A Flight in Plight

Team Size: 5

Allocated Time: 1 Week

Blurb:

Leave your worries behind... And let hope take flight.

Goals:

• To create an interactive space where people can connect with other strangers.
• To create a space where people can highlight their hopes while releasing their anxieties.
  • Writing down hopes should feel uplifting for the player.
  • Writing down anxieties/fears should feel freeing for the player, even if it’s only for a little bit.
    • Should make their anxieties feel more tangible and capable of overcoming.
• Primary:
  • Gameplay mechanics and system
  • Instructions design
• Secondary:
  • Prototyping

Responsibilities:

Overall evaluation:

We initially set out to create a space where people from all backgrounds could come and be creative. This took the form of Splat Chat, where we gave players numerous art resources to do whatever they wanted to the board. As the initial prototype, it had no clear direction and no specific incentive for people to interact with unless they were feeling creative. Originally planned to put up in the NYC subway, we quickly overruled the idea because we realized an unsupervised public canvas in such a high-traffic area was practically inviting vandalism and misuse, rather than the creative expression we envisioned. Additionally, in such a high-traffic environment, most people are rushing to get to where they need to be, instead of being distracted by such a public piece.

Therefore, after putting the board up within the NYU Game Center, we decided to shift our focus to creating a space where people could instead quickly highlight their hopes and dreams for the future, while also literally tossing out the negativity in their lives. This was done by modelling the space after bird wings, where people could then attach their hopes and dreams through sticky notes, that when bundled up would resemble feathers on a bird, thus highlighting how success will often come from bundling up and connecting with those around you. Initially, we wanted to make each sticky note resemble a feather, but the production challenges and the limited time frame made it incredibly difficult so we settled with colorful sticky notes in the end. Simultaneously, people could write down their anxieties and fears onto similar sticky notes, which they would then crumple and toss into a communal bin. While this tossing out cannot obviously solve the matter at hand, it would help people reflect on their lives and externalize their bad feelings. This simple, physical act of discarding served as a powerful symbolic gesture – a tangible release of internal burdens. Witnessing others participate fostered a quiet sense of shared vulnerability and collective catharsis, reminding everyone they weren't alone in their struggles. And this was said as such by many playtesters we interviewed.

Additionally, there were instances where players responded to each other’s sticky notes, instead using the board as a communication device. This emergent behavior transformed the simple act of discarding worries into a powerful form of community support. For example, there were those who published their successes onto the wings, and those who responded with encouragement and celebration. These small gestures of empathy thus prove to us that we are all in the same boat, and to weather any storm, we have to stay strong together.  

At the same time, the original Splat Chat was still up, and gained a certain amount of traction, where players even brought their own props from outside, such as a twig, to add on to the canvas. This unexpected behavior signaled a powerful shift: players weren't just interacting with the provided tools, they were actively claiming ownership of the space, evolving Splat Chat from a curated platform into a truly organic, player-driven ecosystem.