“The Fight for Home” is a game that was made to encourage children to take part in helping the Earth become a better place for mankind. We wanted to give pollution a character because we believed that many little kids would be able to “see them more clearly” if the antagonist was a visible sprite in front of them, to battle. Also, the idea that there would be a bad guy to represent this would be much more fun to tackle and imagine in our own world. This way, we hoped that we could entertain as well as inform. The story follows Beo, a young character that wasn’t aware of the impact until things got out-of-hand. This is meant to represent how many people around the world are ignorant of how we are destroying the ground we walk upon, and are likely only to notice after it is too late. We meet the character Vop along the way, someone who has suffered great consequences due to pollution. Vop and Beo are made as stark contrast, one who “lives in the past” and one who “lives in the future.” Vop, unlike Beo, has become familiar with the polluted skies all too well. Beo would soon find himself battling the antagonist we might not have noticed lurking in our streets: Pollution.
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We chose this topic because it deals with serious themes that are currently taking place in our world. There are also so many angles we can take, changing perspectives and how something can make you feel. There were a lot of presentation ideas, and what the player would do during gameplay. Even though the idea of keeping our planet clean has been demonstrated to children many times, it’s almost never in a way that the kids would actually enjoy. If they do not enjoy it, the information will go in one ear and out the other, and before you know it, class is dismissed, and they can go back to whatever they were thinking about. It’s something that most people don’t recognize- as untraditional as it may seem, we need to put this topic into an enjoyable form for kids to actually pay attention to it and put it in their own lives.
Along with this idea, we have to note that many people who try to raise awareness about it are adults, and adults don’t really get what clicks with kids these days. Often, they will be presented with a documentary, a slideshow, a lesson, a passage, etc. But none of things peak the kid’s interest. Yes, many people have been raising awareness about this topic already, and it has been repeated over and over and over in school and other educational places. But I doubt that the majority of the kids viewing the information have been interested. With this game, we want to get the kids invested, and make them look at the situation with the idea that this is something they can be a part in, this is their world, too.
We have created a slide show that discusses our brainstorming process and how to play our game.
Emoti-Con 2020 has ended and leaving new reactions is now off.
Thank you for your submission! This project shows passion, dedication, & a clear message presented in an engaging way. More importantly, I really respect the rhetoric in your commentary about getting kids to pay attention to real issues. I love that you chose to frame your work in this way!
Keana and Nadia – thanks for creating such a wonderful story! I was very impressed by your pitch, agreeing that creating a game that would capture your audience's attention is a wonderful way to help them understand your specific social issue. Helping people dive into the world you've built by setting up a clear and engaging narrative, awesome characters, and introducing cool text effects and sound really adds to the atmosphere you're going for. As a graphic designer in the education industry, I can say that we also go through a similar thought process as you ... always trying to make sure what we are making appeals to students like yourself! We do lot's of research, and also ask students and teachers what they think so we make sure we are making the right decisions with their feedback in mind. My only suggestion would be to add instructions in the game itself to help me as the player understand how to conquer over the pollution monster, because I had a hard time understanding what to do (even though I noticed the monster had a HP counter of 100). Overall, keep going with this project – I think it can expand into a really powerful game if you give it more levels, more cut scenes, and build the world further and further!!
Hey Keana and Nadia, thanks for sharing this project with us! I love the story line in this super awesome game! I can tell you put a lot of work and effort into this and let me just say it paid off. Keep up the good work!
I really liked how you shared all the information at the beginning of the game. I would love to see a storyboard of your ideas as well. The sprites and artwork are so unique.
Hi Keana and Nadia, Thanks for submitting your project to Emoti-con! I gotta say I'm very impressed with your project overall! I think you both excel the most at the presentation of your game. Here are some of the things I noticed: The custom spites/art, the dialogue subtleties like the faded "fine" in Vop's dialogue or "Do you still have faith in this world" title card, and Vop's blinking animation. It's clear that a lot of polish went into this game. If I were to make a suggestion, I'd say that not every part of your design documentation requires to be written out in a paragraph. For example, instead of describing the interface in words, you could make a rough draft on how the game would look like on the computer or phone using shapes in PowerPoint. In other cases you could write an outline in bullets on your points - a plot outline would be good for this. You both are absolutely right about how engaging media tends to stick with people much longer than media that is not. Oftentimes the best kind of media will make you think on your own and doesn't patronize. Games are a great way to convey a message since it calls for active engagement by the user. Overall I very much like your project - I encourage you to finish your story or dialogue and keep making stuff! -Charlie
I really love that your team made your own sprites and graphics - they look amazing. You also did a great job writing your story and dialog. It's a game that is both informative and fun to play. Great work!
