Researching the target audience was guided by the idea that many people of all ages enjoy a holiday. Families connecting with other family members they can’t see because of Lockdown, friend groups who want to have some fun online or even people who want to meet someone new. Everyone experiencing lockdown has a desire for escape and company, therefore there are many people who need to be considered when developing this concept. Group zoom calls have become extremely popular with the elderly who are shielding seeing their family and grandchildren, friend groups having fun as if they were out and for educational purposes. Considering this chat feature was important since it reinforces the immersive nature of Co-Pilot and emulates the experiences of making new connections in a COVID friendly way. Due to this, incorporating a group video call feature would develop this interactivity since you could ‘sit in a restaurant’ together as a group after making a meal from a recipe provided. Therefore the game needed to be accessible for all ages and family friendly, this idea of accessibility led to considering expanding the audience to those who also aren’t able to afford the expenses of a trip abroad. Travelling is a form of education too and this sort of resource should be open and affordable. As a result, inclusivity and community regarding every circumstance became important.
Additionally when bringing in a chat feature like this there needs to be a form of protection for the users, safety guides, rules and regulations. When discussing the concept with the group it was something that we thought about since if Co-Pilot was to be this safe space for all ages these kinda of measures were necessary. Therefore the process of buying a ticket and entering the game was altered, where when purchasing a package you can choose whether you want to explore privately or not as either a group or individual. This determines whether public chat features are open or not and if you are online with other users you have not met before.
Researching competitors proved useful in developing our concept by helping figure out what was already out there and what was popular. Some competitors were:
- Airbnb online experiences – Unique activities led by hosts across video call , £8-73 per person.
- Google Arts and Culture – High -resolution images and videos of artworks and artefacts for free.
- Around Egypt – Oculus immersive VR experience – explore tourist attractions in Egypt, £2.99.
- National Geographic VR – VR experience of culture animals science and travel for free.
- World Traveler – Immersive VR experience where you figure out which city you are in, £2.29.
- Looking Glass – VR experience of the world during the 19th century for free.
- Out for Delivery – Is an interactive experience where players follow a food courier in Beijing, the scenes play out but the player choose what to focus on.
- Wheels of Aurelia – Drive along the Italian coast with an in-game companion with a multiple choice dialogue that reveals Italy’s political tumult. There are 16 different endings depending on where you choose to drive and what you say.
From looking at these games and experiences it was clear that there is no fully immersive travelling platform in the form of a choose-your-own-adventure that is also educational and provides accessibility to multiple locations. There is also a lack of being able to connect realtime and speak to others as well interacting with businesses in an engaging manner. Here are some more examples.
Within each city, I decided that the most relevant information needed was about the local cuisine, activities and history. When researching I came across Gladiator School of Rome , here they provide a museum tour and access to a training ring where an instructor will teach moves and supervise mock gladiator fights. This triggered the idea of having a mini-game linked to the school as part of Co-Pilot. Therefore I decided that finding things that were exciting and worked with a game format in an engaging way was important. Additionally if the concept was taken further it would be beneficial to work alongside these businesses as part of the experiences linked to them in the game, since during the global pandemic it would provide a platform for business.
This (above) is the illustration I did as an example for the gladiator mini-game. After research into the school on Tripadvisor I could see what the tourists were given to wear and what the instructors wore, this was important since its incorporates more of the actual company into our game concept.
Here’s another example of an illustration by one of my team members, it provides this warm homely and welcoming feeling that we were focusing on.
Having this gaming interface was important since it appeals to the theme of adventure and exploration, bringing in this fun sense of community on an online server. It shows the users that they are not alone in their exploration of the world from their bedroom. Co-Pilot needed a welcoming tone to it to match the community aspect, therefore, a warm colour palette and simple graphics were needed to appeal to the audience and not confront or defer them. Bringing this no stress environment to travelling meant that Co-Pilot could offer an experience that was extremely different to the potential amounts of stress and exhaustion that travelling can bring in real life. For someone who struggles to travel because of physical or mental illness this could be a useful tool to explore without difficulty.
I created a Pinterest board for the group which we could all add things to in order to provide an idea for the playful, warm and welcoming yet awe inspiring imagery we could produce for our concept. For me this mood board was important since we could not sit together and draw and look at colour schemes as we were all so far apart but it allowed me to bring everyone in to consider imagery we could all add to and edit. It brought a collective direction to our thoughts. Reproducing the cities in a stylised manner would emphasise the video game side to the project and make it a fun intriguing place to learn, we all had very different styles yes it was an aid in understanding the direction we were taking.
One of our group members was proficient with 3D modelling so he created some concept ideas for the streets of our locations. It was our aim to make it as immersive as possible and unlike anything we found on our travel market research, with the realistic looking avatars which were personalised to the user’s preference.