Recent Posts
Artwork 4: Whistle
Description/Pitch
“Whistle” is a mystery RPG where the player plays as a new temp worker at a corporate national bank, Dolion Bank. Working from home, uses the team collaboration application “Whistle” (very parallel with Microsoft Teams or Slack) player quickly gets onboarded to the team and starts doing their daily tasks. As they do these mundane tasks, however, they are exposed to a multitude of interesting pieces of information that suggest that Dolion Bank is not as legitimate as they make themselves seem. Through talking with clients, digging through company archives, and searching the internet, the player is presented the opportunity investigate exactly what is going on at this shady corporation. However, with a need to work enough to make a livable income and a boss constantly monitoring checking for a “Online” Whistle activity status, this will not prove to be an easy task.
** This is a large progress that is a work in progress so the game linked below is more of a rough prototype than a finished product **
Documentation
Rough Twine Prototype: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NBDlTeWiTItazTCyZeiAQBA3abjrk9AF?usp=drive_link
Artist’s Statement
“Whistle” is an evolving project aimed at immersing players in an environment where they bear witness to the pervasive presence of corruption. As a work in progress, the prototype submitted is just a glimpse of the expansive narrative and gameplay mechanics that will be further developed in the future.
The game invites players to step into the shoes of a new temp worker at Dolion Bank, a corporate giant rife with secrecy and deception. Through dynamic storytelling and interactive gameplay, “Whistle” confronts players with ethical dilemmas and moral complexities inherent in confronting corruption within the workplace.
Through “Whistle,” I want to prompt the challenge players to question their own beliefs and perceptions surrounding labor ethics, corporate misconduct, and what it means to “speak up” about what may be going on in one’s workplace. By presenting players with difficult choices and complex scenarios, the game aims to foster a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by whistleblowers and the bravery of their actions.
My main inspiration for this game is the public reactions to various whistleblowers in recent years (ex. NYT article speaking against the Trump’s conduct while he was in office) and how some people called the authors of these information leaks “cowards” because they didn’t speak up sooner or attach their name to the article. As a previous member of PSA/HOWL (students orgs focused on labor organizing and labor justice), I felt that these attacks were gravely misplaced and that people may need to be educated more about how corrupt workplaces make it significantly difficult to do what “should be done.”
As development progresses, “Whistle” will continue to evolve, offering players a rich and immersive gaming experience that explores the intricacies of workplace corruption and the profound impact of individual actions on society as a whole. Through its exploration of timely and relevant themes, “Whistle” aims to inspire positive change and foster a greater sense of awareness and accountability among players.
IndieCade Review: “We Are OFK”
“We Are OFK” invites players into the vibrant world of a group of queer friends navigating the tumultuous waters of L.A.’s music scene. Seamlessly blending elements of an interactive music video with a deeply immersive narrative, this game offers a raw and heartfelt exploration of the creative process, all wrapped up in visually stunning pastel aesthetics.
At its core are four central characters: Carter Flores, Itsumi Saito, Jey Zhang, and Luca Le Fae. Each member of this tight-knit, group of friends grapples with their own fears and uncertainties as they strive to carve out their place in the music industry. Against the backdrop of Los Angeles, their journey unfolds with moments of both triumph and vulnerability, offering players a chance to delve into themes of love, friendship, and personal growth.
One of the game’s most striking features is its choice-based dialogue system, which empowers players to shape the narrative according to their decisions. This adds layers of depth to the storytelling, allowing for a truly immersive experience where players can connect with the characters on a deeply personal level.
But perhaps the game’s crowning achievement is its interactive music videos. Here, players take control of the characters, immersing themselves in the game’s captivating visuals and infectious songs while completing various tasks. The seamless integration of music, gameplay, and narrative creates an experience that resonates long after the game is over, drawing players into a world where the boundaries between reality and fiction blur. As a huge music fan myself who is always looking for new ways to immerse myself into music, this game was mind-blowing with its audio and visual experience. Even just by the end of just the first two episodes, I found myself very emotional and rather invested in the narrative development to come.
