Close
Home
Collections
Login
USC Login
Register
0
Selected
Invert selection
Deselect all
Deselect all
Click here to refresh results
Click here to refresh results
USC
/
Digital Library
/
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
/
Oopz-Oofs: the creation of a dog simulator game
(USC Thesis Other)
Oopz-Oofs: the creation of a dog simulator game
PDF
Download
Share
Open document
Flip pages
Contact Us
Contact Us
Copy asset link
Request this asset
Transcript (if available)
Content
Copyright © 2024 Yifan Pu
Oopz-Oofs: The Creation of A Dog Simulator Game
by
Yifan Pu
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC SCHOOL OF CINEMATIC ARTS
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF FINE ARTS
(INTERACTIVE MEDIA)
May 2024
ii
Acknowledgments
First off, a big thank you to my family, my partner Tianxi Ren, and Tilly, the star
of this game. This game wouldn't have seen the light of day without your love and
support.
I would also like to express my gratitude towards my thesis advisors, Richard
Lemarchand and Laird Malamed, as well as my industry advisor, Mariana Mota
Cacique, and all the faculty here at USC Games. Thank you for all the guidance you
provided and your insights really helped me shape this experience.
A hearty thank you to my team members. Your contributions were gold, and
working alongside you has been one of the biggest highlights of this journey. Every
idea and effort you put in has made this experience unique and fascinating.
Shoutout to my cohort and the one below us :) – thanks for the endless ideas and
for being Tilly's second family when I was too tied up. Your support meant the world to
both of us.
And to all the dog lovers around, your enthusiasm has been a massive boost. It's
been a joy to share this journey with you. Your encouragement has kept me going.
Thank you.
iii
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................................... ii
List of Figures.......................................................................................................................................................iv
Abstract....................................................................................................................................................................v
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1: Dogs In Interactive Media ....................................................................................................... 3
Why dogs? ................................................................................................................................................ 3
How does this game feature a dog?............................................................................................ 6
Does this help players understand dogs?................................................................................10
Chapter 2: Simulation Games and Animal Mayhem Games.......................................................... 11
Why do we play simulation games?........................................................................................... 11
Why are Animal Mayhem Games fun?......................................................................................12
Does this fun persist? ........................................................................................................................12
Does Oopz-Oofs achieve that? ..................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 3: Communicating In A Dog’s Way .........................................................................................15
How do dogs perceive this world? ..............................................................................................15
How do dogs communicate?..........................................................................................................16
Why is that a fun topic to explore?.............................................................................................18
Can we make a game without text?...........................................................................................20
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................................22
Bibliography.........................................................................................................................................................24
iv
List of Figures
Figure 1 - Tilly ........................................................................................................................................................ 1
Figure 2 - Stray.....................................................................................................................................................4
Figure 3 - Untitled Goose Game ...................................................................................................................4
Figure 4 - Dog begging..................................................................................................................................... 6
Figure 5 - Part of our action system design document..................................................................... 7
Figure 6 - Skill panel...........................................................................................................................................8
Figure 7 - Our dog model................................................................................................................................. 9
Figure 8 - Hyper-sense mode.......................................................................................................................16
Figure 9 - Hint UI ............................................................................................................................................... 17
Figure 10 - Talking buttons ...........................................................................................................................19
Figure 11 - Tilly with me..................................................................................................................................23
v
Abstract
In this paper, we will explore the representation of dog behaviors and their
perception in interactive media through the development of Oopz-Oofs, a dog
simulator video game inspired by my personal experience of raising a dog, Tilly.
1
Introduction
I'm a huge fan of dogs and recently got the hang of taking care of one. At first,
it was quite a challenge for someone who wasn't quite prepared, but it turned out to be
incredibly fulfilling.
Meet Tilly, the heart and soul behind this project, our team mascot, and, most
importantly, a cherished family member.
Figure 1 - Tilly
Oopz-Oofs is a game for PC and consoles, using the Unity engine, designed for
everyone who loves cute pets. Our diverse team of 20 volunteers, including engineers,
artists, designers, and UI/UX, brings a wide range of skills and scheduling challenges
to the table. Yet our love for dogs, especially for Tilly, keeps us driven and brings this
project to life.
2
This project is developed based on our observations and our interpretation of
dogs. In this paper, we will look at where those ideas come from and how they help us
achieve our experience goals.
