VR and Galaxy's Edge

In this article, game designer Sande Chen discusses the use of virtual reality in creating the theme park Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

Years ago, I was interviewed by Disney Imagineering for an internal documentary on design. I pointed out that level designers of video games are often inspired by amusement parks. Amusement parks are designed to lead visitors through a physical space. Imagineers call this "physical storytelling" or "narrative place-making," which sounds very similar to what we would call environmental storytelling.

In creating the theme park Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the Imagineers wanted to know the details of objects as small as doorknobs or rusty wires. They wanted visitors, whether they were hardcore fans or casual attendees, to be fully immersed in the land. In other words, they wanted this world to be feel alive.

Galaxy's Edge
CrispyCream27 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

It was interesting to me to learn that Disney Imagineers used VR to create Galaxy's Edge - not to create VR rides, but to create physical rides and architecture. They built Galaxy's Edge in VR first and that helped not only in designing the architecture and hiding mundane Earth items like heating and cooling units, but also with how actual construction could occur.

Disney also used VR to design the rides at Galaxy's Edge. Designers used VR headsets while in a vehicle. The display shows all the visuals and the controls. The simulation helps the designers experience the ride before it's even built.

Just another example of a "serious" game!

Sande Chen is a writer and game designer whose work has spanned 10 years in the industry. Her credits include 1999 IGF winner Terminus, 2007 PC RPG of the Year The Witcher, and Wizard 101. She is one of the founding members of the IGDA Game Design SIG.

Shared AR Gaming Experience at NYC Media Lab!

Hi!  Apologies for the huge gap in blog posts.  I have been busy but I have news to relate!  Last month, on August 10, 2018, Peter Locharernkul, Asha Veeraswamy, and I were at the AT&T Entertainment Hackathon in NYC and our offering, Shared AR Gaming Experience took 2nd Place in the category of Best Entertainment App Overall.

Shared AR Gaming Experience

While the demo focused on transforming the board game, Chutes and Ladders, into a 3D experience, this augmented reality phone app is envisioned for use with any board game. Through the use of a multiplayer lobby, the 3D augmented reality game can be played with anybody in the world.  Asha's Donkey Kong version of Chutes and Ladders showed how easily embellishments in the form of custom animations and art could be added for seasonal holidays or rebranding for advertising purposes, as is the popular thing nowadays. (For instance, check out the Lord of the Rings Monopoly game.) 

The configuration for Chutes and Ladders can even be modified to be more of a winding staircase instead of a zigzag. With board game sales reaching over $9 billion, this expansion app is sure to extend the appeal of classic games and galvanize the already revitalized interest in board games.

On the strength of the demo, we were pleased to be featured last Thursday as part of the NYC Media Lab 100: The Demo Expo where the app was shown to the public.

Sande Chen is a writer and game designer whose work has spanned 10 years in the industry. Her credits include 1999 IGF winner Terminus, 2007 PC RPG of the Year The Witcher, and Wizard 101. She is one of the founding members of the IGDA Game Design SIG.

2015 Gaming Year In Review Podcast

It's that time of the year for wrap-ups, top ten lists, and remembrance. What were your top gaming stories of the year? I participated in the Geeks World Wide 2015 Gaming Year in Review Podcast where we discussed upcoming trends in VR, open worlds vs. linear narrative experiences, and of course, awesome games.

Show Notes (if you want to check out some of the news stories yourself)

Confirmed: Kojima leaves Konami to work on PS4 console exclusive [Updated]. (http://bit.ly/1Oi4HuF)
Survey: “Gamers” are poorer, more male, less white than “game players”. (http://bit.ly/1Oi4F5Z)
Nintendo touchscreen controller patent offers clues about upcoming NX. (http://bit.ly/1Oi4HuP)
BioShock creator: ‘gamers want an experience that lasts more than 10-12 hours’. (http://bit.ly/1Oi4Iip)

Manga and Games

In this article, game designer Sande Chen points out parallels between amateur manga and indie game development.

One year, when I was at the SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, TX, I decided to go to a session on manga called, “How Manga Explains the World.” The presenter was Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future.
 
I didn’t know anything about manga so all of this was quite new to me. I was struck by some parallels to indie game development.

Manga is really popular in Japan. Tons of fans crowd into marketplaces to get the latest comics. However, what they buy is not the official manga put out by the publishers, but the amateur manga, put out by indie creators known as ‘dojinshi.’ The dojinshi use established characters but create different, and sometimes questionable stories, with these characters.

Pink commented that in the U.S., IP lawyers would have a fit if someone did this with a Disney film. But publishers and dojinshi have an tacit agreement known as ‘anmoku no ryokai.’ The official manga industry has been in decline so the publishers look the other way because they figure the amateur manga will keep fans interested in the official manga. In exchange, the dojinshi don’t flood the market and create limited copies of their work.

In fact, this interest in amateur manga helps the publishers. They use the markets as a way to sign up new talent (and offer them a chance to create a new, original manga). They also learn about market trends by observing what fans are buying. Some of these dojinshi become as well-known as the original creators. They could even branch out and do their original stories without publisher backing.

It seems to me that the mod community is a similar model. Successful mod teams do become successful companies with publisher backing. Is the “official” game industry watching the indies? Just by looking at casual games, it appears they do. Do they look to indies as the barometer of what’s to come? What do you think?

[This article was adapted from an original post on the blog Joe Indie.] 


Sande Chen is a writer and game designer whose work has spanned 10 years in the industry. Her credits include 1999 IGF winner Terminus, 2007 PC RPG of the Year The Witcher, and Wizard 101. She is one of the founding members of the IGDA Game Design SIG. 

December 2014: Franchises

Hello and welcome to a new topic for December 2014!

Back when I was running polls for this blog, there was a topic of Sequels that apparently never got voted up.  I struggled with the name of the topic because I don't think it should be strictly about sequels and franchising.  I think it's an interesting problem to try to continue something after it's already been established and self-contained.  Or perhaps people do create the first game with cliffhanger in hand for the sequel...?

With DLC, it seems like there could be a trickling stream of additional content that further expands the story, the world, and the gameplay.  With MMOs, this is a constant endeavor.  Is there ever an ending in sight?  How do we consider the eldergame?

The Opening Hook explored the impact of beginnings.  What is the impact of an ending that may not be the ending?

As always, I take requests about new topics and even encourage people to write in with their topics and questions.  Please take a look at the submission guidelines along with submission procedure on the right hand side of the blog.  Topic suggestions and articles are welcome!