It has always been fiction’s responsibility to mirror society. It is no doubt that our current reality amidst COVID-19 will have an effect on the stories that we tell. With this in mind, iACADEMY’s Grade 11 Graphic Illustration students have come together to build an imagined world inspired by the grim reality we currently occupy. Who are the players of this world? Who are they fighting against? These are some of the things they aim to explore in their version of a dystopian, sci-fi-inspired post-COVID Philippines.

​

For their final output, students were asked to create character designs for main and supporting characters as well as concepts for locations, environmental assets and enemies. These designs were inspired by traditional role-playing game classes as well as everyday people and objects. Through this project, the students hope to encourage meaningful storytelling that goes beyond creating eye-catching concepts and designs, as fiction and worldbuilding can serve as powerful tools for social analysis.