We will also look at other games that feature animals as protagonists, and
hopefully, Oopz-Oofs could be a good inspiration for those who want to make animal
games as well.
3
Chapter 1: Dogs In Interactive Media
Why dogs?
Dogs have been an integral part of our lives, winning the title of best friend to
humanity for about 15,000 years (Thalmann & Perri, 2019). We domesticate them and
train them for various emotional and functional purposes. Having raised a dog myself,
I've felt this bond firsthand, which inspired me to create this game that centered
around dogs and their day-to-day interactions with humans.
This game draws inspiration from other interactive media starring animal
characters, too. One is Stray, a 2022 release that follows a cat navigating a postapocalyptic world. The game's positive reception and the way it brought cats into the
spotlight in interactive media motivated me to create a similarly immersive experience
in Oopz-Oofs. The creators of Stray designed the game's levels and puzzles specifically
from a cat's perspective. This approach really resonated with cat lovers and helped
build a community around the game. Inspired by this, we decided to take a similar
path with Oopz-Oofs, creating levels and puzzles that are uniquely suited to dogs
(Stray, 2022).
4
Figure 2 - Stray
The second one is Untitled Goose Game, featuring a goose that wreaks havoc in
a small town. The quirkiness and playful stupidity in the game inspired me to create
gameplay that is equally stupid and weird but in a more engaging way. The complexity
of dog behavior presents an intriguing foundation for the gameplay mechanics,
providing a blend of fun and challenge. And finally, the distinctive art style of Untitled
Goose Game also inspired us to try out unique visual styles in our own game (Untitled
Goose Game, 2020).
Figure 3 - Untitled Goose Game
5
Motivated by the creativity and impact of these games, I was driven to
conceptualize Oopz-Oofs. My vision is to make a game that appeals to the dog-lover
community and leaves a lasting impression on players for a long time.
Dogs vs. Interactive Media
Dogs are also naturally interactive beings. When we engage with animals,
especially dogs, it's a two-way street: we provide them with cues, and they respond,
much like interactive media. Imagine visiting a zoo and observing various species. All
living species have their own way of processing signals and giving feedback.
What sets dogs apart is their self-awareness. They experience a range of
emotions that constantly change. Plus, they're highly adaptable, which is a big reason
why humans have been able to domesticate them into companions. Throughout
domestication, dogs have developed traits you won't find in wild animals. They're not
just loyal; they can understand human thoughts and recognize their role as valued
family members (Siniscalchi et al., 2018). Nowadays, thanks to these traits, dogs can
perform many roles in society, from service animals to rescue dogs and many more.
This makes them ideal protagonists for a thesis game because they have a wide range
of interactions that can be included in interactive gameplay.
The influence of these media
What can Oopz-Oofs contribute to the realm of interactive media? To start, let's
consider the impact of other media on our society.
Marco Caracciolo's concept of "Animal Mayhem" games encapsulates this game
genre well. In such games, we explore the boundary between human and non-human
6
worlds. We get exposed to a world that we, as players, are not familiar with
(Caracciolo, 2021). I'll dive deeper into this later in a dedicated section of this article.
But Oopz-Oofs is not just about creating chaos. I also want it to deliver
wholesome messages. The core message from these stories is consistent and clear:
Dogs are our allies and companions. Humans should love dogs.
So, what message do I want Oopz-Oofs to send exactly? It's a mix of
showcasing the joy dogs bring and highlighting their role as loyal companions. The
game will educate players on dog behavior and encourage dog owners to cherish their
furry friends.
How does this game feature a dog?
Dog Actions
Besides usual activities like walking, running, and sleeping, dogs are capable of
performing various tricks and tasks using different parts of their bodies.
Figure 4 - Dog begging
7
Take the begging gesture as an example. It requires the dog to first bend its
hind legs and sit, use its core muscles to support its body, and then extend its paws
forward. This action utilizes the dog's entire body, and it is quite demanding.
Based on that, we developed a gameplay action system centered around four
basic body parts: Mouth, Paw, Leg, and Tail, highlighted in yellow in our design
document, as shown in Figure 5. These actions reflect the primary ways dogs interact
with their environment, making the game's mechanics realistic. By combining two basic
actions, the dog character can perform an advanced action. We have included four
combo actions in the game, marked in red. The complexity of dog actions offers room
for creativity that allows us to design various kinds of interaction events.
