Game Log 2

We now merged our game ideas from Game Log 1 and are now able to present our final idea that we want to implement in the further progress of the Game Jam. 

Game Idea

As players walk through the museum, they embark on an interactive AR mystery, uncovering hidden secrets within the paintings. Each night, the portraits come to life, whispering their stories—stories of artistic freedom, oppression, and lost identities. However, an unknown force is at play. One of the painted figures is murdered in the darkness, leaving behind only subtle clues.

By day, players must examine the museum, solving puzzles embedded in historical artworks, restoring missing pieces, and deciphering cultural stories that reveal both artistic and societal shifts through time. These puzzles not only help reconstruct paintings but also provide deeper insights into the individuals trapped within the portraits. Each restored artwork brings them closer to unraveling the truth behind the murders.

As the mystery unfolds, players begin to realize that these crimes are symbolic—representing historical moments when artistic expression was suppressed or manipulated. The ultimate question is: who is behind the killings, and what do they stand for? If players fail to solve the case in time, they themselves become part of the museum, immortalized as the next portrait.

Ideation Wheel:

• Freedom & Human Rights: The trapped figures represent suppressed artists and voices in history, their fates intertwined with the player's choices.
• Puzzle-Adventure Gameplay: Players solve intricate puzzles that restore paintings and uncover hidden messages, leading to the next clue in the mystery.
• Cultural Stories & Historical Context: Every puzzle is rooted in a real-world artistic movement or event, teaching players about the evolution of artistic freedom.
• Redefining Values Across Generations: Players reflect on the impact of art in shaping societies, questioning the cost of expression and the fight for creative liberty.

Cultural Heritage:

Cultural heritage can be integrated by using portraits that represent different figures (historical, cultural or simple people), allowing players to engage with their stories in a reimagined way. The game can reflect how traditions and values evolve over time, as players uncover clues and piece together the mystery. By incorporating elements of different cultures, art styles, and historical periods, the game can offer a dynamic experience that explores cultural change, reinterprets heritage, and invites players to reflect on the impact of the past on the present.

Roles and Responsibilities: 

Sayana -> Crafter Gamemaster Artist
Jacob   -> Crafter Designer Artist
Roxana -> Crafter Gamemaster Storyteller

Gamemaster: Acting as the project coordinator, the Gamemaster oversees the team’s process, ensuring documentation and transitions between phases are smooth. They make sure the roles work together and all materials are ready for the EXPO and publication. 

Storyteller: This role is responsible for crafting the game's narrative, ensuring it tells a compelling story that engages with heritage and values. They emphasize storytelling as a means of cultural expression, shaping how players experience and reflect on cultural themes. 

Artist: The Artist shapes the aesthetic and artistic vision, transforming cultural heritage into immersive game visuals and experiences. They ensure the gameworld conveys cultural themes in a meaningful and visually impactful way. 

Designer: The designer focuses on gameplay mechanics and player interaction, creating meaningful cultural engagements through play. They integrate heritage and values into the game's interactive systems. 

Crafter: Responsible for coding and building the game, the Crafter brings the game to life as a digital, physical, or hybrid prototype, ensuring an engaging and immersive cultural experience.

Culture + Value + Game Collage

Reflection: 

• What is the cultural atmosphere of our game? How can we use artistic content to communicate and deepen the atmosphere? 

Our game blends art and mystery, creating an atmosphere that feels dark, enigmatic (inspired by detective stories) and supernatural, the idea of paintings coming to life creating a haunted, mystical vibe. To communicate and deepen this atmosphere we can use specific colors such as dark blue, black and gray. The audio and sound effects are also important. Whispers, music inspired by classical compositions, subtle sounds (that suggest movement) will amplify the mysterious aura. The contrast between silence and sudden sound can build tension. 

• What is the special cultural feeling of our game? 

Paintings are not just objects in a museum, but also stories. Each artwork carries hidden narratives, forgotten artists, and untold mysteries. In this context, we can say that the museum is a timeless, sacred space of memories and “ghosts”. This game doesn’t just involve solving a murder—it reflects how history itself is often rewritten or lost. By restoring paintings and solving the mystery, players symbolically rescue old stories, forgotten voices, and hidden truths.

• How does our game make cultural heritage come alive?

Our game transforms cultural heritage from something static (locked in a museum) into a living, interactive experience where players actively engage with history, art, and mystery. It does this through 3 key elements: storytelling, interactivity, and technology. Instead of passively observing, players explore and investigate clues. They become directly involved, and in this way - more attentive to the paintings and more curious about the stories behind them. 

6-8-5 Game Sketching

Reflection: 

We discussed which sketches have the strongest potential to evolve into a compelling game through culture. The goal was to explore diverse cultural interpretations, pushing boundaries in order to ensure a more dynamic and enriched final concept for the game. Our focus was on identifying concepts that engage cultural heritage and values in the most surprising, elegant, and innovative ways. Rather than choosing just one, we combined the strongest elements from multiple sketches to create a richer, more immersive experience.

Concept Convergence

Reflection: 

• What is the most innovative or powerful idea or concept currently on the table? What ideas support the theme, cultural heritage, and values?

