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Kuisje Huisje

Kuisje Huisje is a gamified tool that helps psychologists map out a child’s protective network.

Info

Developed within the Digital Arts & Entertainment (DAE) curriculum at Howest University of Applied Sciences, the project was created as a client assignment for Veilig Huis, part of the Flemish Department of Justice.


The game is intended to support psychologists working with children who have experienced domestic violence, offering a clearer and more efficient way to understand the child’s protective environment.

By allowing children to visually represent their protective network through a gamified interface, psychologists can gain deeper insights into the child’s social connections and support systems. The child can customize their own character and social network using a stickerbook feature, which is then translated into in-game characters. The core gameplay mechanics involve navigating a house and cleaning it for the people in the child’s protective network and visiting different worlds which each represent an emotion. The child can choose to interact with the different characters in the game, give them gifts (bad and good) and talk about their feelings.

At the end of the game, a report is generated for the psychologist, providing details on which actions the child took in the game, which characters they interacted with, which worlds they mainly visited. This report helps psychologists better understand the child’s protective network and tailor their support accordingly.

Contributions

  • Game Mechanics
  • Stickerbook
  • Polish
  • UI and HUD Implementation

Implemented core gameplay mechanics including player spline movement, "strangers" AI, cleaning houses, ...

House cleaning Gif

Implemented the stickerbook feature, allowing players to customize their own character and social network. The chosen stickers are converted into in-game characters. My main goal with this stickerbook was to make it as clear and intuitive as possible for players, I focused on player feedback and usability.

Stickerbook Gif

I implemented all of the VFX, SFX, and animations made by the artists while also implementing additional polish to enhance the overall player experience.

Animation Gif

Implemented all UI and HUD elements including the main menu and pause screen.

Team

This game was created in a team of 6 people during a 12 week period (about 30 hours per week) for the Game Development course at Howest - Digital Arts and Entertainment.

  • Thalia Tritar - Game Developer
  • Kobe Dereyne - Game Developer
  • Colin Berens - Game Designer + Artist
  • Patrisija Purina - Artist
  • Sam De Kreek - Style Artist
  • Nathan Dhaene - Technical Artist
Team Photo

Colin Berens and I after playtesting the game during an event.