Emily

About

Emily (EML Playground) is an experimental project exploring how game mechanics can capture and convey emotional states. Built on the Expressive Mechanics Library, each microgame translates a specific feeling into interactive systems — no scores, no winning, just felt experience.

The Microgames

Seven experiences exploring different emotional territories:

• Carry — Movement slows as you carry weight, simulating exhaustion and duty
• Weight — Experience burden through accumulating shadows and narrowing perception
• Fog — Navigate through subtle disorientation as controls and perception drift
• Fog (Anchors) — Seek anchors to orient yourself in confusion and anxiety
• Fog (Exit) — Reach an exit with unclear validation, exploring frustration and doubt
• Hold — Explore intimacy through attentive presence and restraint with another entity
• Ledger — Process items efficiently, exploring complicity and moral ambiguity

Design Philosophy

Emily is built on the premise that games can teach and explore emotions through mechanics that embody emotional experiences. Each microgame uses subtle systems — friction, disorientation, care, loss, intimacy, temptation — to create felt understanding rather than intellectual knowledge.

Technical Details

• Engine: LOVE 2D (Lua)
• Resolution: 960x540 (resizable)
• Architecture: Object-oriented Lua with scene management and modular microgame system