Blood Pressure

Travis Broussard

Table of Contents
Design History.............................................................................................. 2 Vision Statement.......................................................................................... 2 Logline.......................................................................................................... 2 Synopsis....................................................................................................... 2 Game Description......................................................................................... 2 Objectives.................................................................................................... 3 Gameplay Description..................................................................................3 Tutorial......................................................................................................... 3 Character Selection...................................................................................... 3 Conflict/Argument......................................................................................... 4 Challenge/Procedures................................................................................... 4 Outcomes..................................................................................................... 6 Game World.................................................................................................. 7 Characters.................................................................................................... 8 PCs............................................................................................................... 8 NPCs............................................................................................................. 8 Story............................................................................................................. 9 Dissoi Logoi................................................................................................ 10 Composition............................................................................................... 11

Introduction
Design History
This game is the product of a writing assignment for an Advanced Writing class. The concepts and components of the game are based on already existing properties and game mechanics. It is designed to explore the mentality associated with a certain media environment, specifically violence in the media, desensitization, and increasing graphic content in popular culture.

Vision Statement
Logline Blood Pressure is a game that explores the glorification and prevalence of violence in the media by guiding the player through everyday situations that feature graphic or violent content and scoring based on their choices. Synopsis Blood Pressure will be a first-person role-playing game wherein the player portrays a silent protagonist with no identity or other concrete personal details. Effectively, the player is playing as themselves going through a typical day. Throughout the game, the player will be presented with a series of increasingly violent and/or graphic situations, either in person or in some form of media (TV, books, etc.). The PC will be tasked with reacting to the situation, having a good, neutral, or bad choice for each situation. Decisions will reward points in different fields, and the PCs ending will be determined based on their point allotment.

Game Description
In Blood Pressure, players are placed into the role of a nameless, faceless, mostly silent protagonist. They play this character from the first-person, and therefore can layer their own personalities and goals onto the character, effectively playing themselves. The PC is tasked with going through three days in their life, and is given the choice of what to do and in what order they want to interact with events. Over the course of the game, the PC is tasked with completing a todo list of various errands and other tasks, such as picking up groceries or going to see a movie. The player is free to tackle the list in whatever order they choose, and is given a number of options for several of the items. A few options have social aspects, where the PC interacts with a small cast of diverse friends with different likes, dislikes, personalities,

etc. These friends will interact differently based on how the PC maneuvers through the game. As they work their way through the list, the player will encounter a number of situations that could be considered violent or graphic. This can range from news about a death toll in a war to copious amounts of bloodshed in a film. In some cases, the player will be given a choice on how to react to the situation, for example electing whether or not to read further into the war story. The player's choice will dictate how points are distributed into desensitized or sensitized categories. As the game goes on, the player's point distribution affects how people react to the PC and how the PC will respond in turn. The friends sit on different sides of the scale and will like/dislike the PC more depending on how they have been making choices. Players will be forced to choose between friends while maintaining their own moral and ethical boundaries, striving for a balance where they can be comfortably satisfied by the endgame.

Formal Elements
Objectives
Give players a simulated example of how violence in the media can affect day-to-day life and create social and moral challenges Show different viewpoints regarding media violence and their pros and cons Provide a player with suggestions to deal with various situations and their pros and cons in gameplay Inform players that balance is key and that they can deal with situations using critical thinking

Gameplay Description
Tutorial Players will be given a series of popups at the start of the game explaining the controls and options available. Points and choice wheels will be explained when they become relevant. Players are given their to-do list (a series of objectives) and a simple map of the overworld immediately after the initial tutorial. Character Selection Players portray a nameless, faceless, silent protagonist (with the exception of reactions and responses in conversation, which are given in text form) from the first person. The only thing players choose is

