Alex Williams_Who are these people and what do I do with my hands? _Code motion Berlin 2019

In a world where our game experiences in VR are growing ever deeper and physical, why do we still largely deliver narrative based on old paradigms? Why are we forced to sit still and listen instead of touching and feeling? How do we engage different audience demographics and player types? This talk explores kinetic narrative in a highly physical medium through the lens of VR games past present and future.

About: Alex Williams, Freelance

Alex is an award winning game designer with experience in both independent and AAA game development. He has a deep interest in the ways that interactivity can communicate character, meaning, and interpretation - to create experiences that are unique to the medium.

Transcript

1. 12-13 November, 2019
2. Who Are These People (and what do I do with my hands?) avec Alex Williams 12-13 November, 2019
3. What is this talk? • A Reflection/Ramble: – Philosophical – Rethinking and Framing – Practical – Analysing and Prescribing
4. Philosophical – In VR… • What do we mean when we say narrative? • How is narrative experienced? • How is narrative constructed?
5. Practical – In VR… • Existing Examples (Adaptations) • Implementation, Scale, Awareness
6. Interrogation – In VR… • How did we get here? • What are our assumptions?
7. Take my bones away…
8. Who Am I? • Hi. • Gamedev. Designer. Creative. • Interactive Curious Person
10. Let’s Start With Why • What inspired me? • Asking Better Questions • Understanding Mediums
11. A History • The Advantage of Old Mediums • Borrowing Conventions • The Challenges of Interactivity
12. Defining Mediums (!)Control / (!)Constraint = Language Language is everything.
13. Defining Mediums • No real time participation, total directorial control, guarantee that audience will see everything • Real time interaction, released control of , camera, released control of progression/style
14. GTA 5
16. So, Narrative • Push - Extrinsic – Exposition – Dialogue – Cutscenes • Pull – Intrinsic – Interpreting – Exploring – Ownership
17. Player Stories = *Player’s Free Will(s) + Game Systems
18. *What we want you to want
19. **Unless you decide you don’t want to
20. Is This VR? • Do we know things about VR? • Lets find out! • Making an assumption.
21. Two Moments In Time
22. Asking the *Real Questions What is the player story? And what is the designer’s intent? What pacts are there with the audience?
23. Moment 1 https://youtu.be/eU_3v3eU5eQ?t=74 • Pay attention to: – Players center of view – Player’s hands
24. The Big One Player Story?
25. The Big One Awkward Hands
26. The Big One Push?
27. The Big One Do I feel like RYAN MARKS?
28. Moment 2 https://youtu.be/O5cqt7lC-_I?t=28
29. The Big One Player Story?
30. Moment 2 Revisited https://youtu.be/X_n_MBL1HMA?t=2191
31. What Changed? • Attention • Hands • Poking the membrane rewarded
32. The Big One Pull?
33. We ARE Ryan Marks • Or rather, Ryan Marks is us? • Why did we own this moment?
34. Free Will(s) + || + Game Systems Free will(s) -> + game systems
35. The Problem. …And a note on the bad guy.
36. Is This VR? • Abstraction – We USE our hands. • Affordance • Curiosity • Novelty
37. Is This VR? • Self Awareness – We ARE our hands. • Reminded. • Confronted • Of Two Minds
38. A Hairline Fracture Machine Forever Straddling the Line. Actively doing nothing. Because you cant turn off hands.
39. A Combination of Those Things https://youtu.be/eU_3v3eU5eQ?t=1027
40. No Spoon • There is no push. Patience is pull. Choosing to listen is pull. Self awareness is pull.
41. Hierarchy? 1. Hands 2. Everything Else. It’s short.
42. .
43. But, Think About It. • Most Dissonant • Most Self Aware • Greatest Focus • Source of all Player Stories • Witness to Participant
44. But, Think About It 2 • Narrative Per Definition • Flow
45. VR Narrative IS Kinetic.
46. VR IS Kinetic Narrative.
47. So, I started to ask. • Perspective • Taking Action • Interpreting • Role – Playing • Different Play Styles • Player Story?
48. Kinetic Narrative Hands -> Self Awareness -> Testing Affordances -> Playfulness
49. Dramatic Objects - Thoughts • Props • Use/Curiousity • Focal Point
50. Dramatic Objects - Examples
51. Dramatic Objects - Questions • Projection • Competition • Utility • Affordance
52. Avatars - Thoughts • Contract • Interpretation • Expectation • Hands! • Props!?
53. Avatars- Examples
54. Avatars - Questions • Core Identity • Flexible • Expressable(d)
55. Witnessing - Thoughts • Attention • Participation • Free • Un Passive
56. Witnessing – Examples
57. Witnessing - Questions • Feel • Non Coop? • Appeal • Format
58. Of Two Minds
59. K.
60. Say Hi. Let’s Make Things!
61. Okay, now ask. Find me on LinkedIn, Facebook, etc as ALEX WILLIAMS or Shoot me a mail at rwilliams.alex@gmail.com or Visit me at www.byrabbit.design or Call me at +31(0)648530021