Figure 5 - Part of our action system design document
To better simulate the experience of controlling different parts of a dog's body,
we also designed a special skill panel UI. This UI helps players recognize and learn the
combo mechanics by highlighting available actions in red and marking unavailable
actions transparent.
8
Figure 6 - Skill panel
Art
We created our custom dog model, getting inspiration from photos of Tilly. We
started with concept art. With the help of our 2D artist, we generated the concept art
for our model in two weeks. Then, we went on to the process of crafting this model. Our
animator, Spike Fu, single-handedly modeled and skinned this in a month. The model is
smooth and fits our overall world art style.
However, getting the animations right took us way longer than we thought it
would. We underestimated the complexity of animating movements of a four-legged
creature. We spent a lot of time researching reference videos. The sitting animations
will also require more effort on the skinning, which will make this into a back-and-forth
marathon. The tie, which is a needed feature to highlight the body-swap, would also
need some physics simulation not to look like it was glued on. But eventually we find
ways to work around all the problems.
Despite being a challenging and time-intensive task for a student project, we
still successfully achieved our goal. We're really pleased with the outcome. Players also
like this model. After we polished up the movements, almost every playtester loved to
9
see the dog's animations. Watching the dog do its thing has become a highlight for
them.
Figure 7 - Our dog model
Narrative
The narrative is the heart and soul of our game. It tells an engaging story about
a software engineer who's always working late and hardly has time for his dog. Then,
unexpectedly, they switch bodies. Through this journey, he discovers the value of living
a balanced life, especially when there's a loving dog waiting for you at home. The story
is packed with humor, puns, and insights into the human-dog relationship, making it
not just fun but also touching.
The concept of living in a dog's body isn't new. The movie The Shaggy D.A. shows
a man forced into a dog's body and embarks on an adventure. However, that movie
mostly had him doing human activities, not really diving into the dog-specific actions
(Stevenson, 1976). In Oopz-Oofs, I want to focus more on what it's like to be a dog. Our
game's main character will be living the dog life, engaging in all sorts of dog activities.
10
Does this help players understand dogs?
We designed these dog features hoping to educate players about canine
behavior but determining the right balance between realism and entertainment is a
real challenge. Throughout the design process, we constantly debated whether to
prioritize authenticity or add a touch of fantasy. The question remained: Can we keep it
realistic and still make sure it's enjoyable? Feedback from playtests has been
interesting.
Our approach has been to keep all the mechanics realistic. During our
brainstorming sessions on what a human might do in a dog's body, we always came up
with loads of ideas but stayed true to reality, trimming away many of the fantasy
elements.
The result is in terms of informing players of dog behaviors, almost all the
playtests reported that they learned something about dogs after playing this game.
Despite the game’s low-poly art style, players are still able to understand the dog’s
actions. Playtest survey data revealed that players became more attracted by the
dog's actions as we implemented more and more animations and interactions into the
game. However, several playtesters mentioned in post-playtest interviews that they
wish to see more dog actions, and want to do more things that dogs can do. Given the
game's premise of a body swap between a human and his dog, they also showed
interest in seeing more actions performed by the dog in the human's body.
I believe we have managed to make this game educational, helping players
learn more about dogs. Even though we aimed for realism, playtesters still had fun with
the actions and picked up some valuable insights.
11
Chapter 2: Simulation Games and Animal Mayhem
Games
Why do we play simulation games?
Humans naturally wonder about the world beyond our own experiences. This
leads to the creation of simulation games that offer a glimpse into lives we do not get
to experience in our daily lives. In titles like the renowned The Sims series by Maxis
Studios, players get to create their own life completely based on their imagination and
live it for an extended period of time (The Sims, 2000).
Other simulation games let us become something non-human. Stray is a perfect
example, where you take on the role of a cat, experiencing the world from a cat’s
viewpoint. Everything looks different from down low, and the game allows for climbing,
jumping, meowing, and even spending the day scratching the carpet. These games
amaze players by placing them in entirely new worlds, encouraging deep immersion in
these novel experiences.
The Goal of Oopz-Oofs is to become a combination of both. Marco Caracciolo
described this genre as “Animal Mayhem Games” (Caracciolo, 2021). In our game, you
will find yourself in a body-swap scenario with your dog, still maintaining your human
consciousness and perspectives. But you navigate the game in a dog's body,
experiencing the world through canine senses. This setup offers a unique gameplay
experience, blending human intellect with the instincts and abilities of a dog, allowing
for a mix of human and canine activities.
