Art by Menno Stas
Dreamview Hotel (Global Game Jam 2017)
At the Global Game Jam 2017, we almost failed to make a game. Day one left us with a prototype of an ambitious audio game set in a paranormal hotel. Turns out, the idea was interesting, but profoundly unfun. However, out artists Menno Stas and Celeste had already created some very evocative visuals. My music, loosely inspired by the gorgeous soundtrack to Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel, was already done as well. So we decided we would build the most simple game we could with the material we already had.
Turns out, that game was Memory. The windows of the hotel would be the cards, and the player would open them one by one and match the right ones together.
Admittely, not very exciting. However, this year, tech wizard Valentijn had brought a Tobii Eye Tracker to the party. Turns out, playing memory with your eyes is quite engaging. As an additional challenge, a white cat would slowly hop from window to window, following the player’s gaze around. Looking at it would inmediately reset the entire game board. When we demoed the game, it’s main appeal turned out to be in the white cat’s potential for schadenfreude. A small crowd of people gathered round and patiently watched until players ruined their own careful progress by ever so briefly glancing at that damned little furball.
At the Global Game Jam 2017, we almost failed to make a game. Day one left us with a prototype of an ambitious audio game set in a paranormal hotel. Turns out, the idea was interesting, but profoundly unfun. However, out artists Menno Stas and Celeste had already created some very evocative visuals. My music, loosely inspired by the gorgeous soundtrack to Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel, was already done as well. So we decided we would build the most simple game we could with the material we already had.
Turns out, that game was Memory. The windows of the hotel would be the cards, and the player would open them one by one and match the right ones together.
Admittely, not very exciting. However, this year, tech wizard Valentijn had brought a Tobii Eye Tracker to the party. Turns out, playing memory with your eyes is quite engaging. As an additional challenge, a white cat would slowly hop from window to window, following the player’s gaze around. Looking at it would inmediately reset the entire game board. When we demoed the game, it’s main appeal turned out to be in the white cat’s potential for schadenfreude. A small crowd of people gathered round and patiently watched until players ruined their own careful progress by ever so briefly glancing at that damned little furball.