Our main concept is a museum that is “alive”. Paintings come to life at night, and players must uncover a hidden truth through restoring lost art, solving a murder, and engaging with cultural heritage through interactive storytelling. They either solve the case or become trapped in the museum as “Portrait Number 13”. Other ideas that support the theme are: art preservation (rescuing lost stories and paying more attention to the details of the paintings), museum as a space where history speaks (not just a collection of objects, but also of identities, memories and secrets), art influences and is influenced by cultural values over time (the same painting might appear different depending on the timeline - in one version, a figure is missing; in another, colors and symbols change based on censorship, propaganda or values).

• Do they (ideas) present a cultural gameworld and empowering gameplay?

Yes, the gameworld is not just a museum – it’s a dynamic space, where art, mystery and history unfold in interesting and unexpected ways. Through our game, we try to encourage active engagement rather than passive observation, empowering players to think critically, explore, and make meaningful decisions.

• From your roles discuss what ideas have strong potential (art, story, design, craft), and what works well together and reinforce each other?

1. Art: visual storytelling and atmosphere - dark, enigmatic aesthetic reinforces the mystery and sense of the unknown.
2. Story: the evolving mystery structure keeps players engaged as they uncover secrets one clue at a time.
3. Design: detective work and puzzle-solving encourage critical thinking and interpretation, AR integration bridges historical art with modern technology.
4. Craft: ensures that every artistic and interactive element works together to deepen atmosphere, engagement and impact.

Future Culture Worlds

Reflection:

• What is the game's deeper purpose? Why are you making this game? Why is it important? 

This game goes beyond mystery-solving—it’s about preserving lost stories, questioning history, and engaging with cultural heritage in a new way. By blending art restoration with detective work, it invites players to actively uncover the past rather than passively observe it.

• How does the game change or engage the future of culture and values? 

1. Brings cultural heritage to life: instead of seeing art as something static, players interact with it, restoring and reinterpreting lost pieces.
2. Explores themes of preservation vs. change: who controls history, and how do we decide what is remembered or lost?
3. Uses AR technology: by integrating AR and interactive mechanics, the game bridges past and future.

• How should your player feel during and after gameplay? Why?

During: Curious and challenged—piecing together clues, uncovering hidden truths, and feeling the tension of the unfolding mystery.

After: Reflective and inspired—questioning how history is told, appreciating the fragility of cultural memory, and feeling a sense of responsibility in preserving the past.

Games Through Culture 

With this iteration of our game concept, we have moved closer to creating a cultural gameworld that does not just entertain but invites players to engage with art and history. By blending interactive AR mystery cases with historical storytelling, the game hosts an environment in which a user can learn about history and art by solving mystery cases.

Also, the players are not just solving a murder mystery. Moreover they are experiencing the circumstances and properties of the character which they are interacting with. This strengthens both the gameplay and the emotional connection of players to reflect on the expression of the art and the people behind it.

By working on our game idea, we got lots of ideas on how we could implement and tell the story in our game. During that, we considered different persons and how we can tell something about them in our game. Besides that, we are also trying to get the focused person in a context that leads to focus and critics on society.

AR Interactions 

We are planning to create a highly immersive experience where players interact with the museum environment in a dynamic way using AR interactions. Below is a detailed breakdown of the same:

Picking Up & Examining Objects

Players physically move their device around the museum and use touch/gesture-based interactions to pick up items (e.g., letters, weapons, torn canvas pieces etc). Once an item is picked up, it allows the player to rotate, zoom in, and inspect details. Some objects reveal clues when manipulated.

Examples associated with our Game:

• A bloodstained brush is found near a painting. When the player picks it up and rotates it, they find a small signature matching one of the suspects.

• Tilting a letter might expose hidden ink, or rotating a dagger might show engraved initials (hints/clues to find out the killer is embedded into the objects).

Restoring Paintings with AR Puzzles

Players scan a damaged painting using their device’s camera., The painting appears digitally overlaid with missing pieces, cracks, or faded areas. Players solve a puzzle by dragging and placing missing pieces, aligning brushstrokes, or even colour-matching faded areas. Restoring a painting might reveal a hidden layer beneath, showing something, the museum never noticed.

Listening to Whispers from Portraits

Players can make use of a button placed in the portrait, on clicking the button, the portrait comes to life, whispering clues. Some whispers might be distorted, fragmented, or misleading, requiring players to piece together the true message from multiple paintings. Players must cross-reference whispers with clues found in the environment to verify their authenticity.

Example:

• A woman’s portrait whispers about betrayal but doesn’t name the culprit. Later, another portrait whispers the same which leads to strong evidence as there is two witnesses. Or by connecting both hints helps the player to find the culprit.

Choosing the Culprit in AR (Final Accusation Scene)

As the player gathers evidence, they create a crime board in AR, where they drag and connect clues (e.g., weapon, suspect, motive, location). Before making a final accusation, they must scan the portrait of their chosen suspect. If correct, the mystery story will be unfolded. If wrong, the player becomes Portrait Number 13, forever trapped in the museum.

Expert Council Feedback

Affirmation

• The story was found to be good and the gernal game idea is in the frame of the Cultural Game Jam.

Constructive Criticism

• The planned amount of images in our proposal seems too high. Better have just 3 portraits and extend to more paintings later.
• Do not use a voiceove because it is very much effort to have it running properly. Better use text and interaction in the style of the painting.
• Choose only one painting and really just focus on one portrait.

New Ideas

• Include a misleading portrait to make the game harder and have the player focus more.