Gloop

GLOOP is a concept for an SDG Experience Park in which visitors have to manage their own planet in a sustainable way to keep it healthy. I worked on the project as Game & UX Designer for the duration of 8 weeks. I was responsible for conceptualizing and iterating on gameplay systems and designing the UX as well as prototyping gameplay systems in Machinations, designing physical park elements and creating 2D concept art.

The system I created in machinations.

Project Documentation.

Our goal was to make the player feel connected to, and responsible for the planet they were carrying with them. To try and accomplish this, visitors are given a bouncing ball called GLOOP, when they enter the park. The associations with bouncing balls and the behaviour attached to it is careless and playful. Visitors will have either played with the ball during their walk through the park or haven’t paid any attention to it. When they arrive at the Activity Center, they will have to care for the planet. Through the different microgames, we want to show the visitor that everything is connected to one another. If they change something in a certain area, that will affect and have an impact on the other area’s as well. By doing this, we wanted to show them that environmental problems aren’t easily solved. To see the progress they have made, visitors have to log into the Planet Projector, which is located in the middle of the Activity Center. Once they do, the current state of their planet is visible to everyone present. We wanted to put some pressure on the player to perform well and take good care of their planet by adding a competitive element to it. To be able to implement all the interconnections into our prototype I visualized the complex system in Machinations. This was my first ime working with the program, at the time it was still in closed beta, which I learned a lot from. I was lso responsible for our team’s planning and keeping an eye on the scope of the project. It taught me heaps about time management and sharpened my communication skills.