Angie He
PITTSBURGH, PA

The Afternoon Edition · FEATURE

TODAY

GAME DESIGN

Adventure Buddies

A game that reframes disability as strength.

ROLE
Individual project
Tech support: Stephen Hsieh
TIMELINE
2024/03 — 2024/06
TOOLS
Unity, Photoshop, After Effects
TAGS
Game UXInclusive designUnity
Illustration of a girl with long brown hair in a pink sweater, holding a blue book, in a glowing pale-blue forest

01

Overview

The class down the hall

During my middle school years, I had my first encounter with disabled people when I came across a Developmental Disabilities Program (DDP) class. Being curious, I wanted to know more about them. What made their class different from ours? What kind of special attention did they require? What challenges did they face, and how did they live their lives?

How much do you know about people with disabilities?

Over the years, society’s attitudes towards people with disabilities have improved significantly. Through advocacy and awareness, people have come to understand that we are all equal, and that the unique qualities of individuals with disabilities make them special.

1.3BILLION

16% of the world population have disabilities

240MILLION

18% of the disabled population are children

02

Research

What stands in the way

People with disabilities face barriers that limit their independence and quality of life.

BY THE NUMBERS

Social

Lower employment and education.

35.5%employed (2017)

35%avoided work because of negative experiences

People with disabilities are 22.3% less likely to complete high school.

SOURCE: CDC, SCOPE

Transportation

Few accessible options limit independence.

SOURCE: THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, WHO

Communication

Some people need other ways to communicate.

  • Braille for screen readers
  • Captions in videos
  • Sign language (ASL)

SOURCE: CDC

Physical

Inaccessible buildings, spaces and services.

54.2%unlikely to engage in leisure-time physical activity

SOURCE: CDC

Attitudinal

“They were like, ‘Hold on a minute, you’re not disabled.’ I said, ‘I am, that’s my name written on the [blue] badge.’ They were like, ‘No, you’re not allowed, you don’t look it.’ You’re sitting there thinking, ‘Do I really need to look disabled? What does looking disabled mean to you?’”

72%of disabled people have experienced negative attitudes or behaviour in the last 5 years

SOURCE: SCOPE

Challenge → Strength

Every challenge has a strength on the other side.

03

Design

Game Concept

Everyone is born with a special ability

Everyone is born with a special ability. What’s yours, and how can it change the world?

Adventure Buddies celebrates diversity and the contributions of individuals with different abilities. By featuring characters with various disabilities, it shows that everyone has unique skills and talents that are valuable when working together. Cooperative gameplay and puzzles that need different abilities to solve let players see firsthand how diverse teams achieve amazing things, and teach the importance of acceptance and teamwork in reaching common goals.

ACCESSIBILITY

Ensure the game is accessible to players with varying abilities, including those with intellectual disabilities.

  • Adjustable difficulty levels
  • Clear instructions
  • Option to customize the user interface

Game strategy

Players decide the best action or character to use in each scenario, which takes strategic planning and an understanding of each character’s strengths. Two players must work together and use their abilities to solve puzzles and challenges. The goal is to collect three keys and save your friend. And try not to die.

Design Process

Art style

The hand-drawn artwork mirrors the characters’ perspectives, presenting a world that is not tidy, straightforward or strictly structured. Instead, they perceive a lively, intricate setting filled with genuine emotions. The colors avoid shades like red or yellow that may provoke strong reactions, favoring soothing, neutral tones.

Game story

  1. Comic panel: two kids sit together at a computer in a sunlit room; the screen reads 'You Died'

    1Two kids gathered to play a video game on a sunny afternoon.

  2. Comic panel: a boy in a striped shirt looks across the room at the two kids at the computer

    2It draws attention to a group of kids.

  3. Comic panel: the curly-haired boy smiles and asks, 'Can we play together?'

    3One kid nicely asked if they wanted to play together.

  4. Comic panel: a kid at the computer turns away and snaps, 'You can't help us, don't bother us!'

    4But they felt interrupted and angrily yelled back. (“You can’t help us, don’t bother us!”)

  5. Comic panel: pale streaks of light pour out of the computer screen and pull at the room

    5A strange change occurred on the computer screen and a force dragged the two kids into the computer.

  6. Comic panel: a black screen with the words 'Save them or don't' and the choices yes and no

    6A line of mysterious text appeared on the screen: “Now it’s your turn. Save them, or don’t.”

Level design process

1Brainstorming ideas and creating preliminary sketches.

Pencil sketch on paper of the Level 1 layout: platforms, doors and stick-figure players
Pencil sketch on paper of the Level 2 layout with tall pillars, a seesaw and a jellyfish

2Undertaking a color study.

Color study of the lily-pad level in soft pastels, with a mushroom, a Ferris wheel and a lotus
Color study of the underwater level in lilac and teal, with floating platforms, pillars and jellyfish

The levels are filled with lush plants, vibrant flowers and tranquil underwater scenes, designed to create a calming, inviting experience where the beauty of nature makes the game accessible and engaging for everyone.

Final Design

Meet the buddies

Final levels

The final level design includes interactive puzzles, such as a memory challenge where players collaborate to complete a lotus-shaped puzzle using their recall abilities. Each challenge requires both players to use their unique abilities, so they must work together strategically to succeed.

Final level: lily pads, a mushroom, a Ferris wheel of baskets and a birdcage over misty blue water
Final underwater level with icy platforms, coral pillars, jellyfish and seaweed
Lotus memory puzzle, step one: a lotus seed pod with symbols to remember
Lotus memory puzzle, step two: an empty lotus pod beside a column of symbols to place

Built in Unity

1Creating game scenes in Unity.

2Writing code: character moving and jumping, and one skill script per character.

Tech support: Stephen Hsieh helped with debugging and technical problems.

Unity editor showing the lily-pad level in scene and game views, with the hierarchy and inspector panels
Unity editor showing the underwater level in scene and game views, with the hierarchy and inspector panels

04

Testing

Players who tried the game found it enjoyable and calming. They especially appreciated the art style and the characters’ unique abilities. They pointed out issues with the platforming mechanics, particularly jumping, and suggested making it smoother. They also wished for more stimulating obstacles or enemies to raise the challenge and make it even more fun.

Playtest: two players sit side by side at a laptop playing the game
Playtest: two players smile while playing on a laptop at a dining table
Playtest seen from behind: two players share one keyboard to play together

05

Outcome

DEMO

Adventure Buddies

Choose and combine diverse characters to enhance your gameplay.

WHAT I LEARNED

Angie’s reflection goes here.