Brainstorm

Brainstorm is based on the idea of an internal “brain world”, where emotional and psychological experiences are translated into explorable environments. The main focus is a forest level that exists in two emotional states: 

Dream and Nightmare. 

The theoretical framework draws on visual storytelling, metaphor, emotional game design, and Jungian archetypal theory, including the Shadow, Hero, Child, and Trickster. William Kurelek’s The Maze is used as a key reference for representing the mind as a psychological space. The methodology combines artistic research with iterative development, including sketching, digital concept work, animation testing, and early prototyping. 

Brainstorm argues that conceptual game art can support mental health communication by transforming internal experiences into symbolic environments. Through the Dream and Nightmare forest, an anonymous protagonist, and behavioural design, the thesis demonstrates how a 2D platform game concept can express emotional states in an accessible and non-clinical way.