TCRE: A3 | Violet, the Unreal World: Naturally Unusual
- Sep 29, 2024
- 8 min read
Introduction
Violet, the Unreal World is a project born out of a fascination with how colour shapes our perception of the world around us. By exploring the psychological and emotional impact of two contrasting colours—green and violet—this project seeks to unravel the delicate balance between what we consider familiar and natural, and what feels alien, unsettling, and unreal.
Through the creation of an experimental game titled Naturally Unusual, I delve into how colour, sound, and motion can distort our sense of reality, forcing us to confront the unknown in an environment that once seemed safe and predictable.
In essence, this project puts the player in a first-person perspective, allowing them to explore a natural, lush green forest. But with just the click of a mouse, they are plunged into a drastically different version of that same environment—one bathed in violet, a colour that screams of the unnatural. The player’s sense of safety is replaced by one of confusion and unease, as violet washes over the environment, distorting not only its appearance but the way it feels.
Gameplay Overview: Entering the Two Worlds
Naturally Unusual is an interactive experience that contrasts the serene with the surreal. Players start the game exploring a familiar forest setting, experiencing it through a first-person view. The world is exactly as we expect nature to be—calm, vibrant, and alive. Green leaves sway gently in the breeze, birds sing overhead, and the ambient sounds of the forest fill the air. The visual fidelity in this scene is intentionally designed to mirror real life. Everything about this setting feels “right” because it taps into our everyday understanding of the world around us.
But then, with a simple click of the mouse, everything changes. The colours shift to harsh, pulsating violet tones, and the player is thrust into a new reality where the environment feels unsettling. The trees are the same, the paths are still familiar, but the colour palette has morphed into something that defies nature. The violet world warps the player’s sense of comfort and security, transforming the once-idyllic forest into something strange, alien, and discomforting.
Violet: The Colour of the Unreal
Violet is often referred to as “the unreal colour,” a shade rarely found in nature, and this association with the unnatural is exactly why it plays such a central role in this project. Throughout history, violet has been used in media, art, and cinema to represent the mysterious, the evil, or the supernatural. It’s a colour that evokes a sense of the unknown, unsettling us in ways that green—widely recognised as the colour of life and nature—does not. While green is grounded in the natural world, symbolising growth, balance, and harmony, violet is tied to extremes. Its connection to both red (a colour of energy and passion) and blue (a colour of calm and stability) gives violet a duality that is both intriguing and disorienting.
In Naturally Unusual, violet becomes the visual representation of the unreal. As soon as the player clicks, the calm natural world is replaced by one dominated by violet. This world feels dangerous and unnatural, evoking emotions tied to fear and unease. The intention behind this design choice was to use violet to challenge the player’s perception of reality, placing them in an environment that defies their expectations and disrupts their comfort.
Visual Design: Blurring the Lines Between Reality and the Unreal
The visual approach in Naturally Unusual was heavily influenced by natural science and human perception. The first part of the game—the natural world—is designed to mimic the way we see the world around us. Using a 50mm focal length, the camera’s perspective closely matches the human eye’s field of view. There’s no distortion in this scene; the colours are exactly what we would expect—green leaves, blue skies, warm sunlight. The goal here was to create a sense of realism and immersion that would allow players to feel like they are truly inside a real forest.
To enhance this sense of realism, I employed subtle visual effects like motion blur and depth of field. These effects simulate how our eyes process movement and focus, further immersing the player in the natural world. The visuals in this scene are intentionally balanced, with lighting and colour carefully calibrated to create a harmonious, welcoming environment.
However, everything changes in the violet world. Once the player clicks, the familiar visuals are replaced by harsh violet hues that vibrate across the screen, immediately unsettling the viewer.
The natural landscape becomes distorted, with elements warping and bending at the edges of the screen. A black vignette closes in around the player’s field of view, limiting their vision and forcing them to focus on the centre of the screen. This intentional narrowing of the visual field creates a sense of claustrophobia and disorientation, as if the violet world is closing in on the player.
Lighting plays a critical role in this transition as well. In the natural world, the lighting is soft and balanced, allowing players to see everything clearly. In the violet world, however, the lighting becomes more dramatic, with shadows creeping into the scene and certain areas blacking out entirely. This creates a sense of unease, as players are unable to see what lies beyond the immediate area, further enhancing the feeling of disorientation.
Sound Design: Shifting from Natural to Unnatural
Sound plays an equally important role in shaping the player’s experience in Naturally Unusual. In the natural world, the sound design is subtle and grounded. I deliberately chose to use only diegetic sounds—those that originate within the game world itself. There is no background music or off-screen audio in this section; instead, the player hears the soft rustling of leaves, the gentle chirping of birds, and the ambient hum of insects. These sounds are all familiar and comforting, creating a soundscape that mirrors everyday life. This decision was made to reinforce the naturalness of the green world, grounding the player in a reality that feels safe and recognisable.
