Our game wants to use companions to make the player feel more relaxed whilst playing the game. Through research found at Highfield campus' library (see white research folder), I found out that seeing animals or pets not only help comfort people in real life, but videos, pictures and visualisations of animals online also help the brain release endorphins which can keep a person calm. Therefore, the inclusion of animals in our game should hopefully do the same job as seeing an animal in real life. Animals are known to be calming, hence why many have jobs as therapy animals to calm people with anxiety. Furthermore, I also discovered that seeing animals live there lives without knowing about the future, helps a person experience mindfulness and the appreciation for living in the now. After all, animals are only focussed on the present, so witnessing this encourages similar behaviour.

 

Our game is meant to help the player experience mindfulness and being calm, almost as a way of escaping the noise and anxiety of modern urban life. If the game had a dog as a companion, which the player could interact with or just watch explore, it should help build the experience we are trying to achieve.

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For more information surrounding companions, and for my notes and research regarding the topic, see the White Folder.