Other Eyes is a C# project developed using XNA and Monogame and was developed in a 48 hour Microsoft Game Jam at RIT by myself, Matt Ferragamo, Frankie Libbon, and Brendon George. It won 'Best in Show' at the Jam and is still currently being developed. The game has limited interactive elements and instead is more of an interactive poem where the player has say in the evolution of the story. The game is minimalistic; by only using basic shapes it allows the player to focus on the narrative, which is the story of a child suffering from severe depression. The player guides this child through key moments in the child’s life and makes choices that affect the child and the world they live in.

Creating the project in 48 hours was a challenge and kept the team busy building and creating a powerful experience. The game came together little by little with each passing hour. We redrafted the narrative a few times, and technical challenges staggered work flow, which tested all of our skills. In the end we succeeded; we had created something unique, powerful and intriguing. I learned a lot from this experience, including that writing and performing narration is hard, allowing your team creative freedom can bring about beautiful things, and that games are not always about fun.

Video games have the ability to tell stories in ways unique. They have the ability to bring out emotions as the players become invested in the characters in the game. My goal is that Other Eyes will eventually be a 20-30 minute game that will allow someone to experience what suffering from depression is like, letting the player better understand why depression is a serious issue.

I believe games have the ability to do great good as an art; I hope to make a start here through Other Eyes.