In an era where technology is increasingly used to deepen our understanding of the mind, Rising River stands out as a pioneering VR experience, combining AI-driven narrative with therapeutic concepts inspired by Jungian shadow theory.
Still from the VR experience Rising River. Image courtesy of the artists.
Rising River is an AI-driven self-analysis VR experience inspired by Jungian shadow theory and the VIA 24 Character Strengths. Players use their words and voice to restore a river, exploring their shadow self through both fixed and generative questions. The journey culminates in the appearance of a giant fish, symbolizing their shadow. With Lois He's background in filmmaking, she views narrative as a tool for organizing memories and psychological structures. Research also shows that storytelling helps people find meaning, construct identity, and cope with trauma.
In this project, AI enables the generative and personalized elements of the narrative. As players feed the fish with their words, their boat moves forward in an immersive environment, generating new questions and leading to different outcomes in the final scene. Through embodied interactions, players’ thoughts are externalized as objects within the world, guiding them toward deeper self-analysis and offering fresh perspectives on self-reflection.
Built in Unreal Engine 5, it features real-time speech-to-text for player input, GPT API for dynamic content, and Speechgen API for AI voices, with prompt engineering guiding coherent GPT responses.
The VR Walk-through of Rising River. Image courtesy of the artists.
Q: What inspired you to create an AI-driven, self-reflective game? Could you share your journey from the initial concept to where you are now?
Lois & Andrew: The game's design integrates Jungian shadow theory and VIA Character Strengths Framework to create a novel approach to therapeutic self-analysis. We began with a fundamental question: Can gaming and virtual reality democratize the therapeutic benefits of Jungian shadow work, making them accessible to a broader audience?
At its core, Jung's theory of the shadow posits that within each person exists a subconscious aspect of the self that remains neglected, suppressed, and poorly understood. Traditional shadow work aims to facilitate an encounter between an individual and their inner shadow. To translate this concept into an interactive experience, we needed to design a process of self-reflection that could bring the shadow into view. This required careful exploration of players' fears, motivations, desires, and memories.
We realized that this exploration needed a foundation in a broader understanding of self-perception, both positive and negative. The VIA 24 Character Strengths framework became invaluable here, providing a comprehensive taxonomy of character traits for players to self-assess as relative strengths or weaknesses. Our key insight was that the traits players identify as lesser strengths during gameplay could reveal areas of insecurity or overlooked aspects of the self.
Still from the VR experience Rising River. Image courtesy of the artists.
Q: The aesthetic of Rising River combines darkness, fluidity, and ethereal elements. What inspired your choice of this visual aesthetic？
Lois: Facing and analyzing one’s potential shadow self is not a comfortable process. We wanted to create a private, mysterious atmosphere that hints at a journey into deep exploration. This led us to incorporate cave elements, symbolizing the exploration of the unknown within darkness. The flowing water, light particle text effects, and the final colorful scene with transparent, fluid vegetation visually represent the subtle, flowing, and uncertain nature of psychological processes.
Q: The game asks players to "restore a dried-up river with words" as a metaphor for exploring the shadow self. Could you explain this symbolism and the significance of the final encounter with the "giant fish"?
Lois & Andrew: The game uses water as a central metaphor, inviting players to revive a dried-up river through self-reflective words. The river symbolizes the flow of consciousness and self-discovery, with players journeying deeper downstream, mirroring the process of exploring one’s inner self.
The final revelation—that players have been traveling through the belly of a giant fish—adds a metaphorical twist. This discovery reframes the journey: they haven’t just been on a path toward the shadow self; they’ve been within it all along. The fish, initially seen as an external or threatening entity, is revealed as an integral part of their psyche—the shadow self they’ve been seeking and avoiding.
This encounter promotes acceptance and reconciliation. In traditional Jungian shadow work, individuals are guided to “consume” the shadow by integrating rejected parts of themselves. Our game reverses this process, with players realizing they’ve always been within the shadow, shifting from conquering it to understanding and embracing it. The giant fish transforms from a feared entity to a companion in self-discovery, embodying the goal of shadow work: moving from fear to integration of the complete self.
