Game Concept Overview
Dreamtime is a quest and/or puzzle orientated computer game, distributed on leading platforms such as PC, Xbox360, Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 or the platforms that are created in the next generation.
The Dreamtime game, is proposed to be embodied as an adventure game. The player creates a profile as a type of individual, representating a family and community member within a common Aboriginal community; and is presented with an immersive, story telling world where the users growth is governed by their ability to adapt and understand the environment around them.
The player starts within a community, and is required to learn key concepts concerning the lifestyle, beliefs and role they play in their tribal society as a contributor to the community. Once initial challenges have been met, the player goes “walkabout”. This offers the player an opportunity to visit, meet and get involved in other communities around Australia.
The Game-Play Challenges
In a manner not dissimilar to the iconic story orientated games of Kings Quest, Myth, Space Quest, Monkey Island, Legend of Zelda and Fable, the game Dreamtime, presents the player with an immersive world where they are required to successfully accomplish interactive stories, or tasks, that collectively contribute towards the game-players statistics and achievements in the game. The game is progressively developed for the user, based on what they’ve already achieved in the game. To begin with, simple aspects are available whilst in latter parts of the games storyline, more complex tasks or puzzles are opened up, requiring knowledge developed from prior accomplishments.
The Storyline
The Storyline will be developed through the participation and contributions of the Aboriginal society. The setting is Australia, prior to European Settlement, where Aboriginal people were part of the land, living in a manner untouched by European values and influences.
Through the participation of Aboriginal communities across Australia, it is envisaged that the game will create a historically accurate, interactive, participatory environment where the dreamtime and culture of Aboriginal communities throughout Australia can be embrased by the world of game-players.
It is envisaged that the game will be delivered in a manner that provides staged presentations at key intervals of the players progress. Within these stages, “dreamtime” stories would be presented to the user, representing the stories passed down by the generations of the real-world communities, in a way that assists the players’ progress in the game to the next level (of knowledge and gameplay).
Commercial concepts
Commercial Market
The game aims to be distributed internationally on a range of platforms.
The game would initially be distributed on PC and consoles, with extensions to the game concept being available on mobile gaming platforms. As the product’s scope is a game that provides character development based on the accomplishment of “dreamtime” story orientated puzzles, it is plausable to provide an online account where users can play on a range of devices, contributing to their overall “gamer profile”, where statistics and achievements would be listed.
Content development and Research
Aboriginal people had different territories throughout Australia, where differentiated cultural aspects ensued. Information pertaining to these individual cultures is somewhat available, however I am currently unsure as to whether the relevent information is available in a suitable format for use over the entire, potential scope of the project.
In order to fairly and effectively develop an archive of knowledge that can be used to generate game-play elements, Aboriginal communities across Australia should be engaged to assist by providing the stories and cultural learnings that will make up the game and the gameplay lifecycle. Using modern technology, it is viable to produce a gaming environment that can be extended with content downloads, after the title has been released to the market. Nonetheless, the broad functionality of the game needs to be published within the initial content package, embodied within the titles software.
Inorder to effectively document and aquire cultural information, it is suggested that the community is engaged and content acquisition is managed, by a team. This team would be responsible for accumulating stories, environmental information and other anthropological data as required by a commercial game development team/s, to turn the dreamtime stories and cultural information into an interactive gaming world.
Corporate Formulation
The Title is designed to assist the Aboriginal people of Australia, and their assistance will be crucial to the success of the game, through the collection of information for the manufacture of the gaming environmnet. In Return for developing a successful game, it is envisaged that a Not for Profit (NFP) entity would be established.
As this not-for-profit entity develops, and as the game becomes commercially lucrative – it is envisaged that this NFP entity would transition from an initial purpose of collecting and holding copywrite for the cultural information gained from throughout the community, towards a new operational business involving investments into Aboriginal Communities for the purpose of exposing its native culture to world markets. This proposed firm, would manage licensing revenues by investing in and contributions towards the on-going economic support for ensuring Aboriginal culture remains a “living” culture. I would like to see funds put towards the benefit of aboriginal communities in a way that brings about a ubiquity in aboriginal culture and what the aboriginal people, felt was most important. Nonetheless, the game must provide a satisfactory commercial return for investors and continued development; and, it will take a lot of good work to make this successful.
Game Engineering Concept
The Game engine needs to be able to represent 3-dimentional representations of geographic territories, at a range of levels. A user should be able to browse Australia as a whole; identifying which specific territory they wish to further investigate while, upon selection, also providing the capacity to interact with a local environment in a first-person perspective.
