Pursuing Play

Pursuing Play is a video game-inspired ethnographic film about how various young adult gamers think, feel and play in a capitalist world. The 24min film uses the narrative style and game mechanics typically found in the Visual Novel video game genre to explore concepts of agency, coziness and relationships between the virtual and the real. This was a 2-year thesis for the Master of Visual Anthropology program at USC.

Timeline: Aug 2021 - Aug 2023

Trailer

Responsibilities

Ethnography & Film

Game Design &
Video Editing

Creative Collaboration

Ethnography & Film

The field site I chose was a diverse group of young adults in Los Angeles who play video games. What intrigued me the most was how they enjoy playing specific genres depending on their real-time emotional needs and various lifestyles. My ethnography on them involved the following:

Observe, film and participate in their daily lives - including WFH and gaming routines - for 2 years
Semi-structured in-depth interviews with over 15 members to learn individual perspectives
Research cultural histories and recent industry and consumption trends in video games to learn more about the topic and gage the research gap

Game Design & Video Editing

Providing my audience with an immersive video game experience was a core aspect of this documentary film. As such, I implemented narrative and graphic design choices inspired by the Visual Novel video game genre to reflect the agency concept - a key theme in the film:

Edit footage of film subjects in sit-down interviews or observations of their activities, marking transitions with dynamic ‘cutscenes’ when moving on to a different environment or 'chapter'
Design UI elements such as menu screens to provide multiple response options while interacting with film subjects - from asking specific questions to watching them play their favorite games
Write running in-game dialogue text to incorporate my own thoughts in response to their answers and gaming behavior, guiding the audience towards a deeper understanding of their perspectives

Creative Collaboration

I collaborated with composers and sound designers to create background music and SFX to build upon the video game experience within the film. Additionally, I worked with researchers, filmmakers, and target audience groups to refine the film throughout post-production:

Match SFX to game menu navigation and selection to provide a sense of tactility
Tailor character theme songs to each film subject to highlight each of their distinct personalities and corresponding gaming preferences
Conduct test screenings with target audience groups and filmmaking/academic experts to iterate on individual scenes and full-length rough cuts based on feedback

[ Trailer ]

Pursuing Play Trailer