Contemporary Game Technologies (CGT) Week 1: Inspirations & Initial Ideas

22/02/21

Virtual Reality (VR) is an ever evolving and experimental part of game development, and it is still in its infancy on the video gaming market. Because of this, most of the more popular VR games harken back to aspects of the coin operated arcade games of the 1980s, with quick bursts of fun that can be understood easily as soon as players boot up the game or watch from afar. This is a reasonable way to handle the limitations of VR in its current state, as it allows a wider audience to immediately understand VR and what it can bring to the video gaming world over more traditional games. Currently, however, we are now slowly starting to see more AAA games appear on VR platforms such as Half Life: Alyx, ushering in a new age of VR game development. VR games such as this one, can be more atmospheric and can incorporate elements from modern, hardcore games, while still taking advantage of what VR can do to enhance the overall experience.

It is with this mindset that I aspire, with my own take on a VR game, to create a game that can be easy to understand within a few minutes of playing, while also feeling like you are playing a modern console or PC game, except with a more enhanced viewing perspective.

Initially, my thoughts on the type of game I wanted to develop were those focused on a first-person perspective as it allows for the greatest use of immersion by forcing the players to look around the environment using their head rather than a standard mouse or camera stick. From this, I decided to focus on my favourite games that have a first-person perspective, and the genre that immediately sprung to mind was Dungeon Crawlers. A game such as Shin Megami Tensei was one that I wanted to take advantage of, as it demonstrates incredible immersion and genuine atmosphere that it really feels like you are traversing an alien world.

(Shin Megami Tensei, 1992, ATLUS)

The game requires players to traverse a familiar, yet dystopian, world as the main character's hometown is overrun by demons. The tone and interesting setting for each dungeon are the main inspirations that I wish to implement in my own game, as I want players to be constantly interested and excited each time they turn a corner to see what comes next.

Another game that came to mind was Legend of Grimrock. Players explore deep and complex labyrinths that are filled with treasure, monsters and puzzles, with the goal being to reach the end.

(Legend of Grimrock, 2012, Almost Human)

The setting and use of puzzles to reach the end of its levels are the main inspirations that I want to draw from, when creating my own game. While combat is also an important part of this game, it is something I want to avoid in favour of using the mechanics that take advantage of VR, and puzzles are a great way to do that. It will also allow it to be more accessible to people who are not quite used to engaging with VR, as I want the game to be as simple as if you were exploring a cave in real life.

Once I had my two inspirational games selected, I decided to investigate if any games similar to this were already made with VR in mind, and luckily there were.

(Karnage Chronicles, 2020, Nordic Trolls)

Karnage Chronicles was released last year and takes full advantage of what a Dungeon Crawler in VR should be - interesting environments, immersive gameplay and perks that are only possible in VR. This really is the type of game I wish to make, albeit with more focus on puzzles and exploration rather than combat.