Skin Deep

Story:

You play as Kira, a young Irish-Korean girl growing up in suburban America with two loving parents, lots of Legos and a loyal cat companion. As she journeys through the pains of adolescence with flirting, bullying, snacks, friends and loss, the game tries to reckon with Kira’s past in order to move on with her future. Powered by the Unity engine through Panoply Download now on PC/MAC and Browser. Check out our website and Twitter (@SkinDeepThesis.) 

Background:

Skin Deep was developed remotely and in person within the University of Southern California as an Interactive Media Game Design MFA thesis project during 2021 and 2022. Motivated by the lack of intersectional narratives about healthy and unhealthy body image within digital storytelling, Creative Director Abby Sherlock was originally inspired by societal expectations of narrow beauty standards. You can also play on Browser here! 

Features:

-Immerse yourself in interactive metaphors

-Drag and drop story elements

-Listen to soundscapes

Credits:

Creative Director	Abby Sherlock
Associate Producer	Amanda Sharkey
Art Lead	Sherry He
Character Artist	Claire Barnhart
Character Artist	Tianyue Gu
Line Artist	Toto Lin
Storyboard Artist	Vincent Lee Labitoria
Environmental Artist	Anju Murphy
Artist	Jun Ishibashi
Artist	Tricia Vo
Composer	Seowon Hyun
Composer	Dayna Ambrosio
Sound Designer	Jacob Ruttenberg
Editor	Halle Cottle
UX/ UI Research	Chen Qian
Programmer	Zhaopu Wang
Programmer	Emma Lisowski

Content Warning:

Skin Deep was advised by medical professionals at the UC San Diego Health Eating Disorders Clinic. If you are interested in external resources you can find that these vetted organizations provide diverse treatment recommendations, research, and education.

National Eating Disorders Association

National Alliance on Mental Illness

Academy of Eating Disorders

Eating Disorder Hope

Project Heal