To begin ideation of game mechanics, interactions and experiences, Emilia and I carried out the crazy eights design method. This involves setting a timer and rapidly scribbling images to convey an idea that comes to mind. Each idea must be drawn within one minute and then you must move onto the next one. It’s a really fun method that get’s the brain working quickly.

It’s a known fact in design practice that your worst ideas come out first so this method was helpful to come up with little experiences but they will then be built upon and made better. So really this idea is best for creating lot’s of little starting points to help blast off the ideation process.

Here is my outcome of the crazy 8’s method:

Admittedly I do find this method quite difficult as I struggle to think back to the essential experience we created while trying to make my brain run a mile a minute, so unfortunately I did miss the target on some of these “experiences”. However the mechanics and interactions that I managed to come up with can be adapted to the experience and reflecting over them afterwards helped me to get back on track.

<aside> 💙 A reminder of the essential experience: Providing the experience of immersion as a tool for physical and emotional regulation through effective sound design and visuals.

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My Ideas Generated

• Organising visuals and sound in a chaotic environment to bring about peace. ****This idea would work well for a game that aims to inform players about hypersensitivity by not so effective for creating a game that aims to provide the player with a tool for regulation.
• Help the character navigate a busy, over-stimulating street by adapting the stressful sensory inputs in the environment. I like the idea of the player having to move through an environment and interact with different sensory inputs, whether it be to manage them or adapt them to give them the most relaxing and personal experience.
• Brain analysis - work out why the brain is struggling to make sense of the space by searching through the nervous response to different stimulations. This could be adapted so that the player is able to learn why they are feeling overwhelmed and come up with actions they can make to reduce their physical and mental symptoms of stress/anxiety.
• Use a switchboard to create your own sensory paradise. Interact with visual and audible inputs around the environment to adapt it into a safe space for you. What do you find positively stimulating? A customisable space for the player would allow for a personal experience unique to every individual. We have been discussing the idea of small mobile pods that can be used in school and hospitals for stress relied and I think this idea would really work well for that.
• Help the character stay on task at work by avoiding the sensory distractions and adapting to the events that take place. Not helpful for the essential experience but again this would be great for providing a better understanding of hypersensitivity in the workplace and showing how companies should make adaptions for neuro-divergent employees who might struggle with this.
• Visual and audio experience watching a character go about their day/a lifetime. The player can move about the space to focus on a specific moment in the characters life. This would be an emotive experience that aims to ground the player, remind them of what is important and given them the encouragement to move on with their day after relaxing and regulating within the space.
• Experience sensory overload. This would be an educational resource for people to gain a better understanding for neuro-divergent people who struggle with hypersensitivity. I have a lot of ideas like this which would not work for this project but I could possibly explore in my own time.
• Organising different stimulus into categories. What is positive, negative or non-stimulating to the character/oneself? This would help players get a better understanding of what environmental stimulus is regulating for them so they can learn to better manage their symptoms of stress.