Lost Time
A ‘Found Phone’ Mobile Game Case Study
For the final major project of my Master’s degree, I created a ‘found phone’-style mobile game, titled Lost Time. Inspired by titles such as Sara is Missing and A Normal Lost Phone, the 2D game simulates a mobile phone environment and invites players to explore the main character’s secrets contained within.
I took charge of the entire game development process, from planning and research to development and marketing.
My roles: Ideation, project management, narrative writing, UX research and design, UI design, programming, user testing and debugging, web and graphic design, copywriting
Tools used: Adobe XD, Unity 2D, WordPress
My roles: Ideation, project management, narrative writing, UX research and design, UI design, programming, user testing and debugging, web and graphic design, copywriting
Tools used: Adobe XD, Unity 2D, WordPress
Why a 'found phone' game?
‘Found phone’ (FP) games are an immersive gaming experience meant to allow players to explore the most intimate and personal element in someone’s life: by simulating a mobile phone. Although this is a relatively new genre popularised in the late 2010’s with titles such as Simulacra or Sara is Missing, it is heavily focused on horror and thriller experiences. Out of the six most popular FP games on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Steam, five of them are horror and/or thriller games.
There is a current gap in the market for an FP game that appeals to players in other genres, such as drama or mystery. Many players are looking to have a relaxing, rather than frightening or tense, experience while gaming, which is why I have chosen to create a mystery FP game for my project.
Objectives of the project
UX research
Conduct user experience research to shape the game’s visuals, story, and gameplay
Development
Develop a functioning 'found phone' mobile game via Unity 2D
User testing
Oversee user testing to identify potential improvements and scalability ideas
Marketing
Create accompanying materials to market the game (e.g. website, videos)
UX research
Conduct user experience research to shape the game’s visuals, story, and gameplay
User testing
Oversee user testing to identify potential improvements and scalability ideas
Development
Develop a functioning 'found phone' mobile game via Unity 2D
Marketing
Create accompanying materials to market the game (e.g. website, videos)
Project development methodology
Based on researching different software development models, the Agile methodology was chosen for this project. This method enables quick decisions and improvements to be made throughout production, due to its multiple cycles of development and testing.
The agile method enables developers to quickly and effectively respond to feedback by using a cycle of iterations: implementing changes, testing, then pushing out for feedback again.
Conducting user research
To begin with, research was conducted to identify the preferences and perceptions of potential players in gaming via an online questionnaire. The survey aimed to discover the respondents’ gaming habits, spending preferences, preferred genres and game styles, and more. It was also fundamental in identifying who the main player base will be, in terms of age, gender, and location. A total of 43 responses were obtained, which helped to finalise several key decisions about the game:
To develop a mystery game (preferred by 22.6% of respondents)
To create a mobile game (93.5% of respondents game on their mobile phones)
To develop the game on iOS (the main gaming platform for 32.3% of respondents)
The survey also helped to identify a target demographic for the game. Based on the responses received, a majority of respondents were between the ages of 19 – 24, with the second-highest group being aged 25 – 30. In addition, 74% were male. In terms of occupation, 65% of respondents were students.
Analysing main competitors
Next, an in-depth competitor analysis of popular FP games was conducted to understand what makes this genre so appealing to many. The following games were the top-rated and most downloaded FP games on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Steam:
Each game’s unique features and mechanics were studied, along with elements that can be improved for Lost Time. A summary of the competitor analysis findings can be found below. To read the full analysis, please click here.
