Overview:

The Story of: Van Gogh is an emotional, first-person narrative experience that explores the life, struggles, and legacy of one of history’s most influential artists. Set in a highly immersive and historically accurate environment, players journey through key moments in Vincent van Gogh's life, from his time in Zundert and Nuenen to his artistic awakening in Paris and his tragic end in Auvers-sur-Oise.

This project aims to bridge historical storytelling and interactive media by offering a powerful documentary-style game that not only educates but deeply moves the player. The game focuses on Vincent’s mental state, emotional depth, and artistic journey, capturing both his genius and fragility.

The goal of the project is to experiment with technology but also to see how we can create a respectful and thought-provoking digital memorial, one that allows players to reflect on themes like isolation, creativity, family, and purpose while exploring this through interactive storytelling.

My Responsibilities:

As the Director and Project Manager of The Story of: Van Gogh, I was responsible for shaping both the creative vision and technical direction of the game. My key responsibilities included:

• Creative Direction: Defining the tone, themes, and narrative arc of the experience. I ensure the portrayal of Van Gogh remains emotionally authentic and historically respectful.
• Game & Level Design: Designing core gameplay systems and helping with level layouts that reflect Van Gogh’s inner world with real-life references such as Nuenen and Auvers-sur-Oise.
• Cinematic Implementation: Writing and directing cinematic sequences that emphasize storytelling through environment and player interaction.
• Team Coordination: Managing a multidisciplinary team of 10 members from my Hobby studio, SanForge Studio, assigning tasks, setting deadlines, and facilitating collaboration using tools like Trello, GitHub, and VSCode.
• Development: I work directly in Unreal Engine 5 on both Blueprint and C++ implementations for core mechanics and interactions.

Through this project, I aimed to combine historical accuracy with emotional storytelling, pushing the boundaries of what serious games can achieve.

Project Details:

• Team Composition: 10 Team Members
• Roles: Director & Project Manager
• Type: Video Game & Serious Game
• Timeframe: 4 to 5 Years
• Status: In Development
• Platform: Windows
• Tools: Unreal Engine, Github, VSCode, Trello, Blender

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