Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Emotional Navigation
Purple Moon games were developed during a time in which the industry was
beginning to morph from branching tree architectures to more process-intensive
games that employed forms of AI in various ways. We were at the tail end of the
world of branching trees, it seemed. Because we were explicitly trying to create
“emotional rehearsal space” for girls in the Rockett games, we needed to fi nd a
way to match the form of navigation to the emotional landscape. Thus “emotional
navigation” was born.
Instead of making explicit
choices like “give a gift to Miko” or
“read Nicole's diary,” we decided
to use facial expression and in-
ner monologue as ways to make
choices in the game.
When a player came to a
choice point, she could mouse
over the three facial expressions
on the screen and hear her char-
acter's inner musings. “Yeah, that
sounds great to me!” “I'm not sure
I trust this. I'm suspicious.” “Oh NO, this makes me feel like crying!” The design was
extremely successful with players. They could explore how their emotional reactions
infl uenced the action, escaping the sense of social inevitability that tween girls often
reported to us in our interviews.
You couldn't “win” the Rockett games; there was no “right” way to play them.
Sometimes whining got you want you wanted. Sometimes getting angry got you
to a place where the cutest boy in the school would play you a sweet song on the
piano. Sometimes being kind to someone changed their entire outlook. In this way,
we encouraged emotional experimentation and fl exibility.
Years later, I learned that one of the uses made of the Rockett games was to
aid children and adults affl icted with autism. Recognizing the differences between
“mad,” “sad,” and “glad” can make all the difference in the world.
Format of the “emotional navigation” screen for the
Rockett games
