Assignment 2 -- Game Concept DevLog

Concept Statement:

ProsaicWare is a game in which you carry out daily tasks in a fun and exciting way. Every chore is a different mini game in this fun puzzle game.

Concept creation process:

The idea behind ProsaicWare is, what if the games we grew up playing such as Mario party, Wario Ware, the Papa’s series, were based on mundane ideas. Games like Job Simulator and Viscera Clean-Up Detail are at least based on the idea of doing tasks grounded in reality. This concept of a puzzle game with a tongue-and-cheek portrayal of everyday tasks ProsaicWare is my idea of a mashup, in the hopes to create a completely unique experience by using two vastly different genres.

The gameplay I want is predictably inspired by Wario Ware inc, with it's fast paced and intuitive micro-games.

The look of ProsaicWare is inspired by what I think is the epitome of the early flash game style, this of course being The Impossible Quiz

I think the style of this would work really well with the themes and settings I'm trying to achieve. The actual mini-game segments on the other hand I want to  purposely a juxtapose from the style of the house. Whilst researching for this assignment I found the game Spookware, in terms of min-games I found it to be quite similar and the style of the mini-games I liked quite a lot, the alteration of the style in the mini-games specifically I appreciated.

Audience and competitive analysis:

ProsaicWare sits squarely in the puzzle/ mini game genre, although it could be less specifically categorized as a casual game. Even though by definition ProsaicWare could be put into this category, I personally find it to be too vague compared to the former.

Because ProsaicWare is a puzzle/ mini-game, it would usually have been targeted towards younger ages as simple puzzle/ mini-games are. A recent example WarioWare: Get It Together! is planning on being targeted to younger generations. Despite this, I believe ProsaicWare would be marketed to a more mature audience, much of this is because of the setting and themes of ProsaicWare. Job Simulator for example is clearly marketed towards a higher age level, like many other simulator games. I would chalk this change in demographic to mature audiences being able to relate more easily to mundane and ordinary situations, rather than a first person shooter or in the case of the minigame genre, Papa’s Pizzeria.

“Tired of fantastical gaming plots however, the modern gamer is instead turning to games that mimic even the most normal aspects of everyday life.” (https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/mundane-gaming). 

Game treatment and concept art.

In ProsaicWare you exist in a world where your daily chores are fun mini games. From doing university work to making popcorn, you can test your skills in completing mundane daily activities. Wake up and look at your to-do list, complete the tasks the quickest you can and climb the leader board. ProsaicWare boasts an array of achievable yet fun mechanics, when the game is started you are greeted by a sticky note, this note contains the randomly assigned chores needing to be done.

Traverse your house and get your chores done!

The players aim is to complete the tasks quickly and to the best degree, the tasks in question can be seen by the exclamation symbol over the chore needing to be done.

• Do the dishes!
• Pickup those dirty clothes!
• Make popcorn!

The mini-games I want to implement is not dissimilar to those from Among Us in the way they function, but the style I'm going for is significantly different. As explained above I liked the style SpookWare was going for inside the mini-games, below is a mockup I made, It's just an idea, I liked the multi-media approach but it ended up a lot more terrifying than I wanted.

This mini-game is the first thing I intended to add, 

• Hand is controlled by mouse
• Player must use hand to throw popcorn into the mouth
• Interface (time, popcorn thrown etc) not included

References

WarioWare (Nintendo 2003). (Accessed: 29 August 2021).

The Impossible Quiz by Splapp-Me-Do 2007 NewGrounds. Available at: https://theimpossiblequiz.io/ (Accessed: 29 August 2021).

SpookWare (BEESWAX GAMES 2021). Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1574250/SPOOKWARE/(Accessed: 29 August 2021).

Will Bruce (2021) ProsaicWare concept art.  (Accessed: 29 August 2021).