Introduction

How can we make a game exploring happiness?

Should this project be ‘in-person’ or available online?

How can we make this project within budget?

We chose to make the project into a desktop computer game to be downloaded and installed by the user. We chose to do this for a few reasons. First of all, time and budget constraints as well as the design of the piece would make it very difficult to create for playing online. It also meant the we would have control over who had access to the project and when. 

We wanted to explore what it looked like when you ‘exploded’ a short story written in prose into several visual elements: film, posters, newspaper articles, diary entries. We wondered how an audience might interpret the characters feelings and actions and also wanted it to be an opportunity for audiences to reflect on their own feelings. 

We had originally intended for the experience to be ‘live and in-person’ with gaming elements but due to the pandemic we changed this to become a screen based experience. This turned out to be big creative opportunity for us and also enabled us to provide a different experience for the audience. We hoped players of the game could experience it alone or play with another, enabling debate and personal interpretation of the story. 

Creative Process

How did the collaborators work together on this project?

Pilot Theatre (Lucy Hammond) worked with Digital Expert/Gameplay Developer Johannes May alongside the team at PixelCloud in Ludwigsburg, Germany to realise the project. We had to work completely over zoom, which was challenging for the team. We also had to create all the content and design concept from scratch. The differing skills and backgrounds of the team members worked well, combining storytelling, gameplay and interaction to help us realise the project.

What forms of trial-and-error occurred?
There was a long process of trial and error in developing the storytelling concept for the project. We had originally wanted to incorporate game play elements into a ‘live’ more theatrical experience but pandemic restrictions meant we had to change our idea quickly. We held workshops with the creative team and the writers to understand how we could convey the story through audience interaction in this game setting.

Did you use existing software and/or applications?
We worked with experienced developers PixelCloud who bult the project for us using existing software. We did however come up with an original design and visual concept for the project and the game was built from scratch.

Did any of your questions or goals change, over the course of this project?
We had to completely change from our initial idea, which was to create something in a ‘real’ space with a large audience due to the pandemic restrictions. This completely changed the course of the project. We also started with four stories for the game and quickly realised we could only adapt two of them in the time frame and budget.

What were the key milestones in the development of the production?
- Commissioning the writers
- Creatives workshops
- Generating content
- Design Discussion
- Completion

Reflections

We are really happy with how the game turned out. The visuals feel strong and reflect out initial vision. We achieved having a completed and playable game by the end of the process. 

In what ways was the production a success?
We now have a completed game to add to our repertoire. It is a new form of storytelling for the company and can be played by multiple people regardless of location.

What elements of the final production would you change?
We would have liked to have had some additional time and budget to fix some small issues with the interaction. The game is still playable but it would have been nice to develop these to ensure it is easily playable. 

What advice would you give to artists taking a similar approach?
Perhaps start with one story rather than four and fully develop that through to completion.