Consumania
Your goal is simple: stick to your shopping list. Fail, and you’ll spiral into uncontrollable purchasing madness. Step into a futuristic supermarket and dive into the exponential chaos of human overconsumption in the absurd, satirical world of CONSUMANIA!
As part of a collaborative student project at the Royal Danish Design Academy, I served as art director and developer: guiding the game's visual identity and using Unity's visual scripting to bring the game's technical mayhem to life, while keeping the chaos coherent and fun.
Roles: Art Direction ∙ 3D Art ∙ Tech Art ∙ Development
Art Direction and 3D Art
Set in a hyper-consumeristic dystopia, I developed a plastic aesthetic defined by round forms and saturated colors, inspired by toys, candy, and other naive references. I modelled the supermarket’s inventory and shoppers, who express themselves solely through their gadgets. These initial examples guided the 3D artists when creating additional assets, from food items to outdoor buildings - consistent with the defined style.
2D Concept Art and Assets
Imagining a near-future Copenhagen, I defined guidelines: naive, simplified shapes, aligned with the supermarket's aesthetic. These prompted the artists to draw satirical signs, vehicles, and buildings incorporating iconic Danish landmarks. I reviewed these to ensure tone and cohesiveness between 2D and 3D elements, selecting assets to be modelled and added to the game.
Development
I used visual scripting to create a Katamari Damacy-inspired rolling ball of chaos, triggered when touching items that aren't on the player's shopping list. The ball grows as it collects objects, while filtering out larger items to maintain steady, controlled growth.
Playtesting
Our team mapped the player experience to anticipate emotional engagement. Playtesting with FACS and GSR analysis confirmed spikes in excitement - especially during the supermarket breakout. As Art Director, I used such insights to shape color and composition, ensuring the visuals supported the emotional journey we intended.
Credits
Art Direction, 3D Art, Tech Art, Development: Mati Kalter
Narrative Direction, Level Design, 3D Art: Wika Domercka
Concept Art, 3D Art: Sara Lisinka Nielsen
Illustration, 3D Art: Anastasia Jacobsen
Illustration: D.J. Goon
Narrative Direction, Level Design, 3D Art: Wika Domercka
Concept Art, 3D Art: Sara Lisinka Nielsen
Illustration, 3D Art: Anastasia Jacobsen
Illustration: D.J. Goon
