"We wanted to touch on some sweeter emotions, the kind that make you tear up and smile at the same time, not what you usually find in the games biz."In this free GDC Vault video from GDC Next 2013, HumaNature Studios' Greg Johnson (Starflight, ToeJam & Earl) discusses how this PS3, PS4, and PS Vita game's interactive story and world were crafted for emotional connectivity, in the talk "Doki-Doki Universe: Sweet, Simple and Genuine." Other GDC Next 10 talks already available for free include The Odd Gentlemen's Matt Korba on 'using Lego and literary genius to prototype Wayward Manor', Double Fine 'rethinking the adventure genre' for Broken Age, Team Dakota on Microsoft multiplatform MMO Project Spark and 'turning players into creators', Capy's Nathan Vella on Super Time Force and "turning game jam games into 'full' games", and SWERY on D4 and 'taking control of the Xbox One's Kinect.'
Video: connecting emotionally in PlayStation's Doki-Doki Universe
"I think characters actually touching each other, hugging, lifting, slapping, [and] poking is important for emotional impact," Greg Johnson explains in designing for emotional connectivity in Doki-Doki Universe.