Meteor:
This game is based around the player as a meteor drifting through the expanse that we call our universe. As the meteor, you humbly have no physical control of the actions that your body goes through. The player will choose psychological and emotional decisions, such as how to react to passing a planet, going through a nebula, or being nearly dragged into a black hole. The options the player is given is determined slowly through the choices the player makes. The Meteor Game values emotional experience and player immersion through the connection that is placed on an object normally over looked and rarely personified.
Box:
You are in a box. The player is a box. There are 2 boxes, and you are one of them. The idea of the game is to imagine what could happen to you. The character (or box) can choose to imagine 2 parallel plot lines. One where you are an innocent box, experiencing innocent box childhood with parents (that are also boxes) and a lively community of boxes in suburbia. The other is a future timeline, where the box eventually escapes from the physical confinement of the larger box. Who knows what you could find outside this world? Each of the two story lines will be interrupted from time to time with the reality of being trapped physically, but not emotionally, inside of this area.
I think you should do the meteor one, but you have no say in what happens to the meteor. If you put it in orbit you could experience the same set of things over and over again, until you have a pretty good idea of what you would feel as a meteor. The object of the game might not be to immerse yourself or affect the meteor, but just a pretty un-fun forced sympathizing with a hunk of cold rock.
I like the idea of attempting to personify a very un-personifiable object. I think you could expand upon the first project by having the meteor ponder philosophical issues, particularly relating to that of the size of the universe, the insignificance of individual events, etc. I would like to see an example of an ’emotional response’ to a passing planet, as I find it hard to visualize.
Meteor
is kind an interesting idea but what consequences will each action bring if any?
I’m really curious as to what your underlying purpose for the reader is as a result of playing this game because i think it might help me understand where you are trying to go with it.
Box
where did the emotional aspect of this story come from/why is it important? I think visuals for the second one will be a good addition if you are trying to make an emotional appeal here.
I agree with Nico on the meteor, but suggest if you do it you add the merciful option to have the meteor commit “suicide” by entering a planet’s atmosphere. Last scene is the meteor’s last visions of its existence. Alternatively, have the game never end, with repetitive, infinite orbit.
I think the box idea is a little more forced – unlike the meteor idea, boxes with families kind of breaks my suspense of disbelief, and the feeling of entrapment might come off better with the meteor (especially ironic since it is traveling through the widest, freest space – the open universe).
The meteor idea sounds cooler. The meteor could have some very complex emotional states and that I think is very neat. Perhaps you don’t even get to choose how the meteor reacts, maybe you can only see what the meteor thinks or what the things the meteor hits think.
I definitely like the idea of personifying a meteor and am curious to see how the options expand with each reaction. How would this end, if at all? If it never ends, how would you keep the player’s interest if that is one of your main goals? I like Andrew’s idea about giving the player a choice to “kill” the meteor.
Both ideas are pretty interesting but the box one slightly confuses me as to how you are going to write it as a story. Getting a genuine emotional response is pretty hard to do but I like the idea a lot.
The major strength in meteor lies in the subtlety of allowing emotional/personal response control future outcomes. It seems you want the player to determine the character of the meteor rather than its actions, which is cool. It requires that the choices given in later parts of the ‘adventure’ are consistent with how the player has defined who the meteor is in earlier parts.
for Box, are you saying that from the very beginning the player chooses older box or younger box and progresses from there? I think it would be strong if you jumped from older to younger randomly, allowing the player to experience the different characteristics of the same being at different times. I’m not sure how the ‘interruption of physical reality’ would be implemented successfully and with appropriate impact on the mindset of the player.
I think I like the absurdity of the second one better because you don’t have any examples for the first one I’m inclined to think that it would be uninteresting.
I’m liking the meteor idea. Stressing emotion and thought over the consequences of your actions sounds like it could be something really interesting and new – you would just have to make sure to really tap into the player’s emotions, otherwise it could just feel like going through the motions of a preset story. I also like your choice of a meteor as a personifiable object.
The second idea is slightly confusing me with the two timelines of the box. How would you jump from timeline to timeline? I like the idea of being in a box family, though – sounds cute.
Meteor – I would agree that meteors are generally overlooked most of the time, except when they have the opportunity to “interact” with other universal bodies. A collision with a meteor is a big event that would not go unnoticed. Maybe the meteor has to choose to collide or eventually drift away from everything. That would be a powerful emotional choice.
Box – I think this is a little to open ended. I do believe you could do the “typical” plot line very well but I would be concerned about the breaking away plot line of the unexpected. If you do not meet the wild expectations of the player it could be a let down.
The Meteor idea seems stronger to me.