Perceptual Technology Division
An innovative process that redefines the cognitive foundations of phenomenology
2026 · Lenses: Words, Websites, Games, Narrative, Legit Business, Work for Hire, Useful Nonsense, Public Weirdness, Spatial Stories · Roles: Concept, Writing, Copywriting, Design, Web Design, Development, Game Design, Puzzle Design, Worldbuilding, Art Direction, Production
Play the Game (in Park City, UT)
In early 2026, while pitching an Overlay project to the Sundance Institute, I built this short immersive puzzle game as a proof of concept.
The game is framed as a research study conducted by a mysterious organization called the Perceptual Technology Division of Overlay Dynamics. Players begin by confirming that they’re in Park City, where the experience takes place, and answering a few questions about the nature of reality.
Between questions, a strange visual sequence flashes across the screen. Players then complete a series of puzzles leading to three locations along Park City’s Main Street, with solutions hidden in plaques, signs, and architectural details.
After the final puzzle, the site reveals that the earlier visual sequence transferred the player’s mind into a simulation. To return to reality, they must initiate “The Egress Protocol” - but the outcome depends on how they answered an onboarding question about their confidence that the world they perceive is fundamentally real. Players who expressed high confidence learn that they began in reality but the protocol placed them into a simulation; those with low confidence are told that they began in a simulation and successfully escaped.
This was my first foray into building a game remotely - I made it all from LA using street view the week before Sundance. I had a lot of fun building it (and handing out cryptic business cards around Park City), and it got a lot more engagement than I expected! I’m thinking about adapting the same game for other cities, so maybe you’ll be able to try it without going to Utah one day.