Despite its many strengths, some players may find fault in the lack of facial expressiveness in the character models. However, the characters’ body language, dialogue, and vocal performances more than compensate for this, imbuing each character with a sense of authenticity and depth.
At its heart, “We Are OFK” is a celebration of creativity, friendship, and the power of vulnerability. Through the characters’ journey of self-discovery, players are reminded that it’s okay to lean on others for support and that true strength lies in embracing one’s true self. As the characters confront their fears and insecurities head-on, they discover that the pursuit of their dreams is worth the challenges they face along the way.
In conclusion, “We Are OFK” is a captivating and emotionally resonant experience that offers players a chance to immerse themselves in a world of music, friendship, and self-discovery. With its compelling narrative, engaging gameplay, and stunning visuals, this game is sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone who ventures into its world.
Artwork 3: “A Portrait Opportunity”
Overview
The work I chose to make for my intervention piece is called “A Portrait Opportunity.” In this work, the artist goes into a already existing social gathering (the premise of the gathering does not matter), and holds their phone up with the camera app open toward the rest of the room. From there,
Setup/Rules
- Go to a natural social gathering of some kind.
- Hold your cell phone up with the camera app open in a random direction (ideally not facing right in front of a wall, however). Make sure to hold the phone with two hands in a pose that highly suggests you are taking a photo.
- Observe what the people around say and do in reaction. If someone purposely goes in front of the camera, take a picture.
Documentation
Picture 1: One of my roommates as we had a movie watch party with friends at our apartment
Picture 2: One of the hosts of a dinner party I attended
Picture 3: School club member at the end of a club meeting
Artist’s Statement
My intervention piece, “A Portrait Opportunity,” is inspired by the daring performances of artists like Chris Burden, whose works such as “Doomed” often prompted audience members to observe and potentially interact with him.
With “A Portrait Opportunity,” I seek to explore the dynamics of social interaction and power within the context of a natural social gathering. By inserting myself into these settings with my phone held up as if taking a photo, I create a scenario where others must navigate around my active camera angle. This presents two possible responses: some may view the camera angle as an obstacle to be avoided, perceiving me as having dominance over the space, while others may see it as an opportunity to become the dominant focus in that moment.
Drawing parallels to Burden’s work, where audience members were invited to observe and potentially interact with him, “A Portrait Opportunity” challenges traditional notions of power and agency within social settings. Much like Burden’s performances, which prompted viewers to confront their own role in the art and the potential consequences of their actions, my intervention encourages participants to consider their response to my presence and the active camera angle.
Through this exploration, I aim to provoke thought and reflection on the ways in which we navigate social environments and negotiate power dynamics. By documenting the reactions and responses of those around me, “A Portrait Opportunity” can be seen as a study in human behavior and interaction, shedding light on the complexities of social dynamics and the performative nature of everyday life.
Though I only included three of the photos, six of the ten times I conducted this experiment resulted in people posing in some way in front of the camera. Two of the ten times people notably scurried out of the way of the photo, and the remaining two times people were already out of the camera POV and remained out of the POV until I put the phone down.
Artwork 2: スクランブル
Overview
For my appropriation piece, I created a game called “スクランブル (Sukuramburu).” The name comes from the Japanese-ified version of the word “scramble.” This game is a fun word game that uses the flexible, “scrambled” grammar of the Japanese language and applies it to English in order to make for a word guessing game.
Setup/Rules
Necessary Materials: Six-sided die, writing utensils, 2x small pieces of paper (where x = amount of players), x amount of Sentence Cards (shown in the Documentation section), and a basic understanding of English grammar rules and devices.
- Split the group of 4+ players into 2 even teams.
- Have the two teams together decide on a theme/prompt for this round of gameplay. Make sure to pick themes that everyone is knowledgeable about and have a lot of different places, people, or things associated with it. Examples of good themes would be “Household objects,” “Boston,” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
- Have each person take 2 small pieces of paper and write a person, place, or thing that fits in the chosen theme on each piece of paper. For example, if the theme is “Boston,” possible words could be “Fenway Park,” “Clam Chowder,” or “Green Line.” Do not share your words with any other players.
- Once everyone is done writing their words, collect all of the pieces of paper and shuffle them well. Then distribute each person two cards.
