Walking in the Present
Lakshya Ranwan | Jayesh Pillai
Introduction
This project explores how digital games can invoke reflection about real-life behaviour, specifically mindfulness while walking. The aim is not behaviour change, but awareness. Reflection is treated as the first step in behaviour change, relying on awareness and memorability.
The project focuses on walking as a mundane, everyday activity where lack of mindfulness is common due to distractions such as mobile phones, music, and overthinking.
Overview
The outcome is a 2.5D digital game that portrays a day in the life of a student. The core mechanic deliberately prevents simultaneous movement and observation. Players must stop moving in order to fully see and notice their surroundings, mirroring real-life inattentiveness during walking.
Through this mechanic, the project investigates how repetition, limited agency, and altered interaction norms can break the “magic circle” of games and cause reflection outside the game.
Process
- Secondary research on attention, mindfulness, and reflective games
- Analysis of games and technologies that encourage slowing down
- User interviews and surveys focused on walking-related distractions
- Ideation of multiple game concepts
- Iterative pilots and playtesting
- Final game development and evaluation
Research and Insights
TKey research themes included hyper attention versus deep attention, slowing down as a design strategy, and breaking the magic circle through relatability, repetition, and emotional impact.
Primary research indicated that players tend to reflect on games after play when mechanics are repetitive, relatable, and create meaningful frustration rather than challenge alone.
Concept Development
Multiple early game ideas were explored, including audio-led navigation with blocked vision, observation-based platformer mechanics, and work-life balance simulations across different professions.
The final direction focused on walking and mindfulness due to its universality, everyday nature, and strong potential for players to draw parallels between in-game actions and real-life behaviour.
Ideation and Pilots
Three pilot versions were tested:
- A Wizard-of-Oz prototype
- A low-fidelity coded prototype
- A higher-fidelity prototype with sound and animation
Findings showed that increased visual fidelity, animation, and sound encouraged slower play, exploration, stronger recall, and greater reflection after gameplay.
Final Design
The final game is divided into two levels representing a single day in the life of a student.
Level 1: Morning routine, market, bus journey, school
Level 2: Return home, playtime, playground
The environments are hand-drawn using 2D sprites arranged to create depth, with frame-by-frame animation to enhance immersion and encourage observation.
Core Mechanics and Features
Three pilot versions were tested:
- Movement and observation are sequential, not simultaneous
- Vision narrows while walking or engaging with phone or music
- Items are discovered only by stopping and waiting
- Distractions include thoughts, social media, and music
- No loss condition; reflection is reinforced through score-based feedback
These mechanics exaggerate everyday distractions to make players aware of similar behaviour in real life.
Evaluation and Outcomes
Thirteen users were evaluated using interviews and Likert-scale questionnaires. Most users became aware of their lack of mindfulness during walks. While behaviour change was limited, reflection and recall were consistently reported.
Key takeaways:
- Limiting player agency creates memorable frustration
- Third-person perspective enables self-reflection
- Repetitive mechanics strengthen recall beyond gameplay
Future Opportunities
- Applying similar mechanics to other everyday behaviours
- Exploring first-person versus third-person reflection
- Extending the framework to conversations, habits, and social interactions
- Conducting larger-scale evaluations with more participants