Problematic & Core Purpose
Developed as an academic graduation project, this 2D indie platformer demo directly addresses the problematic of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and the psychological pressures driven by idealized beauty standards in digital media. The project's core purpose is to prove that characters can be deeply appealing, aesthetic, and emotionally engaging without conforming to conventional norms of beauty.
Design Methodology & Production Pipeline
To achieve this, aesthetic philosophy theories were translated into unconventional, fully original hand-drawn character forms and an authorial visual narrative illustrated entirely by me. Developed in Godot Engine, generative AI was utilized strictly as an assistant to produce cohesive, moody 2D level design assets through rigorous prompt engineering, while every other element—from mechanics and animations to custom UI/UX and storyboarding—remains an authentic, solo design endeavor.
Empirical Validation & Delivery
This thesis was empirically tested and validated by having the target audience play the playable demo, followed by qualitative focus groups and user surveys. The results confirmed that participants demonstrated a 0% body comparison tendency, perceiving the figures purely as expressive, autonomous works of art. Released on Itch.io, the project bridges visual communication design, critical theory, and functional game development into an evidence-based portfolio deliverable.
Gameplay video link below:
https://youtu.be/TEiWu6KReDs…Problematic & Core Purpose
Developed as an academic graduation project, this 2D indie platformer demo directly addresses the problematic of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and the psychological pressures driven by idealized beauty standards in digital media. The project's core purpose is to prove that characters can be deeply appealing, aesthetic, and emotionally engaging without conforming to conventional norms of beauty.
Design Methodology & Production Pipeline
To achieve this, aesthetic philosophy theories were translated into unconventional, fully original hand-drawn character forms and an authorial visual narrative illustrated entirely by me. Developed in Godot Engine, generative AI was utilized strictly as an assistant to produce cohesive, moody 2D level design assets through rigorous prompt engineering, while every other element—from mechanics and animations to custom UI/UX and storyboarding—remains an authentic, solo design endeavor.
Empirical Validation & Delivery
This thesis was empirically tested and validated by having the target audience play the playable demo, followed by qualitative focus groups and user surveys. The results confirmed that participants demonstrated a 0% body comparison tendency, perceiving the figures purely as expressive, autonomous works of art. Released on Itch.io, the project bridges visual communication design, critical theory, and functional game development into an evidence-based portfolio deliverable.
Gameplay video link below:
https://youtu.be/TEiWu6KReDsWW…