12
Why are Animal Mayhem Games fun?
Animal Mayhem games attract players by inviting them into a world where they
can experience life from a nonhuman perspective, challenging our usual humancentered view of the world. This shift to experiencing life as an animal adds tons of
novelty and curiosity, sparking fun through exploration and unpredictability. These
games also offer a unique mix of empathy and chaos. By embodying animals, players
navigate scenarios filled with imaginary scenes and playful chaos, providing a break
from the constraints of human society and its rules.
And yet, the fun in Animal Mayhem games stems not just from the gameplay
itself but from the imaginative leap it requires to embody an animal character, leading
to unpredictable and often humorous outcomes. This engagement with the nonhuman
often encourages players to rethink their relationship with animals and the
environment, making the mayhem not just entertaining but thought-provoking. The
result is often player-specific. Because we, as humans, all have different experiences
with the animals portrayed in these games. We all have different backgrounds. These
games just make us reflect on, as humans, what our goals are in this world and how
they are different from these animals (Caracciolo, 2021).
Does this fun persist?
According to VG Insights, which is a website that analyzes game data, the
median time people usually play Goat Simulator is about 6.1 hours, even though you
can finish the majority of the gameplay in 2 hours. Untitled Goose Game has a median
playtime of 5.4 hours, just a bit more than needed to solve all the main puzzles for an
13
average player (Video Game Insights, n.d.). Besides how long people play, their
ongoing popularity, good reviews, and impact on the community all show that they
have reached their goal of bringing joy to players. Both games have found their own
special spot in the gaming world by being different but fun.
It's clear these games have reached their target audience. With Oopz-Oofs, I
aimed to follow in the footsteps of these Animal Mayhem games. I wanted to make a
world where players can freely explore, cause a bit of chaos, and really immerse into
and enjoy this world.
Does Oopz-Oofs achieve that?
There are certain areas in which Oopz-Oofs did well and satisfied the player's
needs.
The game did well showing the fun of being a dog, with a world full of things you
can interact with. Along with the main quest line, there are interactables on the way to
keep the journey filled with joy and surprises. The original dog model and adorable art
style make the dog feel realistic and engaging. Plus, there are lots of actions that can
trigger various reactions from the NPCs. The funny dialogue lines, with puns and jokes,
helped build this imaginary world for players to explore as well.
On the other hand, we ran into some challenges in some areas. Playtesters
pointed out that the feelings of the model and movements are not yet ideal. Given this
is a student project, we anticipated this feedback. We did our best to work around our
limited skills in animation implementation, but the movement and actions still feel a bit
imperfect. It's tricky trying to balance realistic dog movements with the game engine's
physics. In reality, seeing the world from a dog's perspective means looking at things
14
from a lower angle. We attempted to recreate this, but it didn't translate well to a flat
2D screen. Players found it uncomfortable to be looking up all the time. So, we switched
back to a normal known video game camera system, keeping the dog model in an
isometric view familiar to most players.
One thing that’s debatable in these Animal Mayhem games is whether a
complete narrative needs to be integrated. Goat Simulator and Untitled Goose Game
don't really have a deep story. They're more about short tasks and little interactions. On
the other hand, Stray went all out with an engaging story and built a whole new virtual
world, earning a lot of praise. Each of these games follows its own recipe for success
(Goat Simulator, 2014).
For Oopz-Oofs, I chose to include a full-on narrative, which was not an easily
achievable goal for a student project. Imagining the adventures and misadventures of
a human who has swapped bodies with a dog opened up endless possibilities. We spent
a whole year refining the game's story until we got its core just right. But that left us
with not enough time to polish the content and the implementation. Everyone has their
own idea of what life as a dog is, and we wanted to make sure the game was detailed
enough to include all the narrative beats that we planned out.
Based on the current iteration of the project one-month prior to completion, the
feedback was mixed. From our post-playtest interviews, nearly all the playtesters were
captivated by the story, always curious about what was going to happen next.
However, many also pointed out that the story progressed too fast, and sometimes it
lacked content to seamlessly connect the different parts of the narrative.
15
Chapter 3: Communicating In A Dog’s Way
How do dogs perceive this world?
First off, it's a well-known fact that dogs have a much better sense of smell than
humans. Dogs use their sharp sense of smell for communication within their own
species and with others, including humans. This ability has been harnessed by people
for thousands of years. Whether they are locating a hidden snack or tracking down a
scent, dogs rely heavily on their exceptional olfactory skills to navigate and interact
with their surroundings (Kokocińska-Kusiak et al., 2021).
