Figure 1. Reclaimed Playtime playthrough video (or will be... eventually...)

Reclaimed Playtime is a short VR experience created by a team of five in Unity about overcoming childhood trauma. Players experience a greyscale world through the eyes of a burdened individual who must repair their childhood toys in order to move past their trauma. The project was meant to have a longer deadline, however due to a strike, we were given only five weeks to complete a scheduled four month long project.

I created the VR interaction allowing the player to walk using the controller joysticks by setting up an appropriate VR camera and editing the controller bindings. I also added interaction scripts in C#, allowing players to pick up and throw items in the VR space. In addition, I pitched the idea to display a related poem at the beginning of the game to explain the overarching theme, and created all the UI for the game.

After I developed the text interface that displays our narrative, our team encountered an issue as far as how best to teach the player the game mechanics. To resolve this, I created another interface system to present hints to the player at the beginning of the experience to act as a tutorial for the game controls.

After discussing how to build on our environmental storytelling, detail was added such as wine bottles acting as a physical barrier blocking the players exit, symbolizing a mental barrier within the character which they must break through in order to move on.

While showcasing our project, users enjoyed the environment and the sense of play curated through our toy interactions. Working on this game, I developed my skills in VR interaction creation and worldbuilding. Future iterations of the project would include a more thoughtful ending, as well as clearer direction for how the player is supposed to end the experience.