The Game Engine developed should be made in such a way that it is extendable, with additional content modules. These modules should use a standardised specification, as to provide the opportunity for contributions to the overall environment. Althought the initial focus is Australia and the Aboriginal culture, it is envisaged that upon success the concept could be more broadly applied to other territories around the world where indigenous cultures are less ubiquitous in modern-day lifestyle and communications. Internet access will be a key ingredient in the use of this platform, as it provides the game a method to extend the world and its incorporated “dreamtime” stories, as they become available; and, as funding continues to become available through the sale of game, for further development.
An Immersive Environment
Story telling is also a great art harboured within the creative film industry. I am continuing to consider how filmmakers and game makers could work together on this project, to provide a suitably immersive “dreamtime” environment. It is key to the game, that it looks immaculate, in its visual presentation. There are significant opportunities to also immerse traditional songs and other audio content as part of the experience.
Advanced gameplay and dreamtime puzzles
Almost every concept found within a culture can be described and/or represented to a player as a puzzle. By associating this concept to “dreamtime” stories, the cultural learnings of the Aboriginal people, would be captured from participating groups, and converted into game-play aspects. A good game ensures the player feels forfilled throughout the process of playing it, achieving goal, and moving to a new “level”. In this case, the gameplay is embodied within the story, which has some form of learning outcome found through interaction.
Game Developers are expertly trained at manufacturing gaming environments, and increasingly visual art. However game developers will require content, and a process for acceptance is also envisaged to be necessary to ensure the output is not misrepresentatal to the origin of the story, in a way that misguided.
Economic Effect
It is envisaged that this title, embodying the subject matter effectively in a way that can be successfully marketed to the world, would significantly benefit the Aboriginal culture and our modern understanding of that culture, and its representation in international markets. This historical platform of traditional Australia, could change opinions of Australia in a global market. Sorry, is an important word, however ensuring Aboriginal Culture remains a Living counterpart to the Australian Presence, is much more important.
Film and Social Contributions
The research project will present an opportunity to produce TV or film orientated content, surrounding the production of the game. It is also envisaged that locals could be offered a range of opportunities to participate in the production, providing a range of additional training opportunities in the process.
Related Marketing Concepts
It is envisaged that the game will include a number of cinemagraphic scenes, describing context and associted immersive scenes.
Industry Participation
There is a title called “earth”, which was produced with the assistance of advertising agencies and brands around the world, which was then freely distributed. Although the objective is not to freely distribute the principle output of this project; there is likely an opportunity to present branding and sponsorship support in assocation to the games software environment, but not within the game itself. Any brands and/or corporations known to be contributing to the Game would be rewarded with brand assocaition, to a game that attempts to bring to life indigenous culture. Therefore, as a method for brands, and industry to engage a commercial opportunity to support the community; it is envisaged that this project will provide a palletable opportunity. This is especially the case if and as a successful community development strategy takes form, in relation to the previously mentioned NFP Structure.
A Collaborative Work
The commercialisation strategy ideally provides a framework for wide-spread participation; in-turn, creating a brand that can be cross-marketed, and promoted across a diverse range of Australian and international groups.
As referenced earlier, one of the technical objectives is to build and/or use a game-engine, designed to provide the opportunity for modular development. Through the application of a modular development environment, with a relevant certification process; the commercial method may lend itself to distributed development, with a variety of development agencies.
Technology and Potential Applications (other than the “dreamtime” game)
There is potential for the body of work to be used in education environments and other spaces where immersive environments can be displayed. An example would be a digital planetarium or lecture theatre with digital projector; where the application could be modified to suit an instructor-led tutorial or exhibit.
Another potential application is the development of a framework for delivering a historical, interactive video application that compiles and represents content in a mapping orientated manner. Through the development of a computer game, a computer rendered environment would be produced that may be used for a variety of applications, at a range of complexity levels.
Another idea, is that it may be produced in a manner that provides the means to string-together stories using basic text-orientated strings (ie: XML) that uses a language or XML Schema, designed to allow the production of a story, based on referencing a group of objects, rules and linear gameplay processes. However, I am not sure if this is similar to existing game development processes. In such a design, it would be envisaged that the elements produced would be archived in a database structure for application and re-application into a range of environments. This mechanism is envisaged to be similar to the method used for second-life, however considerably different in the quality of rendering; and commercially different by instituting a process of validation prior to application within any applicable game environment.
In summary: I think this is a great idea that deserves support. If you are able to support the project, please do not hesitate to contact me on +61 3 93911164.