Devlog #1 - Starting steps

First devlog!

So, I’ll talk about some our first steps on the process. What motivated us to start this project, how we came up with the idea, how we first imagined the game, and how that idea evolved with the passing weeks (until now).

Make sure to pre-heat your cup before pouring your coffee and let’s get started!

So, the first initial thing that brought us together was the idea of working on a game about relationships. This was as we shared ideas for games in Games with a Purpose Class in DePaul University. Lynn (one member of our team) told us about the tabletop game she had developed last year about self-esteem and red flags in relationships for players 13-16-year-old, but she felt there was a strong limitation on the distribution part with a physical game that could be avoided with a digital format.

https://mattersatplay.com/projects/the-big-build-up/

From there we talked about developing a single player game to avoid the bias that may appear by player decisions being watched by a moderator or a peer. We wanted a game where players could explore freely and play out scenarios without having to ‘socially commit’ to them.

One of our main references on how our game would look or feel like, was dating sim games. With dating sims, we could let the player see the consequences of their own decisions while creating an engaging story with likable characters, so it felt more realistic. 

We talked about what game engine or platform to develop our game with and landed on Twine. With Twine covering the basics we could focus on the story, the different options for the players and the art of the whole experience.

Recently, we came up with a theme/setting for our story: A coffee shop. We realized that the player character being a barista would be perfect to naturally present the player with diverse characters and possibilities for interaction with them. Also, the parallel/metaphor of choosing a perfect coffee seemed adequate for the process of choosing a good person to be with. And with that, we also arrived to the name for the game: The Right Brew.

Currently we’re mainly in the research state of the project, where we want to collect information start creating the characters and the situations the player will be facing. But more specific information on later devlogs on that.

See you then!