SMU Guildhall Graduate Catalog Spring 2020 — Cohort 28 | Page 56

Richard Toussaint III Level Design « Teaching Game Mechanics Diegetically for VR The artifact is a level designed in I chose this project because I am implements a new mechanic and tool, gameplay for VR, as I believe it enhances the paradigm of Robo Recall which which players learn to use diegetically. Through applied psychology of learning theory and design, I constructed a set of best practices for teaching players diegetically in Virtual Reality. This project was developed over the course of ten months, with the aim of minimizing the need for traditional instructional elements that break immersion by teaching a new mechanic diegetically. The newly introduced mechanic includes an environmental hazard of radiation, and as its counterpart, a gamified Geiger counter. To learn and master the new diegetic mechanic, a level was designed that teaches it to the player, then reinforces and tests their ability to learn the new mechanic through gameplay. 56 LEVEL DESIGN passionate about designing immersive the sense of presence while playing. I learned a great deal as I developed this project about how to convey information to players without using text or audible instructions. I believe this would greatly benefit the game industry by removing elements of gameplay that break immersion and remind players they are in a video game.