Electronic Media Studio: Introduction to Interactivity and Computation
60-210 • Spring 2021 • Prof. Golan Levin
https://ducksauceh.itch.io/night-walk
For this project I wanted to create an atmospheric, calming place. I wanted to replicate the feeling of a walk at night and focused a lot on the ambience and lighting choices and took a lot of inspiration from some of my favorite games that I really appreciate for their peaceful environments.
itch.io link: https://noonmark.itch.io/environment
As an inter dimensional gas station, I wanted to create a spot separate from the actual reality of the world. It is a place where the hidden and beautiful aspects of the world come to rest and have fun. It is a secret spot where only a certain type of person can reach. I wanted to also create a space where the size and shape of things can combine and move in different ways like the subway entrance and the cars.
https://leahmins.itch.io/unity-skin-environment
So I started this project, technically, at the beginning of this semester. The character you see there was created, modeled, rigged, textured (although the uv map didn’t get carried over so it didn’t work for this demo) by me for my 3D animation class. The animation you see here was done on Mixamo just for sake of time because I couldn’t get the idle animation done yet, but I did animate practically the exact same thing all myself too – you just won’t be seeing it for this demo. I had imagined an environment all along for my character, but I didn’t know if I’d be able to in time so this project was a perfect opportunity to do that. The terrain you see here I created in Maya and then brought to Substance Painter, and then to Unity. Connie and I worked on bringing in the animations I created and then scripted two third person cameras that you could switch between with the spacebar. This is definitely a work in progress for me – although I am proud of what I have so far. I hope to continue this in the future to fix the things that went wrong and keep adding on to this world!
https://minniebb3.itch.io/memories-ahead
When I thought about a place that has meaning to me I’ll be honest, Mcdonald’s didn’t come to mind. In fact, I’m not a huge fan of their food apart from the ice cream. So I started thinking about people that I cared for. Memories from the past usually corresponded to my family and very visual interactions with them. I vaguely remembered one place that my mom used to take me and my sister, Mcdonald’s. This was a routine spot during my childhood and I wondered why things that were once habitual stop happening. Besides the fact that this Mcdonald’s got torn down, I realized that interests change in adolescence which lead to new habits and routines. The real treasure of this place is not the food or location, but the people who were with me.
I used only two photographs, plus my memory, to fabricate this building fromthe Unity building tools. 
Try it here.
TW: anxiety
This project is about having anxiety. One experience with anxiety that I have that has felt very real for me is the debate of whether I should stay in bed or not. I feel safe in my bed and in my room, more than anywhere else. This is because I know that very few dangerous things could happen to me in my room. However, this idea turns ugly when the thoughts start to force me to stay in bed and feel very afraid of the possibility of going out into the world. It is hard to explain the logic behind these thoughts, as they are irrational.
My project is not totally a “game,” because the viewer is trapped in the bed. I wanted to create a visual for what it feels like for me to not be able to leave my room, almost as if the room is convincing me to stay in it. The pillow-covered knit walls give a sense of security and delight, like the posters in my own bedroom. However, the wires on the bedroom floor prevent the viewer from stepping anywhere besides the bed. The bed is small and centred in the middle of the room, adding to a feeling of dissociation. The wired roof allows for the anxious viewer to look outside, without actually being outside, a common safety hazard prevention for me. The variation in the darkness of the neutral colors also adds to a conflicting feeling. The bed and pillows are light, indicating happiness, however, there are dark shadows behind them.
The intention of this project was for me to embrace this feeling of anxiety, by making it into art, or something visual. When anxiety can be brought outside of the head and into physicality, it can be seen for what it is. Making and sharing this project has provided consolation for me.
This project was supposed to be about a one-sided conversation from conscious me to what I consider my uncooperative creative brain. I beg and plead it to show up and carry me when I need to. When assignments are due and the clock is ticking where is it? I can only assume it’s in an echo-ey, stairwell, distracted by every possible worry and dream it can muster. While ignoring my calls.
This project presented a number of issues. Lighting glitches, audio glitches, and confusing myself with pro builder geometry. My biggest failure in this project was the lack of spark. I tried making my scene more interesting by populating it with objects I thought were appealing and in some cases are symbolic. This does not come across though, I feel as if some of the objects are poorly assembled, and the lack of animation giving it a dead, still feeling. I still very much enjoyed this project though. I found working with the audio, building the rooms, and in all honesty, play-testing to be the most fun part of the project.