Tarot and the Major Arcana in Games
I didn’t want to just make a game where the player reads fortunes. Rather, I was really interested in narrative-driven and point-and-click games where tarot cards are just a supplementary mechanic/element. I only looked at a small slice of games that include or are about tarot, with the uses for tarot being quite diverse. It’s used as a storytelling device, a mechanic, or as a physical in-game item.
I knew I wanted at least one of my ideas to be a point-and-click adventure game as I naturally gravitate to games that explore complex themes through compelling characters and worlds (most of my game ideas were likely to be on PC only). The Fool’s Journey isn’t meant to be easy, as it requires us to face our shadow side: bad habits, toxic mindsets, and things that cause stagnancy in our lives. Also, I was aware that players/audiences may be slightly put off by playing a game which they know nothing about. My aim for at least one of my game ideas was to make tarot more accessible, with the actual game being less about the specific meanings and rules of tarot readings, and more so, about the stories and lessons in the cards. A lot of what tarot is about is just self-growth and reflection, explained in another way. We can see some of these concepts in theories by Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, as well as references to religion.
Many of the games I looked at were already similar to my second idea, in which you play as a fake fortune teller, pulling a card spread and reading people’s fortunes. However, what sets it apart is that you play from another perspective – rather than using it to help others, you’re using it to benefit yourself. The player uses their ability to read micro-expressions and analyse appearances to manipulate the fortunes and advice they give to their customers.
Furthermore, many games utilise the Major Arcana for storytelling as it includes 22 different archetypes and characters. In an earlier blog post about the fundamentals of tarot, I wrote that the Major Arcana represents humanity’s spiritual evolution into enlightenment. The archetypes shown in these cards mirror our own stages in life, and the characters we meet each bring lessons. This inspired a game idea about going through the first phase of The Fool’s Journey: finding yourself and your place in the world.
My Role
Originally, I thought I wanted to be in a group as it would lessen the workload and I could focus more on what I already have experience in, which is 2D art. I was really interested in some game ideas that other classmates had, but ultimately, it came down to what others thought was a viable game idea to work on in the limited time that we had, what they were interested in, and what skillset they were looking for.
After discussing what direction some of my classmates might go in, I considered going solo, as it seemed quite a few people were considering that too. However, I was quite apprehensive/hesitant as I had hardly any experience with programming or really what goes into making a finished game, and I was worried the workload would be overwhelming. In the end, though, I decided working solo on my project would really push me to learn and hone both my technical and soft skills. Creating a finished game that fits my creative vision through learning the different disciplines and working solo also makes for more valuable contributions when in a team.
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