I have been experimenting with Game Maker and Unity to weigh up which would work best for my game. Both game development tools offer a variety of visual narrative plug ins which could assist me in creating branching narratives. Although Game Maker is fantastic for simple 2D games, Unity is considered a more professional tool offering arguably the best documentation. It boasts an active and constructive community and access to the thousands of shared assets made available on the Unity store. Most significantly that C# gives it much broader utility and its optimization tools are much more developed making it a more favourable choice for developing my game providing I keep my ambitions as a first time developer realistic.  

After speaking to the filmmakers behind iAnimal they have confirmed permission to use their undercover 360 footage obtained in a chicken barn and slaughterhouse which is ideal for my game; working alongside them I will be able to use their platform to market my game and target a specific audience. I have gathered footage from several other charities at this point to ensure I am not placing my eggs in the same basket and allowing plenty of film to work with to create a coherent and interesting narrative. Using Adobe XD I was able to create a draft text based version of a branching narrative which can be developed upon as my research expands.

This will be used to test my story and the impact it has in it’s most basic form, to ensure it makes sense and that the story connects logically. 
I allowed for a  linear story in which any bad choices could lead to a game over due to the harsh conditions the average factory farmed hen would experience, whilst creating interesting alternative routes. Many of my text elements will be replaced with video and audio to create an immersive experience inspired by iAnimal VR – A narrative will guide the individual through the experience to explain what is happening but much will be left to visual interpretation, making it much harder to reject or remain ignorant of.

This research allowed me to establish a clear purpose to my game: To educate an audience of young adults on where their food comes from a create transparency by presenting this as an engaging choose your own adventure game. Many people are unaware of the conditions egg laying chickens endure on their path from birth to their eventual slaughter. Despite battery cages rendered illegal in the EU, it is still common practice to keep egg laying hens indoor their entire life in “enriched” cages – this replacement assures 20% more space when in reality it is the equivalent of adding a postcards worth of space to their current A4 paper equivalent. Caged hens may usually never experience natural light or fresh air and do not leave their cages until they are taken to slaughter at about 18 months. A study in 2016 found that more than half of the 10 billion eggs produced in the UK – 51 per cent – were laid by hens kept in these kinds of ‘enriched’ cages.

My audience will understand that the animals in these scenarios have very limited choices in comparison to the consumer. With this in mind I will be as objective as I can with my final exhibit which will also act as an animal outreach.