Meet FATED’s Game Designer

Hello VR enthusiasts, my name is Philippe. I’m the game/level designer working on FATED.

My role on the project is wide and varied as we are like you, discovering what this new technology is all about and how to “tame it” into a new game media. I’m basically working on translating the project’s vision into an interesting gameplay experience by strategically using space and game mechanics while using VR strengths to add new aspects to the game. I’m trying to find how to make every good idea work with the constraints and opportunities that this awesome technology offers.

I feel that VR is “the” new medium. There is no comparison between this and the other mediums that I’ve been trying. The 3D television, for example, was presented as the next big thing but in fact, it was only allowing us to feel the depth of a picture. Virtual Reality is the only medium that has a sense of presence. This is the power to make us believe that we are in a precise place in another world. I think this is where this technology caught me. I always have been a big fan of immersion but this technology is bringing an all new level to it. It’s making me forget where I am and making me believe that I’m part of a different reality. I cannot even stop my brain from making me physically react to situations. This medium is just incredible and not only for gaming, but for a ton of other applications as well.

I would like to present conceptual and concrete aspects of designing a game for VR to this blog. I know I won’t be able to sound as erudite as our lead programmer or be able to show you beautiful things like our art director does but I will share what it’s like to design for Virtual Reality. I’ll share with you the VR specific issues we’re encountering while making everyday design decisions for FATED. How should we approach level design for our fully immersed player? How can this simple gameplay element becomes tricky to design in first-person VR?

I hope to make it interesting enough that it will invite people to bring their own ideas and help push this new media further. I’m also very open in taking part of discussions. If you have questions or opinions about designing for VR that you would like to bounce, please, feel free to comment.

Philippe Dionne / Game Designer
www.fatedgame.com