However, when the player transitions into the violet world, the soundscape shifts dramatically. The diegetic sounds of nature are replaced by a haunting, non-diegetic soundscape. A harsh wind howls through the violet forest, accompanied by eerie, unsettling music. The once familiar sounds of the forest are now overlaid with ominous tones, creating an atmosphere that feels wrong, as though the world itself is crying out in pain. The audio in this section is designed to keep the player on edge, constantly alert to the strange and unfamiliar sounds around them. The absence of natural sounds and the presence of a more abstract, horror-like audio track amplify the feeling that the violet world is not just different—it is inherently unsafe.
The Design Process: From Colour Harmony to a Surreal Game
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Early Inspiration: Colour Harmony and Contrast
• Foundation of the Project:
At the heart of Violet, the Unreal World is the interplay between two complementary colours—green and violet. These colours sit on opposite sides of the colour wheel, forming a natural visual contrast.
• Green: Symbolises nature, life, growth, and stability. It is calming and familiar, evoking feelings of safety and harmony.
• Violet: Represents the unreal, the otherworldly, and the unknown. It is often associated with mystery, transformation, and unnatural elements.
• Initial Concept:
The idea of using these two colours to explore a transition between natural and unnatural worlds emerged early. Green would anchor the player in a recognisable, grounded environment, while violet would plunge them into an unsettling, alien world. This contrast of familiarity versus unease became the project’s thematic backbone.
Weeks 3 and 4: Early Prototyping and Visual Exploration
• Experimenting with Perception:
In Weeks 3 and 4, the visual design began to take shape. The focus was on testing how colour, movement, and sound could alter a viewer’s perception of an environment.
• Prototype Development:
The first working version was a simple video asset. It visually depicted the shift between a natural (green) and surreal (violet) environment, giving an early glimpse into how these colours could communicate emotional and psychological contrasts.
• Challenges Identified:
While the video was visually engaging, it lacked two key aspects:
1. Immersion: The static nature of the video did not fully draw viewers into the world. There was a clear distance between the viewer and the environment.
2. Interactivity: The passive format didn’t allow for an active engagement with the experience. The transformation between green and violet happened to the viewer, rather than because of the viewer’s actions.
Week 6 to 8: Addressing the Lack of Narrative
• Recognising a Narrative Gap:
By Week 6, it became clear that the visual shifts alone were not enough to evoke the intended emotional depth. The project needed more than a surface-level transformation; it required an environmental narrative that would guide the viewer through the experience.
• Adding Sound as a Narrative Element:
To create a more immersive world, I began experimenting with sound design in Magic Visual. Sound became a critical narrative device, helping to convey the emotional shifts that accompanied the visual changes.
• Transition to Blender:
As the need for greater control over the environment became evident, I transitioned from working in video formats to using Blender. This 3D software allowed for more complex world-building, where both visual and auditory elements could interact dynamically.
• Blender’s Advantages:
Blender enabled me to push the boundaries of the world I was building, offering greater flexibility in:
Environmental Design: I could sculpt a space that felt both real and surreal.
Lighting and Textures: I could use Blender’s advanced rendering to create lighting and textures that deepened the contrast between the natural and the unreal.
Week 9: The Shift to Interactive Gameplay
• Reevaluating the Format:
By Week 9, influenced by feedback from my peers and inspiration from interactive games like Minecraft, I realised that a video alone wouldn’t capture the full potential of the experience. The project needed to become an interactive game, allowing players to trigger and experience the shift from the natural to the surreal in real-time.
• Interactive Transformation:
Moving from a video format to a game brought a new level of engagement:
• Player Agency: The transformation between the green and violet worlds became something the player could control. They could now actively switch between these worlds, making the experience more personal and impactful.
• Dynamic World-Building: The environment no longer felt static. In the game format, I could create a world that changed in response to the player’s actions, heightening immersion and emotional resonance.
• Focusing on Immersion:
With this shift, my focus turned to designing a virtual world that felt alive and dynamic. The goal was to create a space where players could truly lose themselves, constantly shifting between what felt familiar and what felt strange.
Conclusion
Violet, the Unreal World is more than just a game—it is an exploration of how colour, sound, and movement shape our perception of reality. Through the contrast between the calming green world and the unsettling violet world, the project challenges the player’s senses and invites them to question what is real and what is unreal. The journey from concept to completion was filled with discovery, experimentation, and problem-solving, ultimately resulting in a game that pushes the boundaries of interactive design.
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