SHASHANK UPPALIKE
PLAGUE RUNNER
PERVASIVE GAME PITCH TAILER
OBJECTIVE
To create a Game Pitch Trailer for a futuristic Pervasive Game.
CLAUSE
Use of Face Recognition Technology
COLLABORATORS
Design: Chris Elvis Leisi and Tom Barylov
Cast: Students of Game Design ZHdK, 2017
The following is a Group Project that I took part in during my exchange semester at Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (Zurich University of the Arts), Switzerland.
About Pervasive Games:
A genre of games wherein the fictional gaming world extends out of the digital platform and blends in with the physical world. This means that the magic circle for a pervasive game would be a real geographical area on the map. The Game makes players interact with each other in real life.
Brainstorming and Ideation:
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Spread an epidemic through the gaming world
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Categorization of players into opposing sects.
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Disease and Cure
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Conversion/Infection and Healing
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Run, Chase, Hide and Search
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Air Drops for protection, Power-ups
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Time-bound game sessions
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Leaderboard of Most Time Survived and Most Players Infected
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Personal Profile Progression (examples)
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Carrier > Infector > Master Infector > Boss Infector > Demon Infector
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Pure > Survivor > Survivor Master > Survivor Guru > Survivor Massiah
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Plague Runner Archives - Records of Legendary Players
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Augmented Reality Driven Mutation/Morphing Visuals
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Real-Time GPS Location Tracker
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Infographic of Active Gaming Population over a city Map
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Face Recognition - Categorization into Clans based on facial features
Gameplay Flowchart
LOGIN GAME
CARRIER
Select Carrier/Pure
PURE
Scan map for Pure players
Converted into Carrier
No
Escape from the Carriers
Yes
Scan map for Air Drops
Use device to infect
No
Yes
If time
runs out
No
Survive until time runs out
Yes
COLLECT
REWARDS
Narrative Design
ACT I
Protagonist (Pure) introductions - Leaves a boring party. Multiple players log in to start the Game. Antagonist (Infector) introduction - Starts alone
(What's it like)
Antagonist traps a Pure, executes succesful Infection.
ACT II
Protagonist beats another Pure to a Pickup. The other Pure ends up getting chased by Antagonist.
(Game Mechanics)
The other Pure barely escapes Antagonist but ends up falling into a trap of many other Carriers.
ACT III
(Win/Lose Condition)
Antagonist and other Carriers corner Protagonist - Protagonist manages to escape using the Pickup. Time runs out.
NARRATIVE BREAKDOWN
Act 1
Introducing the game application and the two player personas (Carrier and Pure), showing the real-time gameplay feature with an establishment of the primary conflict (Carrier chase, Pure run).
Act 2
Showcasing Gameplay (run and chase, face recognition feature used for infection, airdrop pickup, tension building as pure players get infected. Establishing difficulty of play and arousing competitiveness.
Act 3
Peak tension reached (the protagonist is cornered), resolution of the conflict with win condition of the game (protagonist uses the collected airdrop to save herself and time runs out to end the game).