Linda's Birthing

description

A strange VR game for Project Hybrid at the HKU, and one of the most fun projects I've ever worked on! A blend of digital and physical space. Take care of an alien mother and help her give birth to her egg. The game was only (fully) playable on site, with physical additions of the alien body, vetinary gloves and surgical outfit. We would lather up your arm with dish soap (to prepare for insertion) put the headset on your head and give you the controller, and you were ready to play!

roles

  • Jacco Verhoeckx: Gameplay development
  • Mercedes Aartsen: 3D props, 3D egg, crafting of the physical egg, physical crafting of the experience
  • Levi Vermaning: VR development, gameplay loop design
  • Kim Reinders Folmer: Material/texture tests, gameplay loop design, physical crafting of the experience
  • Charlie Dolders: Linda 3D model, animation, 3D props
  • Wickie Jansen: Arduino parts in the egg (position tracker inside the alien, movement of the egg)

process

We started off wanting to create a game involving space or aliens. We quite early on decided on an alien abduction scene in VR (where you'd physically lay down on a table and be touched), but found out that it might be too frightening for our playtesters. Then, we came up with the idea to make an alien artifact museum. You would be able to physically walk around, pick up objects in front of you (in real life) and then with the use of an Arduino the item would update its position in VR.


We experimented with all sorts of textures you could then touch, and then one of our artists came up with the idea to make an alien birth simulator. We rolled with it (last minute) and were able to make a fantastically cursed experience that our teachers loved!


I helped our lead developer with VR development and gameplay programming, and designed the game loop with my fellow game designer, Kim.