Spectra Arcana
Final University Project
Read the cards. Examine yourself through a queer lens. Question your identity and learn.
This game combines themes of tarot and queerness, where the player picks various meanings from a spread of cards to answer questions. It is closely based on LGBTQ+ experiences and aims to provide a constructive method of self-analysis in queer contexts.
This is my final year project for a BA(Hons) Games Art & Design course at the Norwich University of the Arts. It was developed over the span of multiple months and involved interviewing over a dozen LGBTQ+ people for its production.
Pitch Document
As part of my final university project, I have made a pitch document for this game. It goes over elements that at the time I thought a publisher would want to see in such a document, including an elevator pitch, the intended audience, marketability, details of the design and the game's mechanics, and avenues for future content.
In retrospect, having gained experience from working in the industry for some time, I now recognise that it is missing several key elements, such as budget estimates, team members, and a production timeline. However, it still gives a good overview of the game's design and intent for anyone curious to read it.
Design Insights & Highlights - Tarot Cards
The design of the cards' artwork features a considerable amount of symbolism, much like the original tarot cards they were inspired by. Some of the cards link to and reference original tarot cards directly; the Covert (X) and the Tower are similar to each other, both representing chaotic periods and visually showing objects falling off a tall structure. The Riot (XV) and The Chariot also share a resemblance, both displaying and representing an unyielding forward motion.
The cards in my deck contain their own internal symbolism that repeats across many of the cards in the form of coloured orbs, which represent identity. They are present on many of the cards relating to it, such as The Child (IX), Freedom (XII), and The Nomad (XIV). An inversion of this symbol also exists on The Zealot (IV) in the form of a group of people walking in a circle and passing on staves with empty rings on them. It represents a cyclical passing on of ideas and beliefs, a hollowed framework for people to insert and mould their identities into. As such, this card's primary meaning is that of rigidly enforced traditional views that are passed on between generations in a cycle that propagates the same ideas. However, the same card holds a double meaning; it also represents the passing on of tradition and history within the queer community itself and the larger society.
Various other symbolic meanings have been hidden in the designs of these cards. Similarly to real tarot, these were designed to be highly interpretative, with many more meanings that can be gleaned from these beyond what is given directly by the text within the game, all for the players to find and ponder on.
My Responsibilities
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Programming
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Card spread system - dealing cards, generating different results based on the card's position.
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Table-based text database - storing and assembling various lines of text depending on player choices.
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Game modes:
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Read - the game generates a question for the player to answer using cards.
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Question - the player is able to input their own questions and answer them.
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Examine - a gallery mode with all of the cards & their descriptions.
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Assets
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Tarot art:
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Idea iteration & early concepts done using paper & pencils.
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Final art assets done using Photoshop.
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Writing - tarot reading descriptions & randomisable questions segments (7500 words in total).
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Research
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Conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with over a dozen people on the topic of queer representation in games to hone the focus and direction of the game.
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Researched the practice of tarot reading to improve the game's design.
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Investigated an improved way of processing text data for dialogues to improve the flexibility of my custom tools used to display text in the game.
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