In Oopz-Oofs, we tried to simulate that by creating a hyper-sense mechanism.
The player can enter into the smell state and visually see the smells on the screen, and
the smells indicate the interest points of where the player should go next. During
playtests, a number of players mentioned that they loved the direction of the smell
effect, and they thought it was an accurate simulation of what a smell would look like.
Next, the way dogs experience time isn't the same as ours. They're able to take
in more visual information quicker than humans can—about 25% faster. This means
from our dogs' perspective, our actions appear slow and chunky. This is a key reason
why dogs often seem to react more swiftly and move faster than we do (Healy et al.,
2013).
Last but not least, dogs can receive visual information as well, but they see less
color than we do. They see the world in a way that's pretty similar to how humans with
green-red color blindness do. (Neitz et al., 1989).
16
In Oopz-Oofs, we simply created a color filter for the camera that makes
everything black and white when players enter hyper-sense mode. This not only gives a
taste of how dogs see this world but also helps players identify the potential smell
interest points by highlighting the smells using color contrast.
Figure 8 - Hyper-sense mode
How do dogs communicate?
Dogs mainly use visual and acoustic signals to communicate.
Visual communication is quite straightforward: dogs move their body, like the
positioning of different body parts, to express their feelings and intentions. They can
control a wide range of body movements for this purpose. Yet, as humans, we often
miss or misinterpret these cues. For instance, dogs might use their gaze to signal
another being to maintain distance, a warning that humans frequently overlook,
sometimes leading to unintended injuries. It is also less known that a dog's raised tail is
a friendly gesture, while a stiff, low tail often indicates anxiety or stress. Research has
also shown that dogs can use subtle facial expressions to communicate with others and
17
convey their emotions (Siniscalchi et al., 2018). All this information really shows the
importance of educating people about the signals dogs use to communicate.
In Oopz-Oofs, we made visual communication clear and simple. We picked out
eight common actions dogs use and let players use these actions to interact with the
game world and move the story along. We made it easier for players to understand
what dog actions mean by adding cartoon-style hints on the screen. Playtesters have
mentioned that this setup helped them understand some of the dog's actions more
easily.
Figure 9 - Hint UI
Acoustic communication in dogs also plays an important role. Domestic dogs
have a wide and complex range of vocal sounds. Through domestication, they have
developed vocal expressions that carry more social meanings compared to their wild
counterparts. And dogs have acquired a tendency to vocalize more during interactions
with humans. That’s why dog raisers sometimes feel like their dogs are talking to them,
in complete sentences. Today, humans also have the ability to categorize dogs’
vocalizations and understand their meaning (Siniscalchi et al., 2018).
In Oopz-Oofs, we integrated two main types of dog vocalizations. The first is
barking, a dog's go-to method for getting attention. Barking can signal various things,
18
like greeting, warning, seeking attention, or showing excitement during play. These are
all covered in the game. In post-playtest interviews, players mentioned that they were
able to recognize the different contexts in which barking was used within the game.
The second vocal cue we included is whining, which is played with the begging action in
the game. Whining oftentimes indicates stress, but it is also commonly used when
seeking attention. It fits perfectly with a begging gesture, especially when the dog
character really wants to obtain something from another being.
Why is that a fun topic to explore?
Dogs don't communicate using systematic languages like humans. We've
brought dogs into our lives, using human words to label their actions. But for dogs,
language isn't necessary to understand what we're talking about. Over thousands of
years, they have evolved in a way that they can now understand our social cues and
emotions, which makes them our closest friends. It's easy to underestimate animals,
thinking they are simpler than us, but often, they are far more sophisticated than we
think.
They have their own way of getting messages across but they still manage to
understand our human languages pretty well. Dogs can learn the meaning of up to 200
words, associating them with their corresponding objects. They also pick up on human
voice tones, using them to analyze our reactions to new or unclear situations and
responding appropriately (Siniscalchi et al., 2018).
This is portrayed in the game by having little talking buttons on the ground.
Inspired by viral internet products, these buttons allow dogs to 'speak' using prerecorded phrases or words from their owners. It's a little enlightening feature that
19
playtesters have found both amusing and insightful, which was mentioned a lot of
times in our post-playtest interviews.
