Who can we become when we belong?
Mementorium is a heartfelt story about identity and belonging told through a branching narrative in virtual reality. Uncover memories of gender and sexuality bias inside “mementos” that transport you to a dreamlike environment. Choose your story through playful interactions to transform your “mementorium” into a place of strength and belonging. Shape your story and discover, “who can we become when we belong?”
Development for Mementorium is supported by Oculus through the Oculus Launch Pad 2019 Scholarship.
Press Kit
Who could I have become?
Who can I still become?
Preview Music from Mementorium on Soundcloud
Our musician, Sophia Marlow, composed the original background music for Mementorium. She beautifully sets the tone with her ethereal vocals imbued with a touch of magic.
Explore a memory…
Explore gender and sexuality-based marginalization through an interactive, branching narrative and playful exploration of objects.
Learn how identity development is impacted by cumulative experiences of bias and discover ways to address adversity while acknowledging harm and injustices.
Imagine a world …
Each branching narrative concludes with a choice that transforms the story and allows us to find the strength to move forward while still acknowledging the harm done.
The player returns to the bedroom to find the room transformed by a piece of the magical realm that returns with them.
Gameplay
In Mementorium, the player finds themselves in their childhood bedroom. They explore the room to find objects called mementos. When the user interacts with mementos, this brings up a memory. Interactions could include hugging a stuffed animal or typing on a computer.
Interacting with these objects brings up a memory of a past experience of bias they experienced. The player is then teleported to a magical realm where they play with a memento’s magical version to further explore the narrative.
The player is then faced with a final choice: how to re-story the narrative. The player chooses an option that will acknowledge the harms done, but will also offer a way to move forward.
The player is then teleported back to the bedroom, but a piece of the magical realm returns with them as a representation of their re-storied narrative.
Features:
- Fully voice acted with English subtitles.
- Includes:
- teleportation and free motion;
- height adjustment;
- turn off/on haptic feedback;
- turn off/on subtitles;
- volume adjustments for music, dialogue, and SFX;
- touch or distanced grabbing and interaction;
- left or right, one-handed mode;
- OpenDyslexic font for subtitles and menu.
- The narrative and game design are informed by academic research on virtual reality, learning sciences, gender and sexuality education, and 10+ years of DEI teaching and community organizing in postsecondary, workplace, and community settings.
- Utilizes narrative therapy, interactive narrative, and embodied learning techniques to support learning about gender and sexuality-based marginalization, particularly in STEM and computing education.
- Original soundtrack composed by Sophia Marlow.
Creators:
Dylan Paré
Scout Windsor
John Craig
Additional Credits
Music By:
Sophia Marlow
Sound Design and
Additional Music by:
Dylan Paré
“Bright Young Things” font:
Hugo Beyts
OpenDyslexic Font:
https://www.opendyslexic.org/
Special thanks to:
Allison Lee
John Nesky
(designer of beepbox.co
and rainbowmazes.com)