Emotion
An non-traditional game, an interactive media art project that explores the connection between emotions and their impact on the body, mind, and soul through innovative level design and immersive gameplay
Exhibited in London,England in February 2024.
My Role
Researcher
Media Artist
Game Designer
Programmer
Tags
Art Project
Game Project
CG Programming
Interactive Media Design
Associated with Arebyte
Project Overview
Project Development Process
01
Theory
Tech & Art Research
Core
Emotion Specific Design
Exhibition Settings
Alpha & Beta Test
Ideation
This project is a part of Arebyte Exhibition, themed "the Body, the Mind and the Soul".
This project choose to explore the theme via emotion.The Emotion project explores the connection between emotional states and their influence on the body, mind, and soul through interactive media. By combining psychological theories, emotional storytelling, and case studies, this section lays the foundation for the project's design and conceptual framework.
Research & Theory
01
The Emotion project is deeply rooted in psychological and emotional theories that explain how people experience and respond to emotions.
Why Emotion Connect the Body the Mind and the Soul?
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Emotions unify our physical sensations, mental perceptions, and inner sense of self:
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Body: Emotions manifest physically, such as fear triggering a racing heart or sadness causing fatigue.
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Mind: They shape perception and thought, with joy enhancing focus and anger clouding judgment.
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Soul: Emotions resonate deeply, fostering introspection and connecting us to purpose and identity.
By intertwining these aspects, emotions act as a bridge, reflecting the complexity of human experience and uniting body, mind, and soul.
What emotions to be included and why?
Emotions encompass a vast spectrum, from happiness and love to despair and anger, each playing a vital role in the human experience. However, Emotion focuses on four key emotions—Joy, Fear, Anger, and Sadness—for their distinct contrasts and their ability to deeply connect the body, mind, and soul:
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Joy: Represents balance and positivity, showcasing how emotional equilibrium fosters physical well-being, mental clarity, and a sense of connection.
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Fear: Highlights survival instincts, with heightened sensitivity and physical alertness reflecting the mind’s cautious perception of danger.
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Anger: Explores frustration and the struggle for control, illustrating how emotions can impact decision-making and physical tension.
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Sadness: Delves into introspection and emotional depth, connecting the soul’s reflection on loss with the body’s slowed responses.
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These emotions were selected for their universality and their ability to explore how emotional states influence behavior, perception, and reflection, creating a dynamic and immersive experience.
Design&Production
00
Core Design Principles
Emotional Storytelling
Emotional states are central to the game's design. Each level reflects a unique emotion—Joy, Fear, Anger, and Sadness—by influencing how players interact with the game world. This emotional storytelling immerses players in an experience where mechanics and narrative are deeply intertwined.
Linking Emotions to Gameplay
The game uses customized controls and mechanics to mirror how emotions affect behavior and perception.
User aim to find the “soul”(a floating bo avartar) in the scene. Emotional states manifest through the body (physical mechanics), the mind (player focus and challenge), and the soul (introspection and emotional resonance).
Emotional Mapping
The project references psychological theories to explore how emotions influence player responses. Each level uses mechanical design, environmental storytelling, and sensory input (visuals, sound) to elicit emotional engagement, making gameplay a reflection of internal emotional states.
01
Level-Specific Design
Joy
How to Represent Joy in a Game?
How can visual design convey joy?
Use bright, vibrant colors and a low-poly art style with a nature-focused theme. A serene forest with calm lakes and smooth, open spaces creates a visually calming and joyful experience.
How can sound design emphasize joy?
Light, soothing background music paired with gentle environmental sounds like birds chirping and water flowing can reinforce the sense of calm and happiness, enhancing emotional immersion.
How should the controls reflect joy?
The control system should feel smooth and responsive. The gamepad is configured with fluid movement and easy jumping mechanics, allowing the player to explore without frustration, reflecting a balanced emotional state.
What level design choices enhance the feeling of joy?
Joy is set in a bright oceanic environment with gentle waves, open areas, and minimal obstacles. The vast, open space and soothing colors encourage free exploration, promoting feelings of tranquility and happiness.
How can visual design create fear?
Use dim lighting, eerie sound effects, and lifeless environmental elements such as dead trees and fog. The dark, claustrophobic atmosphere is reinforced by a low-visibility skybox, amplifying discomfort and tension.
How can sound design enhance fear?
Distant, distorted sounds and minimal music help create unease. Sudden audio cues, like creaking branches or faint whispers, can trigger moments of heightened tension, keeping the player on edge.
What level design elements can reinforce fear?
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The Fear level is set in a dark forest with minimal visibility, tight pathways, and heavy fog.
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The player must navigate carefully to avoid danger while searching for the elusive "Soul."
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Claustrophobic spaces, limited lighting, and subtle environmental hazards encourage slow, deliberate play, heightening suspense.
Why Car Controls？How Does It Reflect Fear?
During the design process, various approaches were considered to represent fear through gameplay mechanics. Options included obscuring player vision, implementing time pressure, or using limited mobility. However, the decision to use an oversensitive vehicle controller was chosen because it most effectively captured the emotional essence of fear.
The player controls a highly reactive vehicle where even slight joystick movements result in exaggerated and unpredictable responses. This design mirrors the hyper-awareness and fragility associated with fear, where heightened sensitivity can lead to overreactions and a loss of control.
The vehicle controller in Fear is intentionally oversensitive to simulate the jittery and unstable feeling of fear. The mechanics utilize advanced physics calculations for wheel forces, steering sensitivity, and side slip forces to create realistic, yet unsettling driving dynamics.
