In this game, we wanted to create a game that could be played when the user is laying down in bed. Our goal was exploring the obstacles and affordances of having an aesthetically pleasing poster (that has a suitable set of features to support Natural Feature Tracking (NFT) on a handheld device) placed on the ceiling, above a user who is laying down.
By analyzing some zen-inspired games currently in the market (i.e. Osmos, Auditorium, Tranquility), we identified some common design patterns that contribute to the relaxing nature of the games. Based on these, the design goals of this project where:
- No action or dexterity-based games: avoid exciting the player
- No inducing stress or frustration: no dying, no climax
- Game mechanics emphasize flow and inertia
- Relaxing audio: soothing background music and sound effects
- Simple graphics but captivating visual effects
This project did not get past the initial prototype stage. An image from the early prototype can be seen above.
