As I explained in my project proposal, I want to create a scavenger hunt set in an outdoor environment. I also want this project to act as a sort of chronic illness simulator, so as to speak.

In order to do this, I will need to figure out a way to recreate certain symptoms and experiences within the game. I intend to have the game be from a first person perspective in order to improve the player’s immersion.

Some initial ideas for how I can replicate certain symptoms include:

• Giving the player a limited amount of stamina that runs out over the course of the game. Certain actions such as sprinting and jumping would decrease the bar faster. When the bar gets below a certain point, more symptoms would kick in more often, mimicking the way that fatigue can trigger other symptoms to get worse.
• Having the unique aspects of the collectibles fade away randomly (Eg, if the collectibles have a colourful sheen or make a specific sound, the sheen would get fainter and the sound would get quieter). This mimics brain fog and memory problems by making it harder for the player to know and remember what items they need to collect.
• Including certain imagery such as swirling patterns within the player’s field of view. This could be used to mimic migraine and/or seizure aura. I would have to be careful when designing this aspect, since certain imagery and patterns can actually trigger migraines and seizures, which would make the game inaccessible and even potentially dangerous for certain players. I will most likely consult people with these conditions to get their thoughts and opinions on the best way to go about designing this aspect of the game.

My inspiration for this concept came from conversations with other disabled and chronically ill people. Many of us are disappointed by the lack of representation and accessibility in video games. I also had a conversation with one particular friend who suggested that this would be an interesting way to incorporate some of my own experiences into my project. This friend, as well as a couple of other people took part in a survey I created last week to get ideas for my project, however I’m still waiting for more results to come in before I publish them.

I decided very quickly that I wanted this project to have a wide target audience. I want the game level demo to be as accessible as possible for the disabled gamers who are represented in it, while also being interesting and somewhat educational for able-bodied and neurotypical gamers who might not have experienced the symptoms being represented in the project.