Hi, droqen here!
Today we're going to be designing a videogame pitch to a videogame company!
But first, don't forget to like and subscribe! And hit that notification bell!
Actually first, what's important is for me to figure out some big thematic inspirations- like, am I interested in a game set in space, on Earth, or in your mind? I should probably figure out some motifs that I find myself returning to again and again...
If I'm going to promise to make something, I had really better be sure I can uphold my end of the bargain.
Girls' Last Tour - Lonely but not lonely. Lonely together? The two characters have a nice bit of banter between them... Do I want to write this banter, or merely suggest it, or inspire it in a player / in players? These are such different ways to explore a relationship. I don't think I like writing in games: see Writing inspired by the feeling of RPG book tables (https://newforum.droqen.com/index.php?topic=169.0) and Rules Express Lore (https://newforum.droqen.com/index.php?topic=184.0). Hmmm. I don't want to write or read about a long-term relationship. So that leaves suggesting its existence and/or causing players to act it out themselves.
Shimeji Simulation (by the same author) - more surreal. there are other characters, but the vibe is kinda similar? they're not surrounded by characters all the time and most of the plots are about their relationship
Calvin & Hobbes
Black Company - Likewise a long story about a mostly small number of characters, though there are a great number of other things going on I feel like it's all about this steady cast.
Cast of characters. A legacy board game like Oath has a 'steady cast of characters': the players themselves ourselves.
I'll also mention Dungeon Meshi, which has a similar feeling... a little tight-knit crew of characters who stick together and go on a quest. This is a strong emotional core that I can't get away from! Check out my (process) Emergent Characters (https://newforum.droqen.com/index.php?topic=159.0) pattern, and my favourite example games from that thread:
- Tamagotchi, Long Live The Queen (Princess makers)
- Shadow of Mordor, Tic-Tac-Crow (Nemesis System)
- Pokemon, Etrian Odyssey, Disgaea, X-COM (Customizable combat party)
- Dwarf Fortress (???)
- I never did get attached to Animal Crossing's villagers.
Okay, going in a wildly different direction, Envisioning Information (Edward R. Tufte)
I think I got this book from Raigan when Metanet was moving and getting rid of a bunch of books :)
I'm not into fields of numbers, but I love huge, messy grids of lines, I love maps, symbols... yeah, I love maps, icons, and lines - of different colours and widths and characters can be especially beautiful.
The subway is nodes of various sizes connected by lines. That's exciting to me.