Carnegie Mellon University, Spring 2021
Chain ReAction
-
Interactive session for 40+ attendees 2021 Games for Change Festival’s Workshop Week
Event combining Zoom-based live immersive roleplaying with a browser-based narrative adventure game
Transformational design educating players on the untold stories of nuclear testing
Semester-long ETC interdisciplinary project
Team of five graduate students
Post-mortem presentation delivered as part of the 2021 Games for Change Festival programming
-
Our workshop, delivered live to 40+ Games for Change festival attendees over Zoom, had an immense amount of moving parts. I wrote scripts for our five live actors, facilitated rehearsals with an acting teacher, and sourced costumes and props. I also created custom virtual backgrounds for each actor to provide set design on a small budget. I also acted as one of the five characters, which included facilitating the journey of ten participants through our browser game.
After several delivery platform pivots, I customized the design to fit with the idiosyncrasies of Zoom and Discord.
Because of the unpredictability of a distributed virtual deliverable, I also created many contingency plans. I designed a lower-tech version of all narrative content for attendees who were late or who could not connect to our browser game. I also created preparation materials for our understudy actor to be able to jump into a role easily.
To find pressure points, I designed and facilitated biweekly playtests, including post-surveys and guided interviews.
Skills:
Software: Zoom, Hopin, Trello, Lens Studio, Photoshop, Slack, Discord, OBS
Other skills: virtual event stage management, teamwork, scriptwriting, event planning, livestreaming, virtual set design, immersive event design, playtesting
-
As the team’s narrative designer, it was my responsibility to integrate our team’s research on nuclear threat into a coherent narrative that would transform our audience. I wanted guests to hear the untold stories of nuclear testing, and make difficult decisions informed by diverse perspectives.
I was responsible for writing all player-facing content in the browser-based investigation experience, including the artifacts themselves, the UI text, and character perspectives specific to each of four player roles. Additionally, I wrote the script that five actors follow in our live performance, including dialogue branches determined by player actions.
To write informative and transformational content, I researched historical documents on nuclear testing. I performed internet and library research, and interviewed subject matter experts.
I iterated the narrative design of our experience every week, taking it from a tabletop RPG paper prototype to a fully digital final product that integrated live performances with a browser-based adventure game. The narrative went through more iterations than any other aspect of the game, as the game balancing was done through shifting the way narrative facts were presented to different players.
Skills:
Software: Google Suite, Photoshop, MS Office, Twine, Figma, Slack, Zoom
Other skills: narrative design, research, educational content design, scriptwriting, branching dialogue, playtesting, editing, roleplay, paper prototyping, tabletop game design, character writing, teamwork, written and verbal communication, interviewing
-
Chain ReAction was my first time creating User Interface elements for an entire game. To communicate my ideas with my team, I prototyped the interface in Figma, and created the final assets in Photoshop and InDesign.
I chose fonts and colors to create a visual hierarchy of information and convey which perspective each piece of text represents. The main UI menu is represented by the player’s research notebook.
I created UX documents to represent the user journey through our video conferencing, live performances, breakout rooms, and browser game, with the goal of maintaining interest and focus as the types of interactions changed throughout the experience. I also designed the tutorial information to onboard guests who were unfamiliar with the technology used.
Skills:
Software: Figma, Google Suite, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Adobe XD
Other skills: Verbal communication, brainstorming, prototyping, interaction design
-
Chain ReAction was a workshop for the 2021 Games for Change Festival about the untold stories of nuclear testing. In multiple phases of Zoom-based and browser-based investigation and roleplay, our 40+ guests were introduced to different nuclear policy stakeholders, took on the role of research interns, examined historical documents as a team, and constructed persuasive narratives to help their team shape the future of nuclear testing. After a short debate between the four teams, our players used the many perspectives they gained to decide for themselves how to remember the legacy of nuclear testing, and how this legacy must inform the future.
-
