Fragile Characters & Brutal Worlds: Designing Vulnerability in Immersive Spaces

In most mainstream video games, players are empowered: they possess superhuman abilities, clear goals, and a steady stream of rewards that foster a sense of mastery. Alan Kwan's experimental video games, in contrast, ask a different question: What if the player feels powerless? In his work, protagonists are fragile, and players have limited control over their fate.

In this workshop, through playing a few of his games live and deconstructing the scenes, Alan will demonstrate how interactive mechanics, visual atmosphere, lighting, and sound design can be deliberately used to restrict player agency, reinforce unpredictability, and evoke deep vulnerability. The session culminates in a collaborative Q&A, opening up a broader discussion on player agency in interactive and immersive art.