Figure 10 - Talking buttons
In Oopz-Oofs, our aim was to offer a taste of a dog's life from their perspective.
We wanted to keep text usage to a minimum outside of the essential narrative
storytelling. We focused on visual storytelling instead and used smells to guide players
through the game, helping them understand the ongoing events and what they needed
to do next to progress the story. Players have reported that, after just one playthrough,
they were able to grasp what was happening in the game world and the motivations of
the character clearly.
However, our ultimate goal was to forge an emotional connection between the
player and both the human and dog characters in the game. According to playtest
feedback, we have somewhat succeeded in creating a bond between players and the
player characters. Yet, a significant number of playtesters mentioned that they
struggled to truly connect with the dog character.
My interpretation is that there are two main reasons for this. First, players are
essentially still humans inside a dog's body, experiencing a dog's life from a human's
20
viewpoint, not truly adopting a canine mindset. Even though players can perform doglike actions, these actions are based on human interpretations. Second, the game
doesn't spend enough time exploring the dog's experiences in the human's body. The
gameplay related to this dog-human dynamic makes up only about a quarter of the
total playtime. For players to really bond with a character, they need more time and
interactions with them.
Overall, Oopz-Oofs has done a decent job, but there is a lot of room for
improvement.
Can we make a game without text?
In the creation of Oopz-Oofs, we came across a fascinating concept: many
games rely purely on visual and sound cues over text-based communication. Given that
dogs and most animals communicate without a structured language system, the
question comes up: Humans over thousands of years have developed our own
language tools, but can we achieve things without pre-established language systems?
In Oopz-Oofs, due to the project's scope, we still used the conventional
approach of using dialogue for storytelling. Playtesters have found that having text to
guide them makes the game's objectives and direction much clearer. However, given
more time, it would be fascinating to experiment with a game design where everything
is conveyed through visual and sound signals. Just like realistic dogs, players only use
visuals, smells, and sounds for navigation and interaction within the game. The
downside is that we'd miss out on the puns, flavor text, and other language-based
humor that add richness to the narrative. Thus, finding the right mix between visual
21
storytelling and textual content is essential in game development. This topic is
something I'm eager to delve into further in the future.
Next Steps
If we decide to keep working on this game after this semester, it really has the
potential to grow into something bigger.
The first thing we would do is to complete the action sheet. With the four basic
actions leading to twelve advanced ones, we'd have sixteen actions in total. This would
make the gameplay richer with more actions. Dogs also have arms and legs just like us
humans do, and they can perform way more kinds of actions than we could imagine.
Next thing would be to design more content about the dog in the human’s body.
Right now we only interact with our humans when we are back at home. But imagine
the endless fun we could have if we took our dog-human out into the wider world.
Finally, we would aim to strengthen the core gameplay loop. Initially, I
envisioned creating a survival game, but making that along with a complete narrative
seemed too ambitious for a one-year project, so we cut the survival element. This game
could easily transform into a compact open-world adventure. We have designed our
town level to encourage explorations, and some playtesters even say it's too big.
Turning it into an open-world setting would be perfect for adding more interactions
and events, making the town an even richer environment to explore. With more dogcentric things to do, players can definitely be more engaged with Oopz-Oofs.
22
Conclusion
Dogs are amazing. They're great friends to us and so much fun to play with. Our
love for dogs is what made this game happen.
Oopz-Oofs did a solid job of translating dog behaviors into game controls,
creating a fun story about dogs, and making players feel close to the characters.
Players enjoy causing chaos in the game's cute town while moving the story forward to
see what's next for our characters.
But Oopz-Oofs could've done more with the idea of a dog in a human's body.
Looking back, I wish I'd thought more about this aspect because it's crucial to showing
why dogs act the way they do.
Overall, this game is a simple simulation of being a dog. It doesn't cover
everything about dogs - there's so much interesting stuff and research out there. I
wanted to include it all, but the time and scope is a hard limit on what we could
achieve.
As we wrap up this creative and interesting project, I hope it sparks inspiration
in other dog lovers or any animal fans to create more games about animals, with them
as the star of the show. Whether it's a cute story or total chaos, I'm all for more games
that tell people how those animals live their lives.
Again, a big thanks to my team and everyone who supported us.
