Heya friendos! This was an interesting week with a lot of small realizations. Today we’ll be talking about what exactly I’m making, game residencies, the pitch for my latest project, and how your goals change when growing up.
How Am I Doing?
I’m pretty good! My physical energy levels are fluctuating and I badly need to get back into a consistent exercise routine. I’ve been bouldering with noodle arms and a few different types of pasta as belly. A fun realization I had, is that I don’t really feel bad about this kind of stuff anymore. I’ve apparently and unknowingly grown past shame regarding the way I look or perform in sports. Right now, I’m mostly concerned with function: I want higher levels of energy and I want to climb more difficult bouldering routes. So, I have to do some exercise. Easy conclusion!
Other than that, a fun opportunity came along. The Rabbit Indie Game Residency is a month-long stay in Berlin where you can work on your game with all your needs provided for. I really love the concept and I’ve always wanted to do something like that. So, of course, I applied without actually reading through the requirements. Halfway through the application, I read that your game needs to be out of the prototyping phase, which mine is definitely not. Whoops!
What Am I Doing?
For said application, they expected a pitch for the project I would be working on. Even though I tend to know the full scope of games I’m working on, I never really write the pitch for it until I’m nearing completion. It’s not something I’m necessarily bad at, but I’ve yet to ever ask for funding or publishing, so I guess I never really need a pitch until I start actively marketing the game. So without further ado, the first draft of the pitch for my new game ‘Rumorweaver‘:
“The Joseon dynasty’s most beloved kisaeng has been sentenced to death for treason. As her daughter, you must find a way to infiltrate the palace and convince the royal court to reconsider by collecting, exchanging and dealing in rumors.
Information is key: ask around town for gossip, verify unsubstantiated claims and use that knowledge to persuade or coerce people. Rumorweaver sports a novel social currency mechanic that allows you to converse with characters in a freeform way by manually selecting any clue you’ve encountered.
Its sandbox world has many reactive characters and social structures that fit the historical Korean period drama genre. Likewise, the art style closely imitates the beautiful inky landscapes of painters from the Joseon period. The whole experience is a unique blend of cultural enrichment, political intrigue and experimental storytelling.“
Does that sound enticing at all? Shoot me an email to let me know if that’s something you would want to play! And especially if you’re looking to throw some money my way 😉
Why Am I Doing? (this)
What’s funny though, is that while filling out my application, I realized something. The idea of spending a month crunching away at a game with a bunch of strangers people does not appeal to me as much as it once did. Back when I was a broke student, having a month of food and shelter provided for me would allow me to focus completely on game development and potentially make a huge sprint in whatever project I was working on then. It was like being paid to make games! The dream life!
Now, when I think about spending time in a cabin with creative peers, I’d much rather just take walks, hang out and get to know them a little better. Obviously doing some workshops and stuff is useful, but I’d be much less concerned about productivity or the state of my project. I’d prefer it to be a nice creative vacation instead! In fact, that sounds pretty nice.
Hit me up if you want to organize something like that together!