Ian Cooper, a second-year graduate student in the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts, followed their passion to Illinois State University where they’re developing Occentatia, a video game that combines queer theory, escapism, community, and exploration.
Cooper had been working as a teacher and graphic designer in Tennessee, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they decided to pursue a master’s degree focused on queer theory and video game design at Illinois State.
“I love video games,” said Cooper. “And I thought, ‘Why would I not want to make something, with the rise of video games; and I have this content that focuses on queer theory, escapism, healing, and marginalized communities, targeted to a media that’s growing so heavily?’”
Cooper embraced the opportunity to turn Occentatia, originally their “passion project,” into the focus of their graduate research.
“I’ve never been someone to just tiptoe into something,” said Cooper. “I go fully into it.”
Dr. Sercan Şengün, an assistant professor of Creative Technologies, helped Cooper conceptualize their plan for Occentatia. They then called on peers to help develop Occentatia’s story and design. As the game’s curator, Cooper guides a team made up of artists, creators, and other contributors who are passionate about Occentatia. So far, Cooper and the committee have developed a soundtrack, game guide, and immersive sculptures.
“Illinois State has given me a community that I’ve formed, and will continue to form, that has been receptive and open to my ideas and has helped my projects evolve further,” Cooper said. “I’m proud of the community that I formed, and that people want to be a part of Occentatia because they see the power of the message.”
Cooper describes Occentatia as a video game “centered around action, adventure, and nonlinear metroidvania.”
The game follows an exploratory format with three main characters: Aya, Xenith, and Vesper. Aya is the protagonist who is represented by a nun who embodies “spiritual light.” Xenith is the antagonist who represents darkness, sin, and is fueled by evil. Vesper, the third character who is masculine and feminine, supports Aya. The game’s storyline follows the characters to different locations including aquatic gardens, seas, mountains, and areas with fire and ice.
“In the end, Occentatia is about a space,” said Cooper. “It’s a space people can come and have these conversations that maybe they can’t have anywhere else, where they can explore different avenues of themselves and feel freedom. I want it to always feel like a warm embrace where people can let their guard down and exist in a communal, loving space.”
Cooper received the 2022 BirdFEEDER (Fund for Experimentation, Enquiry and the Development of Student Research) Award, presented by the Office of Student Research, to support their development of Occentatia. Cooper said they are thankful for the monetary support, which enabled them to collaborate with Creative Technology game design alum Lys Shilling ’22 during the fall.
Shilling and Cooper both participated in the 2022 Games Showcase and were stationed next to each other, although they didn’t know each other at the time.
“I never would have thought that six months later, we would be working in the same space and interacting in this way,” said Cooper.
The two teamed up to develop pixel art of Aya, Occentatia’s protagonist. They practiced clarity, cleanliness, and detail to animate Aya moving from a stationary position to an attack. This brought part of Occentatia’s fantasy to life and gave the committee and Occentatia supporters a visual of what the game may look like.
Cooper plans to attend the 2023 Games Showcase on Thursday, April 27, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Circus Room of the Bone Student Center to present Occentatia for the second year in a row.
Outside of Occentatia, Cooper is conducting additional research for their master’s thesis in which they explore themes of queer abstraction, interconnectivity, queerness with escapism and fantasy, perceptions of reality, and finding community.
After graduation, Cooper’s primary goal is to collaborate with a team of coders and animators to develop a demo of Occentatia.
Long term, Cooper said they are unsure how Occentatia may evolve. They could see it becoming a graphic novel, or even, a dating simulator. “When I have the mental space, it will be something fun to explore—what the next breath of Occentatia’s life is,” said Cooper.
“I’m proud of Occentatia being something that I’m wholeheartedly doing, not just for people in general, but for myself,” Cooper said. “If you have an inkling that you want to pursue something that’s important to you, do it.”
