Establishing Scene: Crafting The Beginning of a Game

Description

Learn how to meaningfully combine gameplay and narrative in this technical workshop by game artist Taylor Bai-Woo, aka FromSmiling (Gloam Collective, Osteotic Bypass). Taylor will start by leading participants through her own game, the psychologically unsettling First Person Shooter Frail Shells, explaining her creative and technical decisions along the way. As a group, you will then work together with the instructor to brainstorm ideas for the beginning of a game, and then learn how to create it in Unity. At the end of the workshop, participants will swap the games they’ve made, followed by discussion about the effectiveness of the storytelling and ways to convey meaning through mechanics. Taylor will facilitate this exercise with technical and design support.

What You'll Learn

This workshop will show participants how to define the expectations of a player in the very first parts of a game. Not just for establishing setting or mood, but for purposefully crafting the mind of the player around what your game might be. A carefully crafted image for conducting powerful experiences.

Workshop Prerequisites

Basic game design understanding and technical literacy. Basic to intermediate understanding of Unity. Play through of Frail Shells before the workshop (optional but recommended; it’s very short)

• Hardware:
• Laptop (PC or Mac)

• Software
• Download and Install Unity 3D

About The Instructor

Taylor Bai-Woo is a game maker (artist, programmer, designer) from Toronto, Canada that co-owns a studio called Gloam Collective (working on a game called Bravery Network)! Outside of her studio (sometimes inside) she tends to make weird explorative games, usually ones that set an expectation and then break it in the best ways possible. She cares a lot about characters, atmosphere, and building a world that doesn’t necessarily make sense, but gives a feeling.

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About Hand Eye Society

The Hand Eye Society is a Toronto not-for-profit dedicated to supporting and showcasing videogames made primarily as a form of creative expression.

We provide audience development, education, creative opportunities, mentorship, knowledge sharing and inspiration to game creators, enthusiasts, and the game-curious in Toronto.

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