their characters gender, and this has no effect on gameplay other than the pronouns used to refer to the PC. Conflict/Argument The player is faced with a number of violent and/or graphic sequences over the course of the game via in-game newspapers, television, internet, etc. It is up to the player how they react to the events, and they are given a context wheel with a number of different options based on the event itself. For example, if the player reads the paper and sees a story about a high death toll in a war overseas, the player can elect to either keep reading the story (and accumulate desensitization) or move on to a different story (accumulating sensitization), each option possessing its own pros and cons. The player's goal through the game is to choose whether to be completely desensitized, completely sensitized, or balanced, with the ideal option being as close to balance as possible. There are multiple endings depending on which stage the player reaches, and again, the balanced option is considered the best ending. Regardless of the ending, the game will suggest that a level of neutrality regarding violence in the media is the ideal option in a modern setting. The extreme ends of the spectrum will show what that particular kind of attitude can do to damage both social relationships and personal health. Challenge/Procedures The main challenge players face is how to balance their decisions over the course of a three-day cycle in order to satisfy their own personal expectations and get the best ending. Their decisions when faced with each scenario will directly affect not only their characters development, but also the way NPCs and the game world interact with and react to the player. The player is encouraged to make some choices by their companions, who all have different viewpoints and backgrounds, providing opinions and A dialogue wheel, like the one thoughts on the scenario. As stated featured in Mass Effect, is the above as an example, picking the more players primary method of desensitized or aggressive option will interaction with the world alienate/scare the more sensitive companions, and picking the less confrontational or sensitized option may annoy or frustrate the more up-front friends. When players make a decision, they are awarded a number of points in either sensitized or desensitized fields, designated here on by the

letters S and D, respectively. If a player spends the whole game making S decisions, they will find that they gain less point bonuses for making S choices. The challenge comes from certain decisions, which may end up giving a balanced level of points for both S and D. These sorts of decisions are rare, but can be considered the neutral (here on, N) option. The player is given a to-do list at the start of the game and at the beginning of days 2 and 3. The player is free to tackle the list in roughly any order they please, but they cannot advance the narrative or time of day until they start checking off items. Some events are time-sensitive, and require players to complete other tasks first. Otherwise, they are given complete freedom to explore and go about completing objectives. The player however has one set-in-stone first task: getting milk from the convenience store down the street. Upon reaching the store, they will be presented with their first scenario. At the store, the PC picks up the days newspaper, wherein they will find a particularly detailed news story on a war overseas. The story has some questionable photos and graphic text content about the death tolls. This is one of the less challenging decisions and introduces players to the D/S system, as it simply comes down to electing to either read further (accumulating a small amount of D points) or putting the paper down in disgust (S points). Later on, the player will be able to witness an initially peaceful protest with a couple of friends, each one on one side of the D/S scale. The protest soon turns violent, and the player defers to their friends. One will suggest they join in for fun, not actually intending to hurt anyone, but wanting to rattle some heads, acting pumped up and excited. The other suggests walking away and staying out of the crowd and acts highly distressed and nervous. Taking the former decision will allow the player to join their friend in shoving people and knocking them over, getting a hefty amount of D points as well as an up-close look at how the riot is affecting the people involved. Taking this option will also cause the player to lose social standing with the other friend, who visibly and vocally projects their disappointment and confusion at your choice. Taking the S route allows the player and associated friend to simply leave the area, getting a fair amount of S points, but damaging the relationship with the D friend. Either way, the player will see a news report about the event later on and will be given another choice wheel when a bystander nearby comments. The player can, if they got involved earlier, either express deep regret and disgust (S) or excitement (D). They can then engage in a dialogue with the bystander

regarding a persons responsibility in such a situation, and will be given yet another D/S decision at the end of the conversation. The player goes through encounters and scenarios such as these over the course of filling out their to-do list. Completing a days list will progress the player to the next day and another set of tasks, depending on their final D/S balance at the end of the previous day. The goal is to reach Day 3, where the player and all of their friends are to go to a movie. The companions defer the movie decision to the PC, and their decision will affect final D/S distribution and get comments from the NPCs based on their relationship at that point and the NPCs own standings. The player must decide what would be in the best interests for everyone in the group while considering their personal morals and how they have been reacting to situations since Day 1.

