Devlog 2

Hello again, world!

This week, our team of designers were tasked with creating a one page pitch document to sell the concept of our game. Our team used this as an opportunity to focus on the mechanics we wanted to include in the project, and to begin to finalize the focus of our game.

Brainstorming Mechanics

We wanted to create a set list of mechanics that would align with our game concepts, and accommodate the scope we would be following during development. To decide which mechanics we would include as a part of our game and project pitch, we brainstormed some game features using sticky notes on a Miro board.

Following the brainstorming exercise, we began to sort the sticky notes into groups, based on the overall idea/theme of the mechanics. Once that was done, each team member put either a red, yellow, or green circle next to all the groups, to represent their feelings on each group. These were used to get a general idea of how the whole team felt about different game features. After everyone placed a symbol, we stepped back to look at the results, and discussed why we felt negative, so-so, or positive about each idea.

Results

After discussing our opinions, we sorted the groups into 3 main categories: Key Features for the game, which would be included in the pitch document; Secondary Features, which may be mentioned, but were more like stretch goals for the team; and lastly, Probably Not, which were mechanics the group agreed would probably not be used in the final game. Now our mechanics were set in stone, and we were ready to move them to the pitch document, our latest version of which is shown below!

Pitch: Project Dopamine 

Welcome!

Experience the internet from a long time ago (woah). You come home from a long day of doing who knows what, and you must complete a quick write up for a school project and figure that using the computer will make things a lot easier. Little do you know, the internet can be a very whimsical place where time goes by a lot faster than you think.

Aesthetic

A big inspiration for the game's aesthetic is the “Frutiger Aero” theme, commonly used in software design in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. It features bright, lush colors, and is characterized by its heavy use of skeuomorphic imagery (digital imagery imitating real-life objects). As a team, we really want to capture a nostalgic and cozy vibe with this game, rejuvenating the childhood curiosity the player once had when using the internet for the first time. We also want to entice & encourage the player to explore, interacting with the game world based on their personal desires & interests. This is why creating a space so familiar is important for this game.

Target Audience

Our game's target audience is mostly the younger generations who have grown up with the internet. In terms of ages, we are mainly aiming at players from Gen Alpha, Gen Z & Millennials who are familiar with this sort of technology. We are also very much aiming towards the visual novel genre and fans of it, who like long narratives filled with choices that influence their experience.

Platform

We discussed several options for our game development platform, but we ultimately concluded that, for the gameplay experience and aesthetic we were going for, Unity on PC made the most sense. Not only does this choice account for our team’s overall skill sets, but it also relates to the game’s theming, as computers were the first place that modern social media sites could be accessed.

Key Features

After brainstorming together as a team, we decided on a list of four key features we want for our game. The main features we’re pitching for are:

1. Time Limit - The day (timer) ends, progressing the game.
2. Screen Switching - Switch between social media and work related screens to play various game modes (minigames).
3. Mini Games - Available for the tasks & social media screens.
4. Multiple Endings - The player can get a different ending, depending on the choices they make during play time.

We believe that each of the above features will contribute to creating the ideal, open ended experience we want to achieve.

That's all for now!

Thanks for reading. There's still a lot of development left to go, but we'll be back with another game dev update in no time! See you soon!

- Dopamine :)