The conclusion of my practice-based research takes the form of a game design, with part-built game objects & environment. Unfortunately I simply don't have the time to build the entire working game,
so I've created a video simulation using existing game objects & environments.
After a splash screen, the game starts with a main menu allowing the player to choose a decade.
Throughout this project I've actively avoided iconic objects (or, being more precise in my semiotic terminology, indices) like the Space Hopper or Rubik's cube. They are referenced far too commonly in popular culture and have little nostalgia value in themselves (except when digging deeper, such as re-creating that unique Space Hopper bounce sound or a disassembled cube). In this case though, I needed something instantly recognisable; something that would unambiguously scream "1970s" or "1980s" without distracting the player.
In addition, as mentioned above, these objects were unlikely to appear within the game itself so their inclusion here avoids players wondering why I didn't reference such "obvious" images.
For the game trailer I've created levels for the 1970s and 1980s. You'll see more of these on following blogs.
Finally, the bottom of the screen shows a control bar, which is overlaid during gameplay. Dragging the shuttle left will rewind; right will fast-forward; the speed will vary (in a non-linear manner) according to the distance pulled. The mark allows a point in time to be memorised, and the rewind button will return to that time -- the idea being that a player will work on a challenge numerous times by trial-and-error.
Finally the record button allows the player to video a sequence; play will play the recording back. Users will be encouraged to upload impressive or funny clips, similar to those produced by Minecraft fans.
While on the menu screen, the shuttle will navigate through the decade icons and play will select; all other buttons will be greyed-out during the menu screen in the final game.