Video Game «Burn Bright»

Codependency is an acute problem of our time, which nonetheless suffers a lack of awareness and organised help for people dealing with it. In the simplest terms, codependency is a relationship pattern in which one partner needs the other partner, who in turn, needs to be needed. This type of relationship can cause significant impairment in functioning or great distress, but even so, it is still not considered a diagnosis and as a problem remains ignored by the community. The aim of this project was to create a game “Burn Bright”, which would raise awareness about codependent relationships and express what it is like to be in a codependent relationship through a gaming experience. Due to this fact, one of the most important aspect of the game is the duality of the main characters’ relationship, which is expressed both through the mechanics of the game and its art. The main characters - Fire and Candle, travel through the pitch-black caves of their world, forced to be united and literally hurting each other on their way in order to survive. During the course of this diploma work, full design documentation on the game was provided in the format of a book. It covers all aspects of the development process from the origins of the concept to the gaming process and the language of the visuals.