On the 17th of April, we had the opportunity to explore the London Games Festival, play some games and network with professionals and indie devs alike! It was really great seeing game ideas ranging from silly to serious, all in one place!
I personally gravitated to the silly/personal/whimsical-looking games, so most of the games pictured below are such. Nevertheless, I had a great time looking around and seeing the fun, quirky ideas people had for their games. Many aspects of the games I played inspired me for this FMP that I wanted to talk about here.
Game Inspirations
I had a play around with a few games, but these 3 really stuck with me. Here is what I liked about them below:
A cute, laid-back thrift store management sim, inspired by the 90s! The cover of this game drew me in as it looked quite exciting. I talked with one of the programmers at the event, and this was also coded in Unity.
What I like about the game
- The visuals and characters all looked very charming. I was particularly fond of the old woman who helped you run the store; she looked very funky and cool.
- The gameplay was satisfying. You could place things anywhere you wanted them, and place your items nicely and orderly.
- The realism with the shoppers. It was a small but noticeable choice that I discussed with the programmer. Shoppers will come in, sometimes just look around and not buy anything. I don’t usually play a lot of management sims, but when I do, most of the shoppers are in and out buying things all the time. This was quite a realistic change of pace that made me smile.
What could inspire me for Karimah’s Paracosm?
- Fun, bold visuals to draw the viewer in
- Realism in between the bits of whimsicality
I happened to pass by this stall, and I love silly birds like pigeons, so I got very curious about this game. The entire premise of the game is that you are a pigeon that is looking for a mate, so you fly around London using the “coo” mechanic to call out to your potential lover. Many a pigeon will reject you with varying insults along the way. You can also discover the landmarks of London in this game, which I thought was a pretty neat idea. I got hit with many rejections, unfortunately, but I beat the game in just under 20 minutes with 20/50 landmarks reached. Not bad!
What I like about the game
- The visuals! A very abstract game, you stand out from the crowd. When you coo, the affected pigeons turn red.
- The sound design, I loved the subtle sounds in the game, and the soft cooing when it hits the other pigeons was really satisfying to hear
- The fact that you could discover little bits of London just by flying around
What could inspire me for Karimah’s Paracosm?
- The atmosphere, UI and visual effects really stuck out to me and reminded me to add that a little later in production.
I was waiting to play this one all day, and I finally got a chance at the end!! The game centres around a 30-something-year-old called Connie who is looking back at a difficult time in her life, when she moved to the city at 10 years old. She met a vibrant girl called Beth, and they became best friends. Now her and Beth don’t talk anymore, and throughout the game, she is penning a letter to Beth in hopes she will reach out. I talked with the artist of this game, and she mentioned that this game was made in Unity, so it was interesting seeing how the engine is utilised to create these interesting mechanics.
What I like about the game
- A very comforting and easygoing game, its central themes include scrapbooking and unlocking memories
- I love the soft music that plays in the background
- The visuals of the game!! They are so well drawn.
What could inspire me for Karimah’s Paracosm?
- Scrapbooking elements, since KP has a similar element to PT
- Soft atmosphere
- Heartfelt and emotional story
Honorary Mention
To be fair, I watched one of my friends play this and didn’t play it myself, but it has a very sweet premise. A boy has a crush on a girl who is obsessed with birds, so he tries to get closer to her by trying to “become a bird”. I really love games that centre around acute childhood experiences, and I loved that the gameplay is a collect-a-thon minigame type of game where the story slowly uncovers before your eyes. The picture book story style is also really appealing. I talked to the producer of the game at the event, and the game started as a picture book, which became an animation, which became a game.
