my first game.
“A game about forever moving forward and never moving back.”
Inspired by “Backwards” from The Beginner’s Guide, MyHouse.wad, and Before Your Eyes
I sought to make a game about regretting the present and yearning for a past that cannot be returned to.
An independently developed project for the narrative collection: blu, with a few contributors here and there.
my first game. is a narrative walking simulator that tells a story of someone reliving their past experiences. The player walks through a hallway filled with items that marked the “first” in the player’s life (ex. first movie, first mistake, first graduation). With the dull future in front of them and the beautiful past behind them, the player’s pacing through the game mimics the passage of time.
Important note: you cannot move backwards.
Through the act of literally looking back, players see what memories are tied to each “first” within their lives, ultimately telling a story of a person who misses how things used to be.
Since this a game from blu, this game is advertised to people as not being developed by me. It was “found” and I brought it to people to play.
Contributions
- Vision Holder / Game Lead for the project
- Wrote a complete, edited script for the project based on personal experiences
- Integrated game mechanics woven around the narrative, such as literally looking back at the past to reveal memories or being unable to interact with the past
- Programmed unique shaders using Unity Shader Graph for past and future views within the game
- 3D Modeled all of the furniture, environment, and set pieces for the project with Blender
- Integrated a chapter-based, dynamic music system for the project that integrated with key parts within the script
- Held countless playtests of this project at the Game Design and Art Collaboration Conference, GDC Experimental Games Showcase, and UCSC Portfolio Showcases