Outcomes The game features three basic endings, D, S, and N. Which one players get depends on their final D/S balance and the final choice they make as well as their relationship standing with their friends. The endings will differ slightly from the base frame of D/S/N based on a number of factors. Depending on the relationship the PC has with their friends, players will hear different lines and reactions out of the characters and the PCs responses will change depending on the D/S balance. For example, if a player has gone all or mostly S through the game and ultimately elects to see the more violent film, there will be signs that the PC is highly uncomfortable with the films content. The PC will get nauseous and sick, and will leave the theater and their friends. However, if a player has made all or mostly D decisions and sees the same film, they will enjoy the movie at the expense of their more Soriented friends, who unsubtly show their disgust, discomfort, and disappointment. This effect increases based on the relationship standing the player has with these characters, with more intense reactions coming with more damaged social standing. Regardless of the ending, it is strongly implied that a sense of balance is necessary. The best or true ending has a player who has made about equal D/S decisions (or a lot of N decisions) and has a decent relationship with most or all of their friends able to pick either movie, with everyone showing enjoyment to some degree regardless of the final choice. The game will imply here that it is okay to be somewhat used to violence, yet still show objection to it, and react appropriately to different scenarios based on informed decision and critical thought.

Dramatic Elements
Game World
The games setting is a small-scale, realistically rendered, nondescript town. Players have access to various locations, such as their home, their friends homes, stores, a library, a movie theater, etc. Every building is enterable at any point for gameplay purposes, as each one will be visited anyway over the course of the game. The world is populated by a number of random pedestrians and employees of the various locales, The game world is realistically rendered and viewed from the first though in the person. (From The Darkness). former case they have no express purpose other than giving the world more life. There are conveniently placed road closings, etc. at the boundaries of the map to explain why the player cannot leave town, though the world inside the boundaries is fully explorable and open. The movie theater, being the endgame location, is located near the center of town, with the other locations spaced around it. The theater prominently displays the titles that the player will be tasked with choosing at the end of the game, and will display signs reading 3 days left and so on to remind the player where they are in the narrative. During night sequences, the theater is clearly visible from almost any point in the rest of the map via bright spotlights and neon signs. It acts as a sort of beacon and reminder of what the players will have to face at the end of the three days, and serves as a landmark to find different locations.

Characters
PCs The PC is effectively the player, as they are not seen or This partial overhead map of Garrys Mod level actually heard throughout the rp_evocity shows the approximate size of the town. The layout of buildings, etc., however, would game. Therefore, the PC can be different. be any age, gender, sex, sexuality, build, etc. the player deems appropriate. Their responses to conversation and events are rendered in text with no voiceover, much like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. NPCs The various NPCs here include people the PC interacts with in order to complete errands and their friend group, which suggests tasks to tackle or other miscellaneous things to do. Random on the street NPCs such as bystanders, customers, and shop owners are fairly generic, serving only as a vehicle onto the next event. The PCs friend group is composed of five or six individuals with diverse backgrounds and personalities. Some sit on the desensitized side of the scale, others sit on the sensitized. Depending on their stance, they will react to the PC's actions and conversation choices differently. For example, if the PC picks a sensitized option, the desensitized friend may consider them skittish/prudish/etc and the PC will lose social standing with the friend. Conversely, picking a desensitized option may scare/alienate sensitized friends. The friends include: Chet: a well-meaning everyman who would love nothing better than to see his friends happy and getting along. Chet is the youngest friend in the group, and as a result isn't as experienced as the others. He will generally comment on the nature of a situation, but leaves the decision making up to the player. Falls into the neutral category. Amanda: a member of the military who has just returned from deployment. As a result, she has seen things that she would rather not talk about, but is still deeply affected by her experiences. She will often express disinterest or disillusionment at the various events the group experiences, or will appear shaken and distant depending on the severity or subject matter of the event. However, she displays a degree of management of her trauma, and reassures the player that she will personally be okay with whatever they choose at the endgame. Falls into the desensitized category.