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Wheel Suspension Simulation: The controller uses raycasts to detect the ground beneath each wheel and calculate suspension forces. A spring-damping system adjusts the vertical forces based on the compression of each wheel:
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Spring Strength: Ensures that wheels maintain contact with uneven terrain.
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Damping: Limits excessive oscillations and stabilizes the vehicle.
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Steering Sensitivity: Steering is calculated using a combination of input and the vehicle’s forward velocity. A sensitive steering multiplier increases the difficulty, making even small inputs result in significant directional changes.
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Side Slip Simulation: To mimic the vehicle's instability, side-slip forces are applied when the wheels lose grip. This force pushes the vehicle sideways, heightening the tension and unpredictability of movement.
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Environmental Interaction: Physics-based detection of floor normals ensures that the vehicle adapts dynamically to terrain slopes, adding realism and challenge to the experience.
By connecting physical control mechanics directly to the emotional theme, the gameplay transforms into a visceral experience where the player doesn’t just witness fear but feels it through the mechanics themselves.
Anger
How to Represent Anger in a Game?
How can visual design express anger?
The level is set on a floating volcanic island with an intense orange skybox, jagged rock formations, and flowing lava. The fiery, chaotic visuals emphasize volatility and aggression, while the harsh, angular design reflects the tension of the emotion.
How can sound design amplify anger?
Tense, fast-paced music combined with the roar of the aircraft engine creates a sense of overwhelming intensity. Sudden audio spikes and distortion emphasize emotional instability, mirroring how anger can disrupt calmness and rational thought.
How should the controls reflect anger?
Plane Controller Algorithm
Various approaches were considered to represent anger through mechanics, including faster time limits or unpredictable hazards. Ultimately, a difficult-to-control aircraft was chosen, reflecting how anger often leads to overreactions and loss of precision.
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The aircraft’s controls are intentionally exaggerated, with delayed responses and high inertia, making it challenging to control precise movements.
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Oversteering and lagged feedback simulate how emotions can disrupt focus, requiring the player to fight against the mechanics to avoid losing control.
The Force Calculation Algorithm
The plane controller integrates realistic aerodynamics, including forces like pitch torque, roll torque, and drag forces to simulate instability:
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Wing Drag Force & Lift Force: Simulates the aerodynamic lift and resistance to movement.
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Tail Side Force & Tail Drag Force: Adds imbalance and resistance, making flight controls harder to stabilize.
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Engine Force & Air Resistance: Balances movement power with environmental resistance.
Xbox Joystick Adaptation
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The controller is adapted for Xbox joysticks to ensure accessibility and precision, incorporating inputs for vertical, horizontal, and rotational axes.
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Fine-tuned input sensitivity ensures players experience the frustration of delayed responses while maintaining functional gameplay.
Sadness
How to Represent Sadness in a Game?
How can visual design convey sadness?
A blue color palette dominates the environment, with shades of pale blues and grays creating a cold, distant atmosphere. The level is set in a vast icy landscape with icebergs and barren, frozen terrain, emphasizing emotional isolation and emotional numbness.
How should the controls reflect sadness?
To reflect the emotional heaviness and lethargy associated with sadness, the player's movement speed and response time are intentionally slowed. This deliberate delay in control responsiveness mirrors how sadness often makes physical actions feel more difficult and burdensome.
How can sound design emphasize sadness?
Soft, melancholic music with minimal instrumentation, such as distant piano notes and wind ambience, underscores the emotional weight. The subtle sound of cracking ice and faint echoes create a sense of vulnerability and emptiness, mirroring emotional fragility.
Why was slowed movement chosen over other design options?
Various mechanics were explored, such as reduced visibility and heavier environmental hazards. However, the choice to slow the player’s movement directly connects to how sadness affects physical and emotional energy in real life—simple actions feel harder and progress feels delayed.
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Reduced Movement Speed: Movement is intentionally slowed, emphasizing emotional heaviness.
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Delayed Input Response: A slight delay between player input and movement reinforces the emotional impact.
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Restricted Vertical Movement: The sense of being “weighed down” is reflected in limited jumping height and slower vertical motion.
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Exhibition Settings
The final exhibition of Emotion was designed to create an immersive and visually striking experience for players and spectators alike.
Spatial Layout
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The exhibition space combines digital screens, light cubes, and open pathways for spectators to observe and explore the emotional themes both visually and interactively.
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The setting bridges technology and art, allowing the audience to connect with emotions through gameplay, visuals, and ambient lighting.
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The game is presented on large, dual-sided monitors, allowing viewers to see both the in-game environment and the emotional island selection screen simultaneously.
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One side highlights the player’s interaction within the levels (e.g., grass fields, forests), while the other showcases the menu for island selection (Island of Joy, Fear, Sadness, and Anger).
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The display setup incorporates colored light structures arranged in a cubic form. The lighting changes to reflect the emotional tone of the levels, further immersing the audience in the project’s themes.
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For instance, vibrant greens and blues symbolize Joy, while reds and oranges emphasize the intensity of Anger.
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Players interact with the game using physical controllers set on brightly lit platforms, encouraging direct engagement.
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The clear and minimalistic station setup invites viewers to experience emotional states seamlessly while maintaining a focus on the project’s artistic message.
Final Presentation
Iteration
Alpha Test
Bug Fix
Intractable Advanced Grass Shader to add more fun to the Joy Scene
Releasement
Beta Test
Many players reported difficulty locating the "Soul"(the target) element within the game. To address this, a HUD arrow was added to provide directional guidance, ensuring players could navigate more effectively while preserving the emotional journey.
Image Gallery
