The Camera
The Camera, Narrative RPG, 2022
Personal Project
The Camera brings players into the protagonist Tim with the first viewpoint to comprehend the story and the inner world of autistic children, to bring players emotional empathy, advocate against school bullying, and encourage everyone to treat people with autism equally.
https://mumu3an.itch.io/the-camera
The player assumes the role of Tim, an autistic child who receives a magic camera by chance. He makes friends and gains understanding from his classmates with the help of the camera.
WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS PROJECT?
Combination of Narrative and Gameplay
Narrative Structure
Level Art
Unity 2D
Character Arc
Pixel Art
Story Writing
Character
Story
GAME’S “STORY CIRCLE”
1.1 School Classroom
Game OST Production
Trailer Production
MAIN CONTRIBUTIONS
Game Script Writing: Authored an extensive game script spanning over 20 pages, meticulously crafting the narrative and dialogue to enhance player engagement and storyline depth.
Full Game Production: Demonstrated comprehensive expertise in game development by utilizing Unity and C# to complete all aspects of the project. This included the design and implementation of scenes, animations, and programming, ensuring a seamless and interactive gaming experience.
KEY FEATURES
Autism
Inspiration & Research
My concern for autistic people and school bullying inspired this game.
Scenes
1.4 The Woods on the Way Home
1.7 Urban Street 2
Tim
Main Character: Introverted, Autistic but Longing for Friends
Tim is diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. It is difficult for him to express emotions and speech, as he suffers from social interaction disorder. As a child, his mother gave him a camera on his birthday; he has been taking photography as a hobby ever since. Because of his autism, he is not popular among his classmates at school. His only friend in school is Billy.
1: Tim, who has autism, is unable to communicate with others, and Billy is his only friend.
2: He wishes to make friends.
3: He obtains a magical camera that can read other people's minds.
4: Tim employs the magic camera to assist his classmates.
5: Tim becomes well-known, but he loses his best friend Billy.
6: The camera is a demon that wants to devour everyone.
7: Tim and Billy team up to defeat the camera.
8: They are accepted and make friends with their classmates.
Gameplay
Photo Taking
Production Process
Dialogue System
Game Flow Control
Audio
Story Content
There are four chapters in the game.
1.2 School Corridors
1.5 Urban Street
1.8 Tim’s Room
Players can take photos of any NPC in the game and get their inner thoughts through the photos, and to help them solve their problems to gain favorability.
Favorability System + Mission Structure
Game's favorability system is used to evaluate the player's actions and choices.
The favorability of the characters will affect the direction and end of the story.
Guide Design
The dialogue for the game is written using Final Draft, while Articy Draft is used for validation.
Dialogue
Character Arc
At the beginning of the story, Tim is unable to understand people's thoughts due to his autism, is afraid to communicate with people, and has no friends. Through a series of events, he learns how to communicate with people and becomes friends with his classmates, overcoming the social barriers that come with autism.
Billy
Main Character: Solitary, Kind but Jealous.
Billy's family is not well off, and he is often bullied by his father. He behaves strangely, treats things with disinterest, likes to lose his temper, and is jealous of those who are happy. He has a good heart but cannot express it and is afraid of being slighted. No classmates are willing to play with him at school. He has no choice but to talk to Tim about his emotions.
Character Arc
Influenced by his family since childhood, Billy is used to solving problems with violence and is jealous of happy people. No classmate at school wants to talk with him. When the camera becomes demonized, he stands up and defeats it. His brave behavior makes him gain the recognition of his classmates, as he understands that he cannot treat people with violence and should make friends sincerely.
Magic Camera
Villain Role, Big Boss
A magic camera. It reads the thoughts of the person being photographed and writes them on the printed photos, which can only be seen by the person taking the photo. After being photographed by it, the negative emotions in people's minds will be amplified and they will become very error-prone. After accumulating enough energy, the camera becomes demonized and wants to devour everyone.
DAN HARMON’S “STORY CIRCLE”
Setting of the Story
The 90s, Small Town, No Social Network, Fictional Plot
The setting is used by the game to strengthen the bond between the protagonist Tim and those around him, but it also serves to exacerbate the ridicule, coldness, and loneliness he faces as a result of his autism.
1.3 Outside the School Building
1.6 Second-hand Shop
1.9 Outside the School Building 2
Dialogues have a chance to trigger garbled code. This allows players to experience the barriers to communication in autistic children and increase immersion.
Challenge & Objectives
In Chapter 2, players will take on the roles of Tim and Billy for the duration of the game.
Easter Eggs
Wheatley from the Portal 2 is hiding behind the tree with easter egg dialogue in Scene 9.
Tim will say the classic Portal 2 line "The cake is a lie" after receiving his cake in Scene 2.
Scenes Design
The scene design refers to the scenes in the web series "Stranger Things" and "Sex Education”.
Cutscenes
I craft an engaging melody using the GAME CHIP plugin along with YMCK's magical 8-bit plug to create distinctive 8-bit timbres. This melody is meticulously recorded into the sequencer. Following this, I employ a step sequencer to meticulously arrange and combine the notes within each bar in a specific sequence. This process involves fine-tuning the arrangement of different notes in each bar, enhancing the melody's variation.
