sh*t or get off the pot: game dump (overview, 23rd may)

* DJ Khalid voice from the shadows * ...another one! (or two)

It's been a couple of days of real-world disasters, but I'm back at the delightful to shit or not to shit game jam project. I've written a lot today; one whole game from scratch (yeah, its only two pages, what of it) as well as the first draft of an essay, and the outline of a new project I'm excited for. I also fixed up a few of the issues on the first game I wrote from this challenge and never posted; it's still not perfect but I've got plan to expand it later, so I'm leaving it as is for now.

For those counting, this is game eight and nine out of ten. With another week left to go and a decent amount of free time, I've got a lot of time for writing. Whether I use it to bust out more than ten game target for this jam, or just do one more and move on to other projects, I don't know, but the jam has definitely gotten me back in the groove, which was the goal. 

Without further ado, here's the next two dumps:

Nameless was a totally off the cuff game that came to me as I wrote. While I'm still undecided about the execution, I really like the general concept. It's a Tarot-based journaling game about earning a name in a world where you are born without one. It's one the line of repeating mechanics because I've already done cards, but the Tarot is pictorial and it's all based on interpretations and vibes and stuff.

PEOPLE MUST DIE SO THAT THE WAR CAN BE WON is a wordy as hell title, but that really captures the idea of the game. This is the game that I wrote a while back and ironed out. It will also (hopefully) be expanded and included in a collection with the essay and other game I drafter today (it will be called the Anti-War War Game Bundle, games about war but doing the opposite of glorifying it, and reflecting on the long-held relationship between war and gaming that really icks me out). This game is about writing letter of condolence to the families of the war dead under your command. Partly inspired by the stupidly big (what I would lovingly call 'fun-boring') tech documents in timhutching's Apollo 47, I want to turn this into a huge project that captures the long slog and seemingly endless wasted life that war produces. In a sense, it will be difficult and boring to play all of - eventually you'll be asked to write and sign hundreds of letters - but that's kind of the point. If the project comes up how I imagine, there will also be a ton of character and world building laced throughout, so there will be interludes of fiction and other minigames relating the scenarios as the play out. It's the kind of thing that will be part game (half TTRPG, half LARP), part novel, and part experimental poetry artbook. I want it to be a horrific, immersive, boring monster that makes you feel bad for losing interest: don't these corpses deserve your time? It's an accusatory meditation on how we throw away soldiers, both in video games and in real life conflicts. This one might be one the backburner while I hone my skills - it might be a little bit beyond me right now - but I'm in love with the idea. If you like this simplified version, I'd be very interested to hear why.

I've got lots of plans for lots of things (maybe too many plans for too many things) so expect lots from me over the next few months, even if it's just my usual unplaytested experimental slop. I'm having a lot of fun and want to keep my momentum going as long as I can.