Still from the VR experience Rising River. Image courtesy of the artists.
Q: Each player’s words shape the game environment, ultimately impacting their self-analysis journey. Could you explain the technical processes behind how player inputs influence the game’s visuals, narrative, and progression?
Lois: Each question we design follows a logic that informs how we handle every response. We use specific answers as "prompts" to guide GPT, incorporating a template where the player’s answer becomes a key part of the prompt, instructing GPT to generate specific questions or insights related to shadow analysis. We also incorporate the 24 character strengths as data input for GPT, based on the player’s initial choices.
Visually, the player’s text inputs materialize at various points within the environment. For example, their responses appear as food to feed the fish in the scene. Traits influencing the player could manifest as smaller fish, nibbling at the wounds of a larger fish that represents the player’s shadow. The shadow’s final outcome then integrates into the texture of the large fish.
Q: In terms of team roles, how do you handle the division of labor in such an interdisciplinary project?
Lois: Initially, it was just Vio, a software engineer, and me integrating GPT into a self-analysis interactive experience. Later, I discussed shadow aspects with Andrew, a psychology researcher, which helped shape the question structure and prompt design. I am the primary game designer and developer, with Ellen assisting in development, while Vio focuses on AI integration. Additionally, I recruited 3D artist John and sound designer Kaiyang to help bring the experience to life.
Q: Projects like Rising River face numerous technical and conceptual challenges. Could each of you share a specific challenge you've encountered and how you've worked through it?
Psychology-Guided Design
Andrew: The psychological challenges in developing Rising River centered on three key areas. First, we needed to train GPT to understand both the science of character strengths and the principles of shadow work, effectively translating complex psychological frameworks into AI-readable parameters. Second, we had to design a questionnaire that functioned both as an engaging gameplay element and as a reliable data source for our AI to model the player's shadow self. Finally, we needed to craft an interactive experience that supported the psychological journey—from darkness to revelation—while maintaining therapeutic authenticity throughout the gameplay arc.
Still from the VR experience Rising River. Image courtesy of the artists.
AI-Related Technical Challenges
Vio: In Rising River, we created dynamic responses for AI characters by integrating the player’s typed answers in real time. This means that until a player submits their response, we can’t proceed to the next step in the dialogue or storyline, as each response is generated on the spot based on their input.
Additionally, to enhance the game’s immersive quality, AI responses aren’t just displayed as text—they’re voiced by characters, which involves an additional step of sending the generated text to a speech API. This extra step can sometimes slow things down, especially if the response text is lengthy, causing a delay after the player submits an answer.
To address this latency, we intentionally designed the game experience to keep players engaged and exploring the virtual space, reducing any sense of "waiting" for a response. We also implemented extensive prefetching. As soon as we gather enough information from the player’s responses to anticipate a future AI reply, we send the request to the AI in advance, well before that part of the game is reached. This allows us to have responses ready and minimizes delays when the player arrives at the next game step. Additionally, we iterated on the complex logic in our prompt system, reducing dependencies to make the AI’s response time as fast as possible. By using these three strategies, we’ve worked to create a smooth, immersive game experience without noticeable delays.
Still from the VR experience Rising River. Image courtesy of the artists.
Visual Design
John: During development, creating visual elements that effectively serve both gameplay interaction and aesthetic goals has been challenging. The second scene, featuring numerous human figures with reflective metallic materials, has been particularly complex. Here, I need to balance aesthetic appeal, message clarity, and graphic performance. In addition to managing reflections and volumetric fog—each challenging on its own—we also require interactive lighting, along with a dynamic fluid and wave system.
Lois: For me, the most challenging aspect was designing the interactive structure and narrative. Initially, when we considered shadow work, we explored various self-reflective approaches to engage the audience, like guided journaling. However, we ultimately found that asking questions would be the most effective way to foster interaction and gather meaningful insights. The main question then became: How can we transform the process of answering these questions into a more engaging interactive experience?
