Pre-Production
Under Choices bring the concept of classic dystopias to the present. The project aimed to create a gaming experience that educates players about the dangers of doom scrolling using paradoxical psychology (i.e. we demonstrate what not to do to get our message across).
Specifically, focusing on how the Brazilian government exploits the doomscrolling habits of its citizens to manipulate the dissemination of information on social media for political ends.
Pillars
Education
Morality
Narrative Agency
Development
Being educational without being tedious or boring
The focus of Under Choices was to give due attention to the topic of doomscrolling and teach players about the subject in an interesting (and ethical) way.
For this, the game went through several prototyping steps with several test stages during its development, ensuring a good balance between gameplay/fun and the doomscrolling theme.
To achieve this, the project focused on developing a dynamic narrative that helps immersion in both the game and the theme.
Results
Bringing a feeling like home
Under Choices was an exciting project for me because it was the first time I was able to work with something that involved Brazilian culture.
Working as Lead Design in a team with no Brazilians to develop a game that involves so many distinct aspects of Brazil was a gratifying experience.
Under Choices was well accepted by the general public, being lauded even by people not used to video games. Yet, being able to see Brazilians playing the game and having fun with the references is the best part for me.