Exposition vs Exploration

My thesis project looked at how players respond to a map filled with strong thematic spaces, but without any formal narrative structure.  I have always loved storytelling in games, and I wanted to explore how much players are willing to invest into making sense of a senseless place.
 
I was inspired by "Shadow of the Colossus" and "Bioshock", games which maintain a strong narrative experience without telling the player very much along the way.  The challenge for me was to create a play space that communicated clear objectives without tying those objectives into any particular meaning.  This challenge allowed me to practice some very important design techniques, and I had a lot of fun watching how imaginative people can be if they are given the chance.

This thesis took four months from start to finish, and was built in the Half Life 2 engine.