I even considered installations, but I felt that a linear, narrative-driven approach would better immerse players. VR enhances the immersion of a straightforward narrative journey, so I decided to have players embark on a purposeful quest—seeking the "Big Fish"—where their responses to questions fuel the journey. The players' answers materialize as items in the environment, mainly as food for guiding fish, creating a cohesive context in which all player inputs and interactions are embedded within this journey. This setup encourages curiosity about what comes next, while the environment’s visual and auditory beauty adds a smooth, immersive layer to the experience.
Q: The project is quite unique in its aim to merge therapy with interactive gaming. What do you hope players will take away from this experience?
Lois: Rising River aims to be both an engaging game and a meaningful journey of self-discovery. Our goal is to help players gain insights into themselves, reframing aspects they might see as weaknesses. Through gameplay, they encounter shadow aspects of themselves—not as flaws, but as parts of their identity to accept and transform into strengths. By blending therapeutic insight with interactive gaming, we hope to make self-reflection and shadow work accessible and appealing to a wider audience.
Still from the VR experience Rising River. Image courtesy of the artists.
Q: Who is your audience? In what way do you think you can reach more of your audience to engage with Rising River?
Lois: Our intended audience includes anyone curious about self-reflection, shadow work, or therapeutic exploration. Of course, this experimental experience doesn’t offer the in-depth support one would receive from a therapist; rather, it serves as a condensed introduction to the shadow work process.
Currently, we're submitting the project to film and game festivals. A first-person version has already been showcased in previous exhibitions and will be displayed at a gallery in South Korea this January. The VR version, completed this summer, is still awaiting feedback. Moving forward, I plan to showcase it at various exhibitions to provide audiences with a more immersive experience. Ultimately, the goal is to upload the project to a platform, making it accessible to a broader audience. However, due to API usage costs, we may need to establish a payment model to cover these fees before making it publicly available.
Q: For a project centered on personal growth, trust is crucial. How do you plan to communicate the therapeutic safety and ethical intentions of Rising River to potential users who may be hesitant about AI-based therapy?
Lois: In Rising River, we prioritize user trust and autonomy by offering a transparent, self-directed approach. The experience is shaped by what players choose to share, with clear communication at the beginning that they can skip any questions or stop at any time. The character strengths survey serves as both an entry point and a way to set boundaries, allowing players to control the pace and depth of their journey without being pushed into discomfort.
Q: Looking forward, building a platform for narrative therapy has significant potential. If we look further into the future, what kind of community or shared space would you like to see evolve around Rising River?
Lois: During the Game for Change Conference 2024 over the break, I connected with professionals in the therapeutic industry who use games as a medium for communicating with children and adolescents. I believe that specialized therapeutic environments could present a promising direction for development. Additionally, platforms dedicated to therapeutic games that allow remote coordination with professional therapists—or serve as a form of “mental massage,” much like a physical massage—are intriguing concepts. These approaches offer fascinating possibilities for ongoing mental health support and engagement.
Still from the VR experience Rising River. Image courtesy of the artists.
About the Team
Lois He is a multimedia storyteller transitioning from filmmaking to interactive media. Her work ranges from physical installations that use sound and sensors to virtual narratives that merge video games and films through VR. She frequently works with Unreal Engine, building scenes and integrating digital environments into physical spaces.
John Luo, a 3D Artist and Graphic Designer. His design approach ranges from creating soothing, harmonious works to crafting bizarre, surreal pieces.
Vio Zhu is a creative technologist working across a range of mediums, including audio-visual live performance, interactive physical installations, virtual production (VR/AR), and projection mapping.
Kaiyang Zhao is an audio designer and music producer skilled in crafting immersive soundscapes for interactive media. His work spans from building dynamic audio environments in Unreal Engine and Unity to creating electronic compositions in Ableton Live. With experience in designing virtual audio plugins and custom synthesizers, he brings versatility and creativity to different projects.
Andrew Trousdale is a researcher and designer. His initiatives and projects bridge positive psychology, human-computer interaction, and the creative arts.
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