Unpacking Game Design: Creating a game without fail states or scores
Details
A zen game about taking items out of boxes after a move might sound extremely niche. But Unpacking by Brisbane studio Witch Beam has garnered international attention from players to industry folk alike. It’s been invited to showcases, nominated for awards and even gone viral, all in its first year of development.
The game lacks many conventional game design components: there are no scores, no time limits, no fail states, no consequences to choices, no dialogue. What’s left when all of that is taken away? How do you tell a story through such strict limitations? And why design a game like this?
This talk will cover extracting gameplay from unexpected places, finding a balance between puzzle and player expression, and how to stuff 69 household items into an isometric kitchen.
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About Wren:
Wren Brier has been working as a game artist and designer in Brisbane for over seven years. Notable titles Wren has contributed to include Jetpack Joyride and Fruit Ninja. She is now an independent developer working on her first indie title, Unpacking, which was part of the Stugan game accelerator program. It has so far been nominated for three awards and selected for multiple showcases including Day of the Devs, Mild Rumpus and BitSummit.
Wren has given talks at Game Connect Asia Pacific and Freeplay Festival’s Parallels Showcase, participated in multiple panels at PAX Australia and GX Australia, and served as a judge at the Australian Game Development Awards for three years running. She also runs the Women in Games Brisbane group, helping female developers connect and support each other. She is currently a mentor at the Working Lunch.
Wren was included in Develop Pacific's 30 Under 30 list for 2019 and MCV Pacific’s Women in Games List for 2017 and 2018.
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Location: JMC Academy, 69 Grey St, Level 3, Room 3C
Due to the different location, there will be a limit of 35 attendees. Please only RSVP if you definitely intend to come.
Schedule (approx):
12:00 - Networking / Set-Up
12:15 - Wren's Presentation
2:00 - End of meet-up
Afterwards we usually go to the nearby Fox Hotel for some burgers, beverages and to chat. Good opportunity for networking.
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