Description: Brainfart is an interactive experiment solo project, created in 2018 as a study on loneliness.
ROLE: Solo Developer
ENGINE: Unreal
Source: https://redcharlie.itch.io/brainfart
ROLE: Solo Developer
ENGINE: Unreal
Source: https://redcharlie.itch.io/brainfart
In Brainfart, players inhabit a brain in a completely white 3D space. The brain can fly around this blankness and bump into various objects to reveal them. The goal is to discover the entire scene within as little time as possible.
My main intention in creating Brainfart was to create an experience that captures what it feels like to work remotely at Whimsy Games. I was originally part of the office in the Seattle area, but due to unforeseen familial circumstances, I had to switch to a remote position.
The transition changed the way I approach my work and my office area: I had to shift my working period three hours ahead to match the west coast office and change the way I communicated with coworkers to text-based communication. Throughout all of this, I struggled with feelings of isolation and stagnation. There is something very specific about working alone at 9:00 PM on a Tuesday that I wanted to convey.
Brainfart attempts to capture these feelings, but also depict the way I approach my morning “commute” to the home office. This “commute” is a coping mechanism I have developed to combat creeping the loneliness when I clock-in. By slowly taking stock of my surroundings, I begin to feel like I am approaching the room as an office, rather than my home. I create the purpose of the office space in my mind, which, in turn, creates a separation between the home and work.
I had never completed an entire game independently before Brainfart; consequently, I found myself facing obstacles alone without the guidance of a team for first time.
By coming up with creative solutions to these previously un-experienced problems, I learned my personal creative roadblocks and how to find ways around (and sometimes through) them. For instance, about halfway through my first version, I moved the entire project from Unity to Unreal, in order to make the coding load lighter, as I was more familiar with the “blueprint” system. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the outcome and I hope that those who play Brainfart receive some amount of delight from the experience.
Recommended Platform Requirements (PC):
OS: Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i7, 7 series
Storage: 800 KB of space
OS: Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i7, 7 series
Storage: 800 KB of space