To get the ball rolling, I started by making a mind map of things I liked and am interested in, keeping in mind things we learned during the lectures. However, I couldn’t really do anything with just a big list of stuff I liked, so I picked three main themes and made some concepts.

Concept 1

Adolescence was the overarching theme of my first idea so I decided to pick a stereotypical experience and make the game about that. I decided it would be about sneaking out or partying and set in the early 2000s.

I was inspired by the resurgence in tumblr trends such as indie sleaze and grunge which was associated with the party scene. The grunge alt-rock subculture was characterized by its underground and gritty music as well as its rebel image, before trickling down into the grunge we are more familiar with today. This could either be a game in which you’re attempting to sneak out or, like in Superbad, where the characters had to get enough alcohol to supply the party. Or try to ‘survive’ the night.

Concept 2

My second idea was a game set during the 80s in small town America. The concept followed the conventions of other small town mystery series such as Twin Peaks and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated but had a focus on evoking nostalgia.

It would likely follow a group of teens trying to metaphorically overcome something between them or a mystery surrounding the town (e.g a disappearance, a strange phenomenon, etc). For this idea, I liked the way Night in The Woods captured light in their art style. It had a sense of nostalgia and had a way of making you feel the warmth which would work well with the coziness combined with sentimental longing I wanted to evoke in the game. I quite liked this idea and the art direction but ultimately decided to not develop it as it was rather vague in terms of story direction and how I could make it more original.

Concept 3

My final idea had all to do with fleeting youth and beauty – one of the main points that I wanted to expand on when brainstorming. My third idea came about when listening to artists such as Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Lana Del Rey, and Mitski. The former two artists were incredibly successful and influential during the mid-50s to late 60s and even became inspiration for the latter artist: Lana Del Rey.

I was really interested in developing this concept because I had many ideas for the direction of the game and the style. It would be a point and click horror game disguised as a 50s dress up game as I was aware of a lot of pre-existing media that included these themes and also fit somewhere in the horror genre.

My main inspirations were Perfect Blue (1997), Black Swan (2010), Helter Skelter (2012), & Pearl (2022) as the protagonist’s desire for stardom and success came with a price – a theme I could include in my game. Another horror game under the guise of a dress up game is Lacey’s Wardrobe in which the player has to help Lacey get ready for a date, but, she is unaware that someone is following her with malicious intentions. 

The game would likely be reliant on a reputation/sanity meter that the player must maintain to progress or to achieve a good ending. There could be a mini game after dressing up the avatar to win the crowd’s favour and increase your reputation (either a rhythm mini game or decision-based mini game where you pick the right body language/phrases to keep the crowd engaged). Failure to do so decreases the avatar’s rationality (similar to the sanity bar in Yandere Simulator) and congruence with their ideal self. It also increases pressure from the manager and fans, making the next mini game harder. If a low enough rationality level is achieved consistently, the character begins their downward spiral. 

I decided to continue with this idea as I am more certain in the direction I want to take it. Furthermore, I was interested in making a game that wasn’t what it presented itself to be. This had a lot of potential for the art style and design aspects as I could include covert hints, etc.