An Anthropocene game with spatial audio as navigation
Consciousness In The Landscape explores interactions between the human consciousness and its reaction to different environments. The format is an audio-interactive game produced using VR system game software, where the player is exploring a route through a forest landscape, which gradually evolves into a city landscape using Anthropocene imagery.
Timeline: 3 months.
Role: Interaction and Gameplay Ideation, Game Design & Visual Effects (VFX), Sound Concept Ideation,User Research & Experience Mapping, Rapid Prototyping & Testing.
Collaborator: Artemis Weng
Tools: Unreal Engine, Adobe Premiere Pro, Figma.
Shortlisted for the Innovate UK Immersive Tech Awards - Sensory Category
Picture taken at Awards Reception
Project Intention:
This projects intention was to experiment with the boundaries of what we consider to be fundamental in immersive game design. Drawing on the power of the senses we decided to focus on sound design - through this pushing the boundaries of how navigation through audio and VR interactivity can be utilised in a game environment.
The player traverses through each scene, guided by 360 sounds echoing the evolved future of the landscape. The sounds are produced by orbs, which the player is tasked to collect. As the orbs are collected the landscape starts to evolve and urbanise, mimicking human effect and interaction with the natural world.
In the Anthropocene landscape the sounds become more synthetic and unnatural, Ambisonics play a crucial role in this experience, encouraging the player to go off-path where possible. It explores the ways in which human curiosity interacts with different environments as they evolve, producing experimental sound that reflects climate. The contrasting environments make for a fascinating comparison in results, as each playthrough is unique.
Development
The final product!
