Project Description
The student team is invited to make a VR game, using emerging foot-tracking technologies to simulate hiking up a sacred mountain. While the project was initially inspired by China’s sacred mountains, the student team is free to develop their own real or imaginary location, and to choose which aspects of the hike experience to simulate (exhaustion, scenery, weather, terrain, cultural sites, social interactions, etc.).
This week marked the start of our journey as a team. We met each other for the first time and had our initial advisor meeting, which gave us the chance to introduce ourselves, share our interests, and discuss what we want to focus on this semester. We also began defining our roles based on our skills and passions.
Research and Brainstorm
To begin shaping our vision, we created a Miro board where everyone could brainstorm what kind of experience we want to design. This collaborative session helped surface some exciting possibilities, but it also raised important questions. Should our project focus on the journey itself and provide a meditative experience for our guests? Or should it tell a story that guides players along the way? Will puzzles and challenges be part of the adventure, or will the emphasis be on exploration? And finally, what should the setting look like? Should we ground it in a real-world location, or build a fully imaginative virtual world?
Miro brainstorm
Alongside these big-picture questions, we split into subgroups to start early research. The programming team explored different foot-tracking technologies and began building a list of options that might support the type of movement we want in the experience. Meanwhile, the art team researched potential visual directions, looking at different styles to find one that fits both the scope of the project and the mood we want to create.
This week was about laying the foundation: forming as a team, defining our goals, and asking the right questions. Moving forward, we’ll continue refining our core vision, narrowing down the experience we want to deliver, and deciding on the tools and technologies that can bring it to life.
“Playtesting to Explore” workshop
We attempt to the “Playtesting to Explore” workshop, where we received feedback from our peers, that help us to research and understand what feature does people seek for, and this workshop inspired us on our game design and UX design.
Next week, our aim is to continue exploring our tech options and start converging on these decisions so we can head into the quarter presentation with a clearer direction.
