Nevermind is a biofeedback-enhanced adventure thriller game that takes you into the darkly surreal world of the subconscious. As you explore the abstract world within the minds of trauma survivors and solve the cryptic puzzles, optional biofeedback technology monitors moment-to-moment indications of anxiety, adjusting the difficulty of the game in real time. Nevermind creates a haunting gameplay experience that also teaches players how to be more aware of internal responses to stressful situations and seeks to engage and educate players about trauma and potentially become a tool that may be used within a therapeutic context.

Nevermind uses consumer off the shelf (COTS) biofeedback sensors as well as standard webcams (on the Windows and Mac versions) to interact with its game engine. The ubiquity of fitness wearables and other non-medical biometric devices allows for this extension into the games space, further expanding the Internet of Things into unexpected areas.

Nevermind began life as a thesis project of a grad school classmate, Erin Reynolds, and I have had some involvement with it even before it became a commercial product. My primary role on Nevermind was VR Lead, adapting an existing game experience from a traditional “flat screen” model into the medium of VR, while still maintaining the look and feel of the original and, most importantly, its signature biofeedback component.

I was also the Creative Producer for Nevermind, wearing many hats as a result (as one does in a small indie studio). As Creative Producer, my responsibilities included casting and directing the voice actors, organizing and implementing localization translations for ten languages (EFIGS, CCJK, Rus., Port.), ratings certifications, web design and maintenance, marketing, community management, working closely with all our employees and subcontractors (programmers, artists, sound designers, audio engineers) and overall game and studio strategy with the CEO.