- Have each person take sentence sheet (shown in the documentation section).
- Think of a sentence that describes a scene involving the word on the card. The sentence must have a single verb, location, and one of at least three of the following five grammatical devices/pieces of information: time/frequency, direct object (of the main verb), indirect object (of the main verb), an adverb (directed toward the main verb of the sentence), or adjective. The subject of the sentence must be the word on the card. Examples of viable sentences for “MBTA” would be “The MBTA transports people unreliably around Boston everyday,” and “The red MBTA combusted recently unexpectedly.”
- These grammatical devices/pieces of information are called “Sentence Components”
- Next, write your sentences for your two cards at the top of the sentence sheet and write each grammatical devices/pieces of information in its corresponding slot below. These cannot be edited or added to later in the game.
- Once the sentence cards are completed, choose a team to go first (if unable to decide, the team with the player who has the most proficiency in a foreign language can go first). Choose a member to go first (if unable to decide, the team member who has traveled the most can go first). The player whose turn it is called the “Scrambler” and the team member to their right is the “Interpreter.”
- The Scrambler picks one of the two themed words on their sentence card to try to have their team guess (next time they are the Scrambler, the will choose the other Target Word from their Sentence Card).
- The Scrambler rolls a 6-sided die in private so nobody sees, and reads aloud the Sentence Component from the Sentence Card that corresponds with that number.
- From there, the Interpreter can either ask for another Sentence Component or guess the Target Word. If the Interpreter guesses the Target Word correctly, then their team receives points (the less Sentence Components revealed before guessing, the more points). If the Interpreter guesses incorrectly, then their team receives zero points for that round and it becomes the opposing team’s turn.
- One Sentence Component ⇒ 10 points
- Two Sentence Components ⇒ 8 points
- Three Sentence Components ⇒ 6 points
- Four Sentence Components ⇒ 5 points
- Five Sentence Components ⇒ 3 points
- Six Sentence Components ⇒ 2 points
- Seven Sentence Components ⇒ 1 point
- The two teams take turns trying to score points until each player has both been the Scrambler and Interpreter twice. Whoever has more points wins!
Documentation
Sentence Card:
| Target Word: | Target Word: |
|---|---|
| Whole Sentence: | Whole Sentence: |
| (0) Verb: | (0) Verb: |
| (1) Location: | (1) Location: |
| (2) Time/Frequency: | (2) Time/Frequency: |
| (3) Direct Object: | (3) Direct Object: |
| (4) Indirect Object: | (4) Indirect Object: |
| (5) Adjective: | (5) Adjective: |
| (6) Adverb: | (6) Adverb: |
Example Sentence Card:
| Target Word: Water Bottle |
|---|
| Whole Sentence: “Sealed Water Bottles always hold liquid securely within itself” |
| (0) Verb: “hold” |
| (1) Location: “within itself” |
| (2) Time/Frequency: “always” |
| (3) Direct Object: “liquid” |
| (4) Indirect Object: |
| (5) Adjective: “sealed” |
| (6) Adverb: “securely” |
Artist Statement
My artistic creation, “スクランブル (Sukuramburu),” is not just a game but a reflection of my personal journey grappling with the intricacies of language and culture. Inspired by my own struggles as a native English speaker navigating the scramble-able grammar of the Japanese language, this game embodies the fusion of linguistic exploration, cultural exchange, and playful interaction.
Drawing from the avant-garde spirit of the Dada movement, particularly its subverting of conventions and embracing absurdity, “Sukuramburu” challenges traditional notions of English communication by infusing them with the dynamic structure of Japanese grammar. Just as the Dadaists sought to disrupt established norms, I aimed to disrupt the conventions of language by blending elements of Japanese and English in a playful and innovative manner.
In addition to its artistic influences, “Sukuramburu” is deeply rooted in my personal experiences with language learning. As a native English speaker grappling with the fluidity of Japanese grammar, I often found myself struggling to piece together the complete idea conveyed by a speaker. Unlike English, where the structure of a sentence provides clarity, Japanese offers a more flexible approach, allowing for different pieces of the idea to be grasped at various points in the sentence. This aspect of the language posed a unique challenge for me, inspiring me to create a game that embraces and celebrates the complexities of language.
