Sarah Fritz-Negron
I have a thriving interest in narrative form, spatial theories, video game narrative, code, and postmodern and contemporary literature. Now, I am building a career in the games industry, where the intersection between code and narrative and inclusive design is especially interesting to me. Being aware of the rapid development of new technologies and narrative styles, I firmly believe in agility and adaptability in the academic field and at the job.
Games
Helaku & Nanay
Helaku & Nanay will one day be a lyrical puzzle game, dealing with depression, memory, and the intricate ways of our mind. It is currently on pause and a work in progress!
About my role
I've worked on game and level design, narrative, and art independently for Helaku & Nanay. I also create the code with the help of tutorials and friends who are more advanced in Unity than myself. In other words, the game is my project on all levels!
Create a Critter
Create a Critter was created as part of a 3 week long game jam at Aarhus University. The hybrid game engages children in a digital world by letting them customize the animals populating a fictionalized replica of the harbor area surrounding Dokk1 in Aarhus.
Full ProjectAbout my role
In my team "Nightjar Unlimited" I was responsible for narrative, parts of design research, and art work (using blender and photoshop). I also took care of project planning and pitches.
Writings
Rule-Based Politics.
The player in Papo & Yo cannot die, that is cannot lose level progress, cannot lose to the game, in fact, can only play through the game as fast or as slow as their skills allow or they desire. Papo & Yo refuses all traditional means of a game as it focuses on the narrative and its meaning and frees the player from the “work harder - earn more” mentality of the market that is more often than not reproduced in games. From inside the closet of Quico’s childhood room, the game unravels a 4.5 hour long allegory inspired by magical realism and the game designer’s childhood imagination that conveys the experience of the abusive behavior of the young boy’s alcoholic father. Cultural works such as Papo & Yo that are produced to be sold in the market, such as videogames, and in today’s time arguably any form of art, are often questioned regarding their aesthetic...
Read Full AbstractYou, Others, Them, and Us
In my endeavours of setting foot into a career in narrative design, I have been exploring Twine for personal projects - I hope you enjoy this exploration of social and cognitive space, othering, and more.
Explore the projectAesthetic Form in Rule-Based Systems.
This essay engages in the contemporary discussion about what Caroline Levine refers to as the “New Formalism” by investigating representation of race on the level of aesthetic form in the videogame Detroit: Become Human. The game is a decision- based videogame designed for PlayStation 4 (published in 2018) and has raised many discussions about its insensitivity towards the representation of race. At the same time, the game provides a unique and novel approach to rule-based systems and its procedural rhetoric can be distinguished from other games by its decision-tree structure, its avatar death rules, and its intentional inaccuracy of in-game controls...
Read Full Abstract