Name Reservation Project
game design - code - UI/UX
NRP (Name Reservation Project) is a divination tool set in a dystopian universe where the party in power, the State, requires that all future offsprings be registered with a fixed unique name reserved, prior to birth or even conception.
Project Team: Rama Reshpande
My Role: Concept, Unity coder, Design
Project Duration: 3 weeks (May 2022)
Background
Vedic Astrology birth charts, commonly used in India, combine numerology and planetary positions into a "kundli" or "jatakam" to predict a person’s life, traits, career, and relationships. These birth charts are divided into 12 houses, showing the ascendant (zodiac sign) and positions of 9 planets or grahas as they appeared at birth. Each house represents different life aspects. The 12 zodiacs are numbered and arranged clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on the region.
Traditionally, these charts also suggest the starting syllable for naming a newborn. Inspired by this, we created our own name generator.
Ideation
Playtest 1In the first round, we used paper cards to map the birth chart and employed tracery to display possible character traits. Feedback indicated the concept and story were unclear, and it needed a stronger narrative and context around the name generation.
Playtest 2
We explored narratives like naming a future child or discovering an alternative name for oneself. Testers also requested more details on the name’s meaning and the traits associated with the planets.
We explored narratives like naming a future child or discovering an alternative name for oneself. Testers also requested more details on the name’s meaning and the traits associated with the planets.
Images from final gameplay
Reflection & Learning
This was my first truly speculative project. I found it challenging to think about the future, especially from the perspective of design strategy, futuring and system design. I was more comfortable thinking of alternate realities from a science fiction lens, probably owing to popular culture. Creating the NPR system allowed me to cater to both. Situating this divination system in a dystopian world and then designing an apt interface to interact with the tool was a wonderful chance to learn how to tie a narrative with UX design.
