Kitten Around

Making this game was an answer to the question: what can a VR game do that a traditional video game cannot?

My answer: physically embody a virtual character (specifically through controller and head tracking).

What virtual character did I choose? A cat!

I designed the gameplay scenario to encourage the player to play like a cat. You bat around a yarn ball that moves frantically, demanding your full attention (dilated pupils and all)! When watching people play the game, I noticed they stood more alert, knees slightly bent as if they were ready to start sprinting. Their movements became snappy and precise, hopping from side to side, arms jutting out to catch a yarn ball on the run. It was not only a joy to play but a joy to watch people behave like cats, and the game quickly attracted a crowd of spectators at our class’ showcase. People took turns, tried to beat each other’s high scores, and began to “ooh” and “ahh” at every game over and every new high score. They celebrated each other’s victories and reassured each other when they failed.

This reaffirmed my belief that games, and even VR games, are able to promote pro-social behavior, especially when they encourage us to get weird and embody modes of play we are not so familiar with. *** NOT SURE WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY HERE