Like the Dadaists who sought to disrupt societal conventions, I sought to disrupt linguistic conventions through the creation of this game, inviting players to explore the boundaries of language and culture in a playful and interactive way.
Artwork 1: “Biography”
Overview
This work is called “Biography.” This work is a commentary on the representation of people on social media.
Rules/Setup
Necessary Materials: Two pieces of lines paper, a writing utensil, and a 6-sided die.
- Number the first three lines of a lined paper as “1,” “2,” and “3.” Repeat this process five more times down the paper.
- Beside each group of three lines, write the number of the year it was 7 years ago. In the first sentence, express your feelings from that year. In the second, write about a regrettable action from that time. In the third, share a strong opinion you held then. Avoid specific dates.
- Repeat step 2 for each preceding year up to 2 years ago.
- On a new piece of paper, craft a 5-sentence paragraph about the most recent past year of your life. Separate each sentence on different lines, leaving a blank line after each.
- Roll a 6-sided die twice to randomly select a sentence from the first paper. The first roll determines the trio of lines, and the second roll selects the specific line (1-2 for the first line, 3-4 for the second, and 5-6 for the third).
- Place the chosen sentence into the first blank row of your 5-sentence paragraph about the most recent past year.
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all blank rows are filled in the paragraph.
- Share the completed paragraph as a caption accompanying a self-portrait on social media.
Artist Statement
“Biography” stands as a poignant reflection on the intricacies of self-representation in an era dominated by social media. It is heavily influenced by the in-class activities we did where the whole class wrote various statements on a piece of paper to create one single ridiculous series of statements.
In today’s digital landscape, social media affords instantaneous glimpses into various facets of individuals’ lives, often presented in a non-chronological and fragmented manner. This phenomenon shapes perceptions and constructs perceptions of people that can be heavily influenced by past events, chaining individuals to outdated versions of themselves. “Biography” seeks to confront and unravel this phenomenon by challenging participants to reflect on their past experiences and beliefs and consider how it relates to their current self.
Specifically, the rules and setup of “Biography” are designed to disrupt the linear progression of traditional autobiographical narratives, mirroring the disjointed nature of social media timelines. By anchoring each section of the narrative to a specific period in the past, the work compels participants to confront the disjunctions between past and present. Through the random selection and integration of sentences into a cohesive narrative, this works aims to blur temporal boundaries, inviting viewers to reassess the fluidity of personal identity and the way they view other people.
Everyquest Early Prototype
Artist’s Statement
Admittedly, this is a game I’ve wanted to make for a little while, and I kind of used this assignment as a way to get myself to get started on it. I was pondering a general theme of the future, and how we have no idea where it might take us. I wanted to try and explore multiple facets of that theme through my story, which is what led me to come up with the characters of Marilyn and Bhrugu (see the attached Design Doc). They both represent entirely different unhealthy ways of coping with the future’s unpredictability; giving up on life, and trying to control everything.
Once I had my story and themes, I went to try and create gameplay that fits them well. I ended up with a Roguelite-style Tactical RPG where you have a lot of free rein in customizing your character (in preparing for future challenges), but are always at the mercy of RNG in actual fights (still have no control over your future).
In terms of the kind of game and story I’m going for, Everyquest’s main inspiration is definitely the Persona series, though I’ll admit to there also being a little bit of Deltarune and Omori in there too. In terms of the Battle System, the main inspiration is Mario and Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.
In the end, I ran into a time crunch with the demo, and having to make it during finals week. So, I ended up having to go with a very simple demo, with no UI elements, and…let’s just call it avant-garde enemy design (in my defense, I did have a squirrel model I found online, but Unity was refusing to behave when I tried to load it in, and this had to be enough). In the demo, I showcase a simple randomly-generated overworld, and a single battle, both of which are explained in detail in the design doc.
2D Overwatch
2D Overwatch:
How to play:
This game is a simplified version of “Overwatch.” So the rules are also therefore straightforward. It involves two players: Player A spawns on the left side of the scene, while Player B spawns on the right. Both players can shoot bullets at each other. When a player’s hp reaches 0, they need to wait to respawn.
