Grief, a deeply human and culturally nuanced experience, has long been explored through literature and cinema. But how can interactive media—particularly video games—explore grief through gameplay? In this paper, we present Eidolon, a first-person psychological thriller that explores Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) through a hybrid narrative combining cinematic aesthetics, digital interaction, and AI-driven memory reconstruction. Eidolon is rooted in the five stages of grief and inspired by films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Manchester by the Sea to construct a surreal and emotionally resonant story. The plot follows a protagonist trapped in an AI-generated dream simulation, who must resist the erasure of his deceased sister’s memory. The narrative is further presented through visual metaphors, escape-room-inspired puzzles, and time-based tension, encouraging deep emotional engagement and reflection. The game combines Unreal Engine’s MetaHuman framework with live-action footage, merging real and virtual elements to create a tense environment where grief blurs the line between memory and reality. This hybrid design, rooted in cinematic storytelling and player agency, fosters a reflective emotional experience. Preliminary playtesting with 20 players suggests that participants reflected on their personal experiences of loss, even within a fictional context. We contribute through the creation of Eidolon and its artistic and technical development as a showcase of how cinema and psychological themes can be meaningfully translated into interactive digital play. We position games not only as entertainment but as cultural artifacts capable of addressing complex emotional states—offering new possibilities for understanding grief in our modern digital age.

Authors:
Filipe Tomé, University of Beira Interior, Portugal
Ana Pires, Interactive Technologies Institute, Portugal
Francisco Vasconcelos, University of Madeira, Portugal
Pedro Campos, University of Madeira, Portugal

About the Presenter(s)
Filipe Tomé is a PhD student in Media Arts at the University of Beira Interior. His research resolves around Narrative and Psychology. How can we create fictional stories to create awareness and empathy for mental health?

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/filipe-tomé-446752143/

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