Abstract
Entertainment has recently seen a massive shift to new interactive formats, such as games and interactive art. Storytelling must evolve to keep up.
This undergraduate capstone project occupies the space between interactive fiction and narrative video games. It was inspired by the 2005 Young Adult novel Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld, which depicts a near future society of conformity controlled by government surveillance.
Built in Unity 3D, it combines theory and common practices from a variety of disciplines – including literature, film, creative writing, interactive design, games, and graphic design – to produce an interactive game narrative that successfully marries a sense of playful accomplishment with a satisfying character journey.
The experience consists of 3 playable levels, and is designed to inspire both a sense of discovery in the game environment as well as a sense of empathy with the player and non-player characters.