The objective is the center of the map. Both players should try to capture the objective by just standing on it. The first player that reaches 100 points wins the game.
Artist’s statement:
Getting new players into “Overwatch” is hard because it’s tough to start playing. One of the reasons is that it is difficult to get started. Blizzard may have noticed this, maybe that is why they’re adding tutorials. The FPS part and the complicated maps make it hard for beginners.
Therefore, I came up with the idea of making an Overwatch without those elements which is a 2D version of it. Initially, my idea is to make it network-connected, so the players can control the direction of bullets with their mouse and I could add more players to the game in the future. But after trying to network in Unity for 3 days, I decided to give that feature up and redesign the entire game to make it can fit within one laptop. Also, because I’ve wasted so many days trying the network feature, at last, I
didn’t get enough time to implement the abilities to the game.
I was trying to set up the network.
But after several play tests, I would say the gameplay went better than I expected. Since there are no abilities, it is very easy for the players to get started and be good at it.
this was my first playtest
This project took some inspiration from “Pac-Manhattan”, the game that appropriates Pac-Man into the real world and make it easy to get into. Our game does the same for “Overwatch.” It’s more straightforward now. Also, In the Data Movement, artists made the audience see normal things differently, for example Duchamp’s “L.H.O.O.Q.”, our game makes “Overwatch” different and simpler, which changes the experience of gameplay.
Artwork 4
This game takes you back through the day in the life of high school. Go through your daily routine in the morning as well as attending class each day. Play the game here before reading the rest:
https://nickconnorss.itch.io/artwork-4
This artgame is designed with the specific purpose of raising awareness about the realities and commonalities of school shootings in America. In chapters 2 and 3 of Works of Game, written by John Sharp, the author discusses the difference between ‘Game Art’ and ‘Artgames’ and how each one expresses something different. My game falls under the category of an artgame because it focuses on crafting an experience that delves deep into life’s metaphysical aspects, exploring themes of ethics and the human condition, which is how Sharp describes artgames to be. The design of this game is deeply personal, rooted in a personal experience with a school shooting incident at Saugus High School. By integrating this personal narrative, my game transcends traditional game mechanics and becomes a platform for players to engage with and understand the emotional and psychological impacts of a tragedy like this. This is in line with the essence of Artgames, where the gameplay and objectives should be intertwined with the artist’s vision. The goal of this artgame is to spread awareness and show that something as tragic as this can happen in a split of a second, affecting the lives of everyone around. Rest in peace Gracie and Dominic, you will be cherished in our hearts forever.
Dealer’s Choice
Artist’s Statement:
Since beginning to learn about game design, a constant in all the games I have worked with has been to create a sense of fairness for the player. Create challenges and puzzles for a participant to overcome, but make sure the playing field is level for everyone involved. However, I felt that this wasn’t very reflective of the real world, where nothing is fair and victory goes to the people who can pay for it. My card game takes the simple premise of card dealing and poker, specifically black jack, but appropriates the goal of the game and the way the cards are dealt to provide an unfair advantage to those who were lucky enough to go first.
I wanted to convey with my game that the people on top in society have way more control over the lives of the people below them. The 1% get to influence where the country’s money goes, who is voted into office, and what legislation is allowed to be passed. However, I convey this message quite subtly through the lens of a simple card game, where the first player gets to directly impact what cards the people behind them get access to. Another point I wanted to convey to my players is a sense of loss of control, where you are directly subjected to the actions of the other players before you. When a player chooses a card from the limited pool of options, they are completely cutting you off from having that choice for yourself and are instead forced to create something from their scraps. I actually got this idea from a movie, a foreign film on Netflix entitled “The Platform”, where people are forced onto different levels of a building, and every day a platform of food travels down through the floors for the people to eat, but the further down your level is the less food there is for you. This movie is also an artistic critic against the system of the upper class, calling out the unfairness and hypocrisy of the system that rewards people for being rich.
