iSpooks

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to analyse and explain the 'design decision making' behind iSpooks, an audio based adventure game for the iPhone. The game utilizes audio as its principle mechanism for driving the gameplay. The design and production team therefore had to reconsider the ways in which a mobile phone game is developed and how it works. This resulted in some innovative and previously untried techniques in the design process and technical solutions developed for the project. As such, this paper reviews existing knowledge in game design for sound based games, and describes the background and development process of the iSpooks game. In doing so, this paper describes game aspects such as, sound design, designing for the casual gamer, finding appropriate narrative forms and creating non-visual immersion.