{"id":251,"date":"2026-10-22T21:18:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T21:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/?page_id=251"},"modified":"2026-10-22T21:18:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T21:18:29","slug":"week-8-blog","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/week-8-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 8 Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"top\">October 19 &#8211; 23, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-context=\"{&quot;tabsId&quot;:&quot;tabs_1&quot;,&quot;activeTabIndex&quot;:0}\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onTabsInit\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/tabs\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleTabKeyDown\" class=\"wp-block-tabs is-layout-flow wp-block-tabs-is-layout-flow\">\n<div aria-label=\"Tabbed content\" role=\"tablist\" class=\"wp-block-tab-list is-layout-flex wp-block-tab-list-is-layout-flex\"><button aria-controls=\"tabs_1-tab-0\" data-wp-bind--aria-selected=\"state.isActiveTab\" data-wp-bind--tabindex=\"state.tabIndexAttribute\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;tabIndex&quot;:0}\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.handleTabClick\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleTabKeyDown\" id=\"tab__tabs_1-tab-0\" type=\"button\" role=\"tab\">Design and Tech<\/button><button aria-controls=\"tabs_1-tab-1\" data-wp-bind--aria-selected=\"state.isActiveTab\" data-wp-bind--tabindex=\"state.tabIndexAttribute\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;tabIndex&quot;:1}\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.handleTabClick\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleTabKeyDown\" id=\"tab__tabs_1-tab-1\" type=\"button\" role=\"tab\">Art<\/button><button aria-controls=\"tabs_1-tab-2\" data-wp-bind--aria-selected=\"state.isActiveTab\" data-wp-bind--tabindex=\"state.tabIndexAttribute\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;tabIndex&quot;:2}\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.handleTabClick\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleTabKeyDown\" id=\"tab__tabs_1-tab-2\" type=\"button\" role=\"tab\">Playtest to Refine<\/button><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-tab-panels\">\n<section hidden aria-labelledby=\"tab__tabs_1-tab-0\" data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.isActiveTab\" id=\"tabs_1-tab-0\" role=\"tabpanel\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"wp-block-tab-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-tab-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week, we put our designer hats on and dove deep into iterating the game mechanics for Stages 1 and 2. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019ve been wrestling with a key issue: the core message behind our gamified experience just wasn&#8217;t coming through to the players. However, a meeting with Special Faculty Carl Rosendahl this Wednesday sparked a major breakthrough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the meeting, our teammate Gamma shared the deeply personal origin of our game&#8217;s narrative. Drawing from her own mental health journey, she described the experience of being trapped in a mindset where she could only see the negative. Her path to healing required the immense courage to be vulnerable: she reached out to loved ones, which is an often scary step that finally allowed the people who cared about her to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This powerful progression \u2014 from isolation to vulnerability to connection \u2014 was exactly what our gameplay was missing. Our challenge shifted: <em>How do we make the gamified experience reflect this emotional arc?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our first major change is creating a more unified journey by featuring a single dinosaur character across all three stages. We are also trying to redesign the dinosaur&#8217;s progression to ensure each level-up feels logically and emotionally tied to this core narrative of growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amidst these design pivots, we stumbled upon an exciting technical surprise that has temporarily slowed our iteration pace \u2014 but for a good reason. During recent playtests, a recurring question arose: <em>Why does this experience require two people?<\/em> While it was designed to be collaborative, the players simply weren&#8217;t feeling it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This led us to explore a bold idea: What if the two players saw completely different things?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It turns out this technology is actually available in our installation space, the Cavern, though no previous team has utilized it. This multi-view rendering tool was first deployed in the ETC&#8217;s Jam-O-Drum room, where four players can view distinct perspectives while wearing special glasses. The projector in the Cavern can handle up to two players, which is perfect for our experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-3a88641f wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"403\" height=\"302\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/jam-o-drum_santa-game.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-277\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/jam-o-drum_santa-game.jpg 403w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/jam-o-drum_santa-game-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 403px) 100vw, 403px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jam-O-Drum at the ETC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video aligncenter\"><video height=\"1080\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1920 \/ 1080;\" width=\"1920\" controls loop src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/JamODrum-multiview.mov\"><\/video><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">How the multi-view rendering works on the Jam-O-Drum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With some invaluable help from Steve, our teammate Aya successfully engineered the two-view rendering capability in the Cavern. This unlocks a whole new world of design possibilities. By giving Player 1 and Player 2 asymmetrical visual information, we can naturally compel them to talk to each other and truly collaborate in the experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking ahead, we are thrilled to be meeting with ETC Faculty Jessica Hammer, an expert in transformative play. Our ultimate hope is to elevate our game beyond a simple &#8220;solve-the-puzzle&#8221; mindset. We want our players to pause and experience a genuine moment of self-reflection on the themes of vulnerability, courage, and human connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After all, this project was born from a desire to promote wellness, and we remain fully committed to delivering an experience that accomplishes that. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section hidden aria-labelledby=\"tab__tabs_1-tab-1\" data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.isActiveTab\" id=\"tabs_1-tab-1\" role=\"tabpanel\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"wp-block-tab-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-tab-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Armed with our newly iterated game mechanics for Stages 1 and 2, we spent this week building out a fresh, atmospheric environment for the first stage. Our dinosaur protagonist now begins their journey deep underground, navigating a subterranean river to reflect the initial feelings of being lost and isolated. To guide players forward and visually reinforce our narrative theme of finding hope, we added a striking beam of light piercing through the very end of the tunnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"284\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Original-light-1024x284.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Original-light-1024x284.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Original-light-300x83.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Original-light-1536x426.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Original-light-767x213.png 767w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Original-light-2048x569.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">1st draft<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"283\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Underground-stage-1-1024x283.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Underground-stage-1-1024x283.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Underground-stage-1-300x83.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Underground-stage-1-1536x424.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Underground-stage-1-768x212.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Underground-stage-1-2048x566.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Current version with more natural colors and the light beam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"593\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Gemstone-1024x593.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-283\" style=\"width:558px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Gemstone-1024x593.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Gemstone-300x174.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Gemstone-767x444.png 767w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Gemstone.png 1142w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gemstones that will help the dinosaur cross the river<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section hidden aria-labelledby=\"tab__tabs_1-tab-2\" data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.isActiveTab\" id=\"tabs_1-tab-2\" role=\"tabpanel\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"wp-block-tab-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-tab-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button back-to-top\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\">\u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>October 19 &#8211; 23, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-251","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":286,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/251\/revisions\/286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/innerverse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}