Game Documentation:
The Rules:
Everyone rolls two dice to determine turn order – the person with the highest role goes first, then second, and so on
First player, draw as many cards as there are players PLUS ONE (ex. If there are 4 people playing, draw 5 cards)
Out of all the cards, pick one to keep and pass the remaining cards to the second player. Second player do the same, and so on until the last player
THE OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME: First player to get a hand that adds exactly to 21 wins the round (Poker rules apply to card values, ex Ace is 11 or 1)
If someone collects a collective card value over 21, they are sent to last place for the next round
Whoever wins the round becomes first player, second place becomes second player, and so on
Play as many rounds as you want!
Bonus Rule: if one person has been in first for too long, all the other players can invoke a Revolution. A Revolution means that for the next round, each player who is not first must pool their cards and collect a total of ((number of players – 1) * 15) = for example, if there are 4 people playing and the bottom 3 players invoke revolution, the bottom three players must collect a total of at least 45 points before the first player can collect exactly 21 points. If they succeed, the first player gets sent to last for the next round. Note: A revolution can only occur if EVERYONE wants to participate (excluding the first player). After the first player has been sent to the back, the group must decide who gets placed to player 1 (if they cannot make up their mind, roll a dice again to determine turn order)
Post-Playtest 1 Notes:
– It was too easy for players to get to 21 within the first 2 turns
– There was an interesting game tactic deployed by the first player, where they would hoard all of the lower value cards each turn and just wait for the other players to get a hand over 21 in order to secure their position in 1st
– Changes: adjust the point distribution on the face cards – Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13, ace = 1
Post-Playtest 2 Notes:
– the changes made to the face cards were unnecessary, I’m going to change it back to regular blackjack rules
– The games were short but sweet, and I believe they captured the message I was trying to send about unfairness and privilege towards the wealthy in the real world.
Example of a round:
Slots of Suffering
Slots of Suffering
Slots of Suffering is a short artgame about the dangers of slot machine addiction, as represented through cruel money-management and addiction mechanics.
Artist’s Statement:
Slots of Suffering was primarily inspired by Natasha D. Schull’s book on machine gambling, Addiction by Design, and Lucas Pope’s 2014 artgame Papers, Please. The former book presents an ethnographic view of slot machine addicts in Las Vegas, and I found it shocking and pretty upsetting. I felt like this dark side of game design often goes overlooked, and wanted to make a game that attempts to spread awareness of the real-life implications of gambling addictions. Papers, Please shows, among other things, how financial concerns can lead people to be complacent in harmful systems. The way that Papers, Please represented the financial burden on your character, through payments for food and medicine for your family at the end of every day, was inspiring to me, and I realized I could make my point with a similar system.
I would also connect this game to the works of Brenda Romero, who has created several stripped-back analog games that try to make their point through their mechanics. “The mechanic is the message” is the name of the series. In my game, I wanted to represent addiction mechanically, rather than just telling the player “you are addicted to machine gambling.”
There are several shortcomings with my game that I did not have time to flesh out or rework. My biggest problems are that the representation of addiction is not perfect, and that playing the game “well” doesn’t reward you. I don’t want to misconstrue the way the complex condition of addiction works, but it is also a tricky one to model. An interesting symbolic way I tried to represent it was making everything but the slot machine visually drab, whereas the machine itself is bright and animated and fun. This was intended to represent the way addicts can move through life in a haze, just pushing on to the next hit. The more obvious interpretation of addiction in the game is that I don’t allow players to leave the casino until they’ve played enough. “Enough” depends on how much they’ve played before. This can be frustrating to the player that is forced to spend all their money at the slots, but I think this works to show how people can be frustrated being trapped in a cycle of addiction.
The other thing I’d want to expand on is actually rewarding the player for doing the right thing. When playing the machine just makes you lose money (and subsequently your home and family), the only winning move is not to play. Unfortunately, right now not playing isn’t a great outcome either. You just have to continually go to work and barely support your family, until you eventually lose to RNG. This doesn’t really reflect the message I want to send, so having some sort of good ending for not playing would help make the message more clear.
I chose to make this game in basic HTML and JavaScript so that it would be playable on any device, and quick for me to develop. The gameplay consists entirely of just pressing buttons, so this was a good fit.
Thank you for playing!