Tranquility is a multi-sensory relaxing experience that uses play to disengage from PTSD trauma triggers.

My roles

  • Level designer
  • experience designer
  • voice actor/editor
  • Illustrator

Purpose

An environment where (ex) military people suffering from PTSD can disengage from trauma triggering memories.

Technology

In addition to using the VR set, perceive scent, temperature and directional wind within Sensiks’ Multi-Sensory Reality Pod

Design

Combining level design, VR and the Sensiks Pod,  create an environment that immerse the user in a calming and interactive world where they become players for a while.

Using level design to prevent overwhelming stimuli

Each area is designed to have a completely different, yet calming experience defined through visuals, sounds, scents, winds and warmth, and a journey.

While it is great each area has its own multi-sensory experience, things might get too overwhelming—should players quickly change from one area to the other.

To prevent this, I’ve incorporated ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ barriers (SB/HB) between areas that serve as transition points between post-processing effects and sensory changes. To enforce the same safety upon entering the world, the spawn location has barely any scent, wind or high temperatures.

Designing a
six-minute hub world

Limitation
Tranquility is part of a two-part experience; the engage and the disengage from trauma. During a therapy session, users switch between the two, of which Tranquility provides the disengage. 

Because of the limited therapy time, users have only 6 minutes to explore the game world. This means each part of the world has to be easily accessible and meaningful.

WIP of the map, showing a central hill in the middle branching off into four directions.
View of the forest from the starting locaiton.

Solution
To facilitate accessibility as best as possible, the start location is in the middle of the map, and areas are located away at an equal distance, resulting in a hubs-and-spokes design.

Level requirements
Each disengage area is designed around the following requirements:

  1. immerse the senses immersing with scent, wind and visuals;
  2. include objects of play;
  3. contain a travel journey;
  4. facilitate exercises.

Forest

Beach

Stand by the pier to play with the fish or sync your breath with the waves.
Players feel the gentle warmth of the flames and the breeze of the ocean.

The Sensiks Pod

The Sensiks’ Sensory Reality Pod combines different technologies to control the airflow, heat levels and scent within the pod. Users immerse themselves completely when equipping a VR set, allowing for interaction in the virtual environment.

Since the environments also feature different temperatures, wind speeds and even scents, one must also keep these in mind in the development process of the levels.

Illustrations

Gallery

June 2019, third year.

Technology: Sensiks Sensory Reality Pod, Unity.

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