G&C’s Ian Gaudreau Demoing SoundSelf at PAX East 2014
Amidst the wide variety of indie games at PAX East 2014, one of the most unique games we demoed was SoundSelf. “SoundSelf is the collision of centuries old meditation technology with the video-game trance. Turn off the lights, amp up the volume, and use your voice to fall through an odyssey of light and body”:
What initially caught our eye with SoundSelf was its incorporation of the Oculus Rift, a pair of virtual reality goggles that literally puts you in the game. SoundSelf also uses a microphone, which is one of the few games that uses both sight and voice in order to play. “I am really interested in the disconnect that people feel while playing video games”, says SoundSelf creator Robin Arnott, “I wanted to create a game that is hyperfocused on a trans experience”. Arnott went on to say that SoundSelf was inspired from an LSD experience, leading to a game that “makes yourself not feel human” while playing.
At PAX East, SoundSelf was one of the only indie games, or any game for that matter, that incoprated the Oculus Rift into its gameplay. Arnott stressed that the Oculus is used because it brings isolation and nothing works as well as the Oculus Rift for forgetting your surroundings. Although the Oculus can be used, it is not necessary to play the game. A microphone (which are often built into a computer’s webcam hardware) and a screen are the only necessary requirements. Definitely one of the more unique angles of an indie game, SoundSelf is not goal-oriented; you simple enjoy yourself playing the game. While playing, the sounds you make into the microphone correlate with dancing colors and designs on-screen. Even after playing for a few minutes, SoundSelf is a really easy way to zone out, relax, and simply enjoy a psychedelic gaming adventure. SoundSelf had a successful Kickstarter and is also available for preorder on their website for $30.
We also learned that SoundSelf will be featured in an upcoming documentary, GameLoading: Rise of the Indies, so be sure to keep an eye out!
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