23
Figure 11 - Tilly with me
24
Bibliography
Caracciolo, M. (2021). Animal mayhem games and nonhuman-oriented thinking. GAME
STUDIES (COPENHAGEN), 21(1), Article 1. http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU8704764
Goat Simulator. (2014). [Video game]. Coffee Stain Studios.
Healy, K., McNally, L., Ruxton, G. D., Cooper, N., & Jackson, A. L. (2013). Metabolic rate
and body size are linked with perception of temporal information. Animal
Behaviour, 86(4), 685–696. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.06.018
Kokocińska-Kusiak, A., Woszczyło, M., Zybala, M., Maciocha, J., Barłowska, K., &
Dzięcioł, M. (2021). Canine Olfaction: Physiology, Behavior, and Possibilities for
Practical Applications. Animals, 11(8), Article 8.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082463
Neitz, J., Geist, T., & Jacobs, G. H. (1989). Color vision in the dog. Visual Neuroscience,
3(2), 119–125. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0952523800004430
Siniscalchi, M., D’Ingeo, S., Minunno, M., & Quaranta, A. (2018). Communication in Dogs.
Animals, 8(8), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani8080131
Stevenson, R. (Director). (1976). The Shaggy D.A. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Stray. (2022). [Video game]. BlueTwelve Studio / Annapurna Interactive.
Thalmann, O., & Perri, A. R. (2019). Paleogenomic Inferences of Dog Domestication. In
C. Lindqvist & O. P. Rajora (Eds.), Paleogenomics: Genome-Scale Analysis of
Ancient DNA (pp. 273–306). Springer International Publishing.
https://doi.org/10.1007/13836_2018_27
The Sims. (2000). [Video game]. Maxis Studios / Electronic Arts.
Untitled Goose Game. (2020). [Video game]. House House / Panic.
Video Game Insights. (n.d.). Video Game Insights. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from
https://vginsights.com
Abstract (if available)
Linked assets
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
Conceptually similar
PDF
The Glitch Witch
PDF
Installation wizard: how communication makes or breaks a game
PDF
Jizo No Akumu: A psychological horror game exploration of generational trauma and mixed-race identity
PDF
Exploring space literally & figuratively in Eight Moons to Eternity
PDF
Iterating adaptation in Morte Arthure: a perspective on adapting literature to interactive media
PDF
Brinkmanship and the process of narrative design
PDF
A game called Paako: the challenge of an autobiographical video game
PDF
Courier: Dragons Within, a video game. An exploration into the magic circle as healing circle: restorative game design for a masculine framework free from the template of domination [document]
PDF
Earth and ash: inventing (not reinventing) within interactive spaces
PDF
Grandma Green: kindness in bloom
PDF
Garden designing a creative experience with art and music orchestra
PDF
Shepherds - cooperating from divergent path: a design exploration
PDF
The mountain calls: an exploration of immersive storytelling through art and level design
PDF
Cards of Heart: a cozy role-playing card game for promoting mental health
PDF
Montage of interaction: conceptual exploration and creative practice
PDF
Wandering light: an interactive visual novel
PDF
Free Will: a video game
PDF
Untitled: an exploration of virtual reality as a cinematic medium
PDF
The Darkest Plague: insights on the development of an action adventure game
PDF
Hedge hug -- a narrative-driven interactive exploration on low self-esteem and social anxiety
Asset Metadata
Creator
Pu, Yifan
(author)
Core Title
Oopz-Oofs: the creation of a dog simulator game
School
School of Cinematic Arts
Degree
Master of Fine Arts
Degree Program
Interactive Media
Degree Conferral Date
2024-05
Publication Date
04/17/2024
Defense Date
04/16/2024
Publisher
Los Angeles, California
(original),
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
Dog,OAI-PMH Harvest,Oopz-Oofs,simulation game
Format
theses
(aat)
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Lemarchand, Richard (
committee chair
), Bilson, Danny (
committee member
), Russworm, TreaAndrea (
committee member
)
Creator Email
yifanpu@usc.edu
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113880159
Unique identifier
UC113880159
Identifier
etd-PuYifan-12828.pdf (filename)
Legacy Identifier
etd-PuYifan-12828
Document Type
Thesis
Format
theses (aat)
Rights
Pu, Yifan
Internet Media Type
application/pdf
Type
texts
Source
20240418-usctheses-batch-1142
(batch),
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Access Conditions
The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright.
Repository Name
University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location
USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA
Repository Email
cisadmin@lib.usc.edu
Tags
Oopz-Oofs
simulation game