| Do's | Don'ts |
|---|---|
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Allow users to fully explore and interact with the phone UI without limitations |
Avoid unrealistic / cringy dialogue and acting as it takes away immersion |
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Design a realistic UI that doesn’t break the 4th wall
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Don’t use professional-quality videos / pictures if they are meant to be taken on a phone- also reduces immersion
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Include consistent visual and audio effects to provide entertainment and immersion
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Don’t leave players stuck without tips or hints
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Have an achievement system to reward players
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Avoid storylines that are too simple or predictable
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Provide a meaningful message that players can take away from the game
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While text messages are coming in, don’t keep the speed slow and make the task tedious. Allow users to fast forward / speed up
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Storyline needs to be clear and easy to understand, while also not being too predictable
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Don’t miss out on basic phone gestures that most people are used to
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Puzzles should strike a balance between being challenging enough but not too difficult, while also providing the option for hints if needed
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Don’t allow players to lose progress, use an autosave system
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Provide a list of tasks or objectives for players to refer to
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Don’t take away from immersion by breaking the 4th wall / speaking directly to the user (e.g. via tutorials or onboarding)
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Include multimedia elements like videos, live streams, etc. to break up game and provide variety to gameplay
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Avoid in-app purchases / ads so as to not annoy players
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Utilise real phone gestures and features to increase immersion, e.g. swiping, scrubbing, pop-up notifications
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Avoid low interactivity in the game, e.g. just reading texts / looking at photos
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Have multiple endings / pathways to encourage user playthroughs
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Avoid letting users forget details / important points- use a note system
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Provide time-based content to encourage users to revisit app periodically
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Creating an engaging story
The next step was creating a storyline, narrative, and characters. A plot-writing framework by Jericho Writers was used, which was helpful in organising ideas and laying out a story.
For character design, the guidelines laid out by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard proved to be essential. They have provided a comprehensive checklist to build up a character’s personality, ideals, and characteristics, which was used to build complete character sheets for Lost Time.
Designing the visuals and interfaces
I then designed the visual elements of the game, including user interfaces and assets. For each ‘application’ in Lost Time’s simulated phone environment, the top three real-life applications in each category were studied to identify their unique features, appealing design, and elements to avoid. For example, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram were studied for messaging applications, along with Reddit, Twitter, and Instagram for social networks.
In addition to elements that were integral to the game’s story, plenty of additional content was created for the game to increase its realism and immersion. For example, a phone calling app (which is essential in any mobile phone) with a working contacts list and calling function was included for players to explore, or a web browser with several dummy websites in the character’s bookmarks to increase involvement into her world. These additional pieces of content were also based on real examples and designed accordingly.
All screens were designed with Adobe XD and Photoshop.
Developing on Unity 2D
The game was developed on Unity 2D, as it is an industry-standard software that is used by countless game development studios globally. As mentioned above, the agile method was used throughout the development process. This meant implementing new functions and features via Unity, testing it, demonstrating it to target players, then implementing their feedback in an improved iteration.
Conducting user testing
To carry out user testing, a combination of the playtest method (developed by Davis, Steury & Pagulayan [2005]) and usability test was chosen. The playtest method involved surveying users to identify respondents who best fit with the game’s target audience. They will then be instructed to play the game as they normally would, then given a set of questions to answer based on their opinions and perceptions of the game. The usability test, on the other hand, encourages players to ‘think out loud’ and share their thoughts on the game as they are playing.
The playtest method was chosen due to its focus on the player’s experience, along with the usage of standardised questions to enable comparisons and enhance flexibility to amend the questions as needed. Similarly, the usability test was selected because of its on-the-spot feedback and focus on the player’s real-time opinions.
To tailor this method for Lost Time, a sample of the audience was initially identified via the survey outlined in UX Research and Design. The testers were then given access to the game, observed throughout the gaming process, encouraged to share their opinions as they go, and interviewed about their opinions at the end.
The testing method was highly effective in identifying game-breaking errors, potential points of improvement, future scalability ideas, and extra features to be included. Respondents were keen to share their opinions on how the game can be made better, along with talking about what they did and did not enjoy about it.
Marketing the game
In order to market the game, I created a promotional website to showcase Lost Time’s features and gameplay. The website was designed with Elementor using original assets and visuals, published on WordPress, and is accessible here.
As part of the game’s marketing, I also created a game trailer to accompany the website. The trailer was created using animations from Adobe XD and was edited with Final Cut Pro.