OVERVIEW
This project was my first endeavor in Unreal Engine 5, and I challenged myself and my partner to create a VR experience in this unfamilar enviroment. The scene's enviroment draws inspiration from a prominent university building at the University of Michigan, and this experience features playful and amusing interactive elements drawing inspiration from the popular VR game, Job Simulator. Beneath its exterior, this project acquires greater significance through a deliberate exploration of the theme of imposter syndrome. Collaborating with my partner, we recognized the prevalence of imposter syndrome within the tech industry, making it an integral aspect of our project's narrative.
MY ROLE
In this project, my main contributions include:
- Blocking out and building the environment
- NPC dialogue interactions
- Fire alarm interaction
- Vent teleportastion system
- Imposter syndrome research
- Holding of in-scene objects
DEVELOPMENT STACK
- Unreal Engine 5
- Sketch Fab for all models
DETAILS
According to a study published in the International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science, over 70% of computer science students reported experiencing imposter syndrome at some point during their academic or professional journey.
To bring this concept of imposter syndrome, leveraging the Among Us model we imported, we decided to embrace the Among Us game mechanics, where players play as the imposter and also vent through the space ship for fast teleportation. In our scene, we introduced vents that enable players to transition between the main room and secondary room. The act of venting allows players to assume the identity of the imposter, as only imposters can vent in the original game. This mechanism allows us to create a compelling contradiction, as players will realize that 'they aren't the imposter' once they vent into the secondary room.
Within the secondary room, we incorporated a custom material visual on the computer screen to reinforce this concept of the player not being the imposter in relation to tech. Moreover, we adorned the room with posters featuring graphics related to imposter syndrome, along with links to external resources. To further emphasize this theme, throughout the main room, we integrated imposter syndrome-related dialogue for all NPCs.
Official Demo Video