Media Arts Thesis: Restructuring and Rebuilding

Another week, another design plan that comes along and changes my understanding of the project!

I kid, of course, but I do feel like this thesis project has been teaching me that, in any game, I will iterate through several different concepts of gameplay entirely if the gameplay isn't the driving force of the game (with me, it's the content rather than the mechanics).

Anyways, the new conceit of my game came when talking to one of my professors, Evan Hughes. We were talking about what would immerse the players into the reality of 80's America during the AIDS crisis, when suddenly any stray ideas I had on what the game could be clicked together when Evan suggested a single idea: start out the game with a bait-and-switch.

With this, I could lull the players into thinking they could be playing a silly 80's simulator before facing down choices that could show the complicity of the complacent and privileged during the AIDS crisis. This would work incredibly well for my thesis because it could both allow me to tie in the factual data and because it would reward replay, as players might want to go back and make different choices.

Thus, I'm faced with the challenge of creating a choice-based narrative simulation. It'll be hard, but it feels like the right direction at the very least.

On a final note, I've also cast two voice actors for my project! With them, the professionalism of the presentation will be much enhanced, so thanks in advance to Alex Dierking and Daniel Herman!