creators and users of virtual worlds that although these creations can be useful, they should always be improving.
I am still considering options for unique gameplay loops for this. This 'trope' has been used before in many sci-fi novels (which I love, by the way), so I'll be sure to add my own interesting twists.
See you on my next log!
Gamification Class Project
| Status | Released |
| Author | Sarah Chambers |
More posts
- Dev Log 6 - Post ProductionApr 08, 2024
- Dev Log 5 - ProductionMar 28, 2024
- Dev Log 4 - Pre Production & Starting Our WorkJan 16, 2024
- Dev Log 3 - Scheduling My WorkOct 25, 2023
- Dev Log 2 - Pitching a GameOct 10, 2023
Comments
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Hi! The idea you mentioned about using virtual worlds as a new social norm in your game sounds intriguing, especially considering their positive and negative impacts. I look forward to seeing how you'll present this concept in the game and add your unique elements to it. Works like The Matrix, The Thirteenth Floor, Ready Player One (even though it's not sci-fi), and The Three-Body Problem all explored the impact of virtual reality on people, so it makes me even more excited to see how you'll recontextualize this theme. Looking forward to reading more in your next dev log!
I totally agree, there is definitely a place for virtual worlds, they are just another tool. I found the way corporations have marketed to be really strange (who is really going to exercise with a VR headset on?), but it does have its uses, albeit underdeveloped right now. I really like the idea you have of them being a social norm through education and self-expression, and using that to justify the world, and then showing the negative effects of virtual worlds. Looking forward to the pitch!
Hey Sarah, VR is a growing topic in the modern day and its value is only growing with the whole "metaverse". I find it interesting you were able to find positives and negatives on the topic. I did research once in a philosophy class on the experience machine if you want to learn about that. It's quite similar in the sense that people want to immerse themselves in a virtual world. It is expressed from a philosophical and psychological stand point. It was also talked about in the "Matrix"
I'm interested about your stance on virtual worlds. Here you talk about the idea of making your game revolve around new social norms, do you have any idea on what that would look like? I think it is a very interesting concept and I would like to see your take on this. Moreover, I'd like to hear your opinion on how we should proceed with the ideas of creating a virtual world. Do you think we should strive to advance this idea? Should we proceed with caution? Should we halt this process altogether? These are some of the questions that I had reading this blogpost, and I hope to see how you address some of the concerns that come with virtual worlds.