Robert: The oldest person in the friend group. He has more traditional views regarding violence and general moral/ethical issues. He is also the most spiritual member of the group, and will be the first one to oppose any sort of violent or questionable choice with some old-school advice passed down from his parents and grandparents. Falls under sensitized. Ellen: In-story, Ellen is the person the PC has known the longest and fills the role of childhood friend. As a result, she is close enough to the PC to generally go along with whatever they choose. Ellen is unique because her standing on the D/S scale depends on the PC's own decisions. As a result, making sudden decisions opposite of the pattern the PC has been following up to a certain point may damage the relationship. Falls under neutral only out of circumstance, but can tip either way depending on the players progress. Cassie: Cassie is from a rural town and, like Robert, has more traditional values and morals. Cassie, despite her stance on violence, is generally reasonable and logical, often commenting on the possible effects of the event as a whole rather than just the PC's choices and using empirical evidence to explain the consequences. She falls under the sensitized category. Anthony: A former high school track star and the most athletic and outgoing in the friend group. Anthony is the kind of person who is always looking for a good time, and will often goad the player into making decisions impulsively without thinking of the long-term consequences. Anthony is a firm believer in the concept of carpe diem, and this belief governs his actions. Falls under desensitized.

Story
The games story takes place over the course of three days (labeled Days 1, 2, and 3) leading up to the big premiere of two highly anticipated movies: a big summer blockbuster action flick or a more benign family-friendly adventure. The player and their friends have decided to go to one of the premieres, but no one can decide on which, with everyone having different ideas of which would be the better choice. In the meantime, the player has a series of errands they have to complete before the premiere, and has a few instances of hang out time lined up with a number of different friend combinations. The player starts the game with a rather neutral disposition towards each friend, which changes over the course of the game depending on the decisions the player makes. Each friend has their own background, personality, and style, which dictates which side of the D/S scale

they are on and exactly how far down either line they sit. The friends, if accompanying the player, will comment on different things and will give the player slightly skewed advice and guidance for decisions.

Reflection
Dissoi Logoi
A players choices in the game can and likely will be heavily influenced by their own personal opinions. A particularly desensitized or aggressive player may not care that the more sensitized friends in the game do not agree with their actions. This also applies for the reverse. Driving the point home that balance is key is difficult, and will probably best work by giving the player a reason to care about what their companions have to say and how they feel about the different scenarios. There is the problem of making the D characters too obnoxious or the S characters feel weak, which would be rectified through careful characterization. For example, care should be taken not to automatically lump all the male characters into the D category and all females into S, as that would be blatant stereotyping and not a realistic portrayal of a diverse group of people. The same goes for different races. While the cast should be diverse to reflect how different people will have different viewpoints, they should not be lumped into likely racist stereotypes (e.g. the black character is aggressive, the white girl is squeamish and nervous, etc.) The racial issue could be rectified by randomizing the NPCs appearances and backgrounds every playthrough from a set pool of possible choices. The argument may be relevant now more than ever, but at the same time people have been exposed to violent media for so long that they may not see that there are other viewpoints. It is possible that some players may never get the ideal ending and instead conclude that there is no pleasing everyone and that they must adhere to one side of the scale or the other. While the former part of that conclusion is not necessarily wrong, the latter is part of the problem this game is trying to address. This game is difficult to make concrete, as its outcomes and what the player takes from it entirely depends on the players own initial mindset. However, this actually works somewhat to the games advantage, as its overall message encourages players to make their own decisions based on their own judgment and analysis of their surroundings. There is a possibility that the game could change the way the player looks at themselves and the world around them.

Composition
Game design is a unique form of composition, as it is one of the few forms of media that allows a consumer to directly interact with the composition and its message. The benefit is that players can more easily insert themselves into the game world as compared to a book/essay/movie. However, the simple fact that it is a game may distract players from the message, meaning it may not fully get across or may not get across at all. Video gaming is a quickly growing and increasingly prevalent form of media (and, to some, literature), and with more people playing games now than ever, it would not make sense to simply cast them aside as unimportant or shallow. Deep, insightful video games exist, and there is no reason why game design or video games in general would not belong in a classroom.