New Research Approach

Through discussion with tutors at the crit meeting on Thursday, a different approach to the research project will be taken. To me this is now a much more focused, relevant way to go about the project and will free me up to create a more interesting, engaging and effective environment.

My previous idea was exploring the decisions involved in choosing aesthetically different settings for a game. The wording was hard to understand and ambiguous, confusing the word 'themes' with other concepts and trying to remove narrative from consideration.

Though the wording for the refined project has yet to be finalised, the idea is to explore how game environments can be used to construct the theme visually, adding to the narrative of a piece. My final piece will still be very similar, but will now be more directed to giving the observer a sense of the theme of an environment using the visuals alone.

So by exploring the street, the player should pick up civil unrest as the theme and feel the tension and oppression without actually being told by characters, introductions, etc. The environment setting the theme and mood will be reinforced when the player moves into the crystal caves underneath and gets a completely different experience, finding that the natural geological formations will give a sense of discovery, wonder and optimism - in a strong contrast to the street metres away.