Brush and Beyond

Understanding the painting process behind historical masterpieces is challenging, especially as many artists have faced personal and health challenges later in their careers. Despite these struggles, the quality and intensity of their work remained exceptional, often concealing their hardships from audiences.

"Brush and Beyond" is a virtual reality game that immerses players in an artists' working environments, capturing their struggle with diseases, and the joy of creating fine art. The game aims to enhance curiosity about artists' stories and offers a dynamic way to learn art history beyond traditional methods.

Team:

Xueer Xia

Role:

Level Designer

Visual Assets Designer

Unity Developer

Tools:

Game Trailer

Target Audiences

Independent game players, students, and teachers who are interested in art history

Health Care Center aims to promote awareness of cataract

From Sketch to Game

Precedents

Usability Test

26 Participants

Casual

Beginner

First experience

XR developer

Voices - Nonlinear Storyline

  • “I am not sure about the initial interaction with the gallery and the blank canvas.”

    “It’s creepy to see there is only one painting in the gallery, others is all blank.”

  • Focus on iconic paintings at Giverny Garden

    Representing Monet’s career and the effects of cataracts

Voices - Teleportation, Painting Tubes Clues bugs

  • “Consider visual cues as well as audio cues for figuring out what color is next to make this more playful or inspire us to find a calming challenge.”

  • Dog footprints as visual clues for users to find color tubes

    Verbal hints for better storytelling and guide users to the next clues

  • “The teleportation takes me to everywhere expect the place I want be… I don’t like to go forward and back.”

  • Uses anchors to limit users’ teleportation area and guide them to the main interactable objects

Design Values

Game design and Storytelling: 

  • Immersive virtual reality experience from artists’ perspective

  • Interactive storytelling of artists' internal battles with illnesses

Educational Value for Cataract Care: 

  • Exploring the personal and health-related struggles of famous artists

  • Highlighting the hidden hardships artists faced away from public view

Education of Art History:

  • Innovative approach about art history and artist biography

  • Educational alternative to conventional art history teaching methods that let audience empathize with artists