Everything in Modification (by RAVA-GE)

Game concept

Everything in Modification is a game that explores the EU value of Freedom, and how we may unknowingly forward biased cultural narratives. In the game, a voice urges you to do the “correct thing,” but is there a correct way? You might want to do it your way, but that choice is challenged.

Before you lies Skagensjægerne, a painting by Danish artist P.S. Krøyer, shattered into pieces. Your task is to reassemble it. There are many ways to put it back together – some recreating the original, others forming something more modern or abstract. But the voice insists: build it like it was.

The game asks: what stories do our cultural artifacts really tell? Paintings can present an idealized, false reality. By exploring and reimagining them, we invite players to reflect, question, and learn – engaging with culture not as fixed, but as something alive and open to interpretation, even if a voice may be commanding otherwise.

Reflections on cultural heritage

We interpret cultural heritage in art as narratives that we tell ourselves - about ourselves. As such, our gameworld embodies culture that may be persistent in the narrative others want to tell. As our plaque points to, we hope to empower players to feel that they have the freedom to go against cultural narratives that seem wrong - morally or otherwise.

The game itself does not give the player a way to resist accepting and contributing to the chosen cultural narrative, but we hope that the experience can evoke feelings of: “Well, you don’t get to tell me that my reality is “corrupt” or “correct””, as well as empower the player to exercise these feelings when a narrative seems unjust or biased.

Reflections on our process

Over the course of seven weeks we have, through trial and tribulations, made a puzzle game, attempting to incentivise players to go against cultural narratives if they seem wrong. Through a process of ideation, prototyping, brief testing and finalising of the game, we have explored how cultural game worlds may address agency and freedom in relation to narratives. What started as a project about discovering propaganda ended up being a game about healthy spite towards higher powers.

The process has been a steady one, with a sprint by the end, which is likely a result of busy schedules and the use of software and technology that has been new to us all - namely 3D-modelling and VR.

The aforementioned roles became way more fluid, as we designed the gameplay and story, and they also transformed into very specific roles, such as 2D Artist, as we found it easier to communicate and plan assignments.

The constraints of our abilities and time have made for a simple game that we hope reaches the players in an understandable way, referring to the EU-value of Freedom and our focus on Cultural Narratives.

Credits

Developed by:
Nadia Ah.  | Storyteller
Naja Hammershøj Anicka  | Artist, Designer
Isabella Rosing  | Designer, Artist
Simon Vieth  | Storyteller, Artist, Designer
Mikkel Aarup Vinther  | Game Master,  Game Designer, Crafter

With special thanks  to Jeppe Gass - for creating the music.

Additional assets:
Sound effects from the BBC Sound Effect archives:
https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/search

Textures from Poly Haven 3D asset library:
https://polyhaven.com/