Hello! This is <Lakeside Serenade>, an emotional outdoor escape game unfolding at Daejeon's Daecheongho 500-ri Trail
Let's take a look at what Realworld's planners and designers were thinking and how they created the game?
<Lakeside Serenade> Planner
"We create games by adding stories to real locations."
Q. I'm curious about the planning intention behind Lakeside Serenade.
A. When I first went to survey Daecheongho, I learned that the area used to be a village. I also discovered that many people miss the village that disappeared due to the Daecheong Dam. So I planned the story around the theme of 'longing'.
Q. Is there a reason you chose 'grandfather' as the character in the story?
A. You can express various stories with the theme of longing, right? It could be about first love. But I wanted to tell a story about the deep longing of older people, so I set the main character as a 'grandfather'. I also got inspiration from the movie 'My Love, Don't Cross That River'.
Q. That seems like a really appropriate setting. Is there anything you pay special attention to when planning outdoor escape games?
A. Since it involves moving around outdoors, I think about the movement routes the most. I also pay a lot of attention to what quests and stories would fit well with the actual space.
Q. I see! Was there a moment you felt proud while planning <Lakeside Serenade>?
A. When the actual game came out, I felt proud because it matched well with my planning intentions. I was proud that the space of Daecheongho and the story seemed to fit together well.
Q. It seems like you consider 'connecting space and story' important. Were there any disappointing moments while planning <Lakeside Serenade>?
A. There was a space with wind chimes hanging in the middle of the game course, so I planned a quest using the wind chimes. But when I revisited the site during beta testing, all the wind chimes had blown away and disappeared. I was disappointed that we had to remove that part of the story.
Q. It seems like these problems arise when the location changes. Do you have any tips for playing <Lakeside Serenade>?
A. The story is quite long, but I think it would be good to play while reading the text carefully. Since it's a story about a grandfather reminiscing about memories, there were limits to how much we could condense it. Still, if you read carefully while playing, you can become more immersed, so please read the text thoroughly!
Q. Reading the text thoroughly! Good. What do you think is the charm of 'Daecheongho 500-ri Trail', the game's setting?
A. When it's clear, it feels refreshing and open, making it a really nice place, but when it rains, it has its own charm in the rain - it's a space with various attractions.
Q. It's a space with various charms. Since you planned an emotional theme, are you usually an emotional person?
A. Um... I don't think I'm particularly emotional. But I do like romance dramas.
Q. I see! The difficulty isn't exactly easy - is there a reason you set the difficulty that way?
A. I thought people who visit section 4 of Daecheongho 500-ri Trail probably come to drive with loved ones or to see Daecheongho. So I set the difficulty to medium, hoping that people would work together to solve problems.
Q. There was that reason. Is there a message you want to convey to people through <Lakeside Serenade>?
A. While it tells a story of longing, I think you can only long for something because you had someone to be with. I hope you cherish the people around you more in this moment and create many memories.
Q. Finally, please say a word to those who played <Lakeside Serenade>.
A. Please play a lot and spread the word! Good reviews, likes, and even notification settings! (laughs)
<Lakeside Serenade> Designer
"I don't miss even the smallest details."
Q. I'm curious about your impression of working on <Lakeside Serenade>.
A. <Lakeside Serenade> was created as Daejeon's smart experiential tourism program. So I think it was made through communication and collaboration with many people both inside and outside Realworld. I think we worked through continuous communication.
Q. I see. What aspects did you pay attention to while working on Lakeside Serenade?
A. I tried to remove a lot of colors. I tried to tone it down and design it plainly. When I first read the story, I thought it was like 'a story about things disappearing'. So I tried to express that story through white space, intentionally removing backgrounds and colors to create a lonely atmosphere. So players could immerse themselves more in the story.
Q. So that's why the design feels white. Were there any difficult parts while working on <Lakeside Serenade>?
A. Since I was working in black and white while giving a sense of white space, I was worried that it looked overall plain and boring. It was somewhat difficult to create a design that was both simple and complete.
Q. Through such concerns, a wonderful design was born. <Lakeside Serenade>'s mood is black and white - why did you choose that mood?
A. Since the grandfather's letters are the main content of the story, I used those color tones to give the feeling that the grandfather personally tore paper and wrote on it. I tried to represent the grandfather writing letters with a black pen on white paper.
Q. I see. Did you draw the illustrations throughout the design yourself?
A. Yes. I drew them myself. I deliberately drew them by hand one by one. I don't particularly prefer that kind of work, but since they were elements going into letters, I judged that I had to draw them by hand.
Q. Now I'm curious about the face of the grandfather who wrote the letters.
A. I deliberately didn't draw the grandfather's face. I think the image of 'grandfather' that people conjure through the story would be different for everyone. I didn't want people to be limited to thinking of the 'grandfather' I drew. I didn't include a face so many people could immerse themselves in play while imagining the 'grandfather's' appearance.
Q. It would be even better to play while imagining the grandfather's appearance. There must have been special efforts to bring out the emotional story.
A. Yes. I think the grandfather's letters contain a lot of his feelings in the content itself. So that players could empathize more with the grandfather's feelings and immerse themselves more in the story, I tried to express it realistically. I deliberately put typos in the letters and added many ellipses (...). I tried to make players feel like a real grandfather wrote them.
Q. There were such efforts. Then are you usually an emotional person?
A. I'm often told I'm quite rational. No one is more thorough than me in separating public and private matters, right? (laughs) Despite my usually rational tendencies, I also really love nature.
Q. Then you must have really liked 'Daecheongho 500-ri Trail', the setting for <Lakeside Serenade>.
A. I loved it. The scenery was so beautiful.
Q. Which part of the <Lakeside Serenade> game course did you like most?
A. The place where the scholar was at the end of the game. That part is surrounded by the lake, so it felt like another world. Also, the weather was bad during beta testing, but it was atmospheric and nice.
Q. If you, a designer who loves nature, were to send a message in a bottle, who would you send it to?
A. A message in a bottle... I'd like to leave it for our descendants about 100 years from now. I think I'd write about current problems and concerns of this era. They might think, 'So people had these thoughts back then, it was similar then too.' (laughs)
Q. That's a novel idea. The grandfather's handwriting in <Lakeside Serenade> is really pretty - how is your handwriting?
A. My handwriting is quite varied. But I think it's probably in the top 1% for men. (laughs)
Q. Self-proclaimed beautiful handwriting it is. Finally, please say a word to those who played <Lakeside Serenade>.
A. Please enjoy playing! While playing, take a look around too. Nature is beautiful.
This was a time to glimpse into the thoughts of the planner and designer who worked hard on planning and creating <Lakeside Serenade>!
<Lakeside Serenade> was created as Daejeon City's 2021 smart experiential tourism program and can be played for free on the Realworld app until December. Please play it a lot!
https://rwd.to/download
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