Experimental Gameplay

For the Spring 2023 semester of the EAE Experimental Gameplay class, students were given 1 to 2 to complete projects. Similar to any game jam, each project had to be based on a specific theme. The goal of each project was to implement a prototype for each theme in pursuit of experimental, new, or innovative gameplay. 

This itch page contains each of my prototypes from the class to showcase and allow others to play them and enjoy!

Prototype Summaries

Theme 1 - Baroque

The first game focuses on the idea of Baroque artwork as gameplay. My interpretation was drawn from the concept of clockwork. Each cog rotates and meshes together in perfect complexity. In this prototype, the different world environments will rotate with the player requiring careful consideration of your surroundings in order pass through the puzzles.

Theme 2 - Spicy

For the second theme I wanted to explore the concept of rapid, exciting, and hectic gameplay. I also wanted to directly relate to the prompt using the concept of spicy peppers. In this game, players must chop different colored shapes according to a recipe to score points, however chopping such spicy things can result in some watery eyed conditions!

Theme 3 - Roll and Move

For the third theme, I emphasized the conjugation "and". This game features a dice that the player can roll around. Only while the die is actively moving can the player and the enemies actively move around the environment!

Theme 4 - Endless Runner

Many Endless Runner games have minimal consequences to player choices and inputs. For this theme, I sought to find a way to make each action a player makes in an endless runner have significant meaning and impact on the rest of their run. This game features terrain that shifts with each jump the player makes which they will inevitably have to avoid later on.

Theme 5 - Hallucinations

I wanted to explore the theme of hallucinations from the concept of being unable to trust your surroundings. The prototype aims to provide an unsettling experience to players by making it difficult to trust their memory. Nothing is what it seems in this endless walking sim.

Theme 6 - After is Before

The theme of the class was based on the german phrase: 

"Nach dem Spiel ist vor dem Spiel"

which translates to after the game is before the game. My inspiration took the form of a strategy game in which playing "optimally" and winning during the game does not guarantee victory overall. This game features a turn-based strategy game where players have to make predictions and will score points after the match based on the accuracy of their predictions.

Theme 7 - Improvement

The last theme of the semester was to improve an existing game that we enjoyed for showcasing at the EAE Launch event. I Improved Theme 2.