Game Overview
This is the Games Design Documentation for my game: "Nerves" - A Story Of Anxiety
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I choose to name the game this as the word "Nerves" relates to anxiety as it is the wording that is typically used by people when someone explains how they feel, as the most common response to someone telling you about Anxiety or a worry in general is to say something along the lines of "Oh, its just nerves" . This name was generated by brainstorming and looking at common phrases that are used to describe mental health more specifically anxiety and what words are used in relation to it in conversations.
Overview
Players take on the Role of an individual by the name of Michael and must live through a week in Michaels life , in said week players will be faced with challenges and puzzles that represent the feelings (anxiety) that Michael is experiences. players will need to stay focussed in order to see past the obstacles placed in their way due to Michaels mental health in such time they themselves will experience Michaels feelings as if they themselves are Michael.
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Using VR technology, sound, haptic feedback and mechanics that echo how anxiety feels the players will be fully immersed into intense virtual environments, the use of VR as well as other techniques allows the player to fully disconnect from reality and experience different triggers and types of anxiety from Michaels point of view.
Throughout gameplay the players will become involved in more than just Michaels mental health they will live through a week of his life, interacting with characters and the answers they give can give people in Michaels life suspicion in relation to his mental health which create a thrilling in depth story that keeps the player hook, whist learning about and experiencing the effects of anxiety on Michael.
Narrative
The Basic overview of the Story of "NERVES" is that the character you play as (Michael) is suffering from Anxiety and has to live his life and complete daily tasks whist combatting his mental health condition, in a time before it was recognised as a condition and help is scarce.
User Interface Experience (UIX)
The images below are designs for the main menu that the player will see when they first, put on their VR headset and open the game, the image on the left is a design that uses floating virtual screens in front of the player that they can walk around in a dark empty room and the image on the left is a design in which the player is placed in a environment in this case the main house in which they can walk around a small space whist they wait to raise there arm and find the main menu coming out of their wrist like an AR style text box.
The images above where inspired by the images below of existing menus and prototypes of VR games
ESRB Rating and Target audience
Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is the rating a game receives to show its target audience and since I want my game to be an educational/simulator experience that portrays anxiety in a accurate way I have decided that my target audience is Teenagers and above.
I decided on the age rating being Teens because according to ESRB Teen rating shows Blood, mild language and violence and since my character is a ww1 veteran anxiety induced by war PTSD will be a big part of the story so violence and blood may be shown.
Character Design
Due to my game idea being based around Virtual Reality The Character Design Features are very limited However the images to the right are some designs that I came up with for the Arms, the hands a5re covered in cuts and bruises the clothing is all worn and dirty from the characters factory job and the arms are very muscular due to the heavy lifted nature of his job.
Platform Requirements
This game idea is geared toward Virtual Reality meaning that a player must have access to a virtual reality headset as well as a device like a high enough spec PC or PlayStation 4/5 in order to play this title. other platforms for the game where considered however, the VR headset was seen as the bets option due to the stimulatory nature of this title and I felt VR would further enhance the experience for the player.
