This week I pitched a game to my classmates in the hopes of securing a team and an idea. I pitched a farming simulator where you grow and sell aliens. As soon as I did my presentation my professor asked me "so what is your hook" I explained how cool the narrative and the art would be but then I realized that it doesn't really make my game any different than another farming sim with nice art and a cool story. I needed to find a hook, something more than a setting, something my players can see and interact with.
With a hook-less game and a semester that showed no signs of slowing down, I got back to the drawing board and started thinking about what could make the game more interesting. Then it hit me, gene-splicing. "What the hell is that," I hear you ask. In this game, (don't tell my team) you'll also be taking the crops (aliens) that you grow and fusing them together so that they become bigger and more disgusting looking aliens. That conveniently sell for a lot more money. I think this is gonna feed into the "no ethical consumption" type message that I am trying to push for in this game. Anyways, I think that might be a new starting off point. I guess the lesson I learned is that: beauty and story are important hooks to a game, but to set myself apart, I need an interesting mechanic that people will love to engage with.
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Hey I think you're redesigning and adding a hook is a very interesting one. Being able to Gene splice to aliens together can allow for very interesting and dynamic gameplay as players could choose between what aliens they want to splice together to Output the most value. What I saw your paper prototype in person it was well thought out game and would be interesting to pursue further overall congrats on adding a hook.
This looks like a really cool concept! I can definitely relate to that last part. My team and I have chosen a more narrative focussed game to start, and we are adding in more gameplay mechanics to go along with that.
It's impressive to see how you've embraced the challenge of finding a unique hook for your game. The concept of gene-splicing in your farming simulator not only adds an interesting gameplay mechanic but also aligns well with the thought-provoking theme you're aiming for.
Helloo, I find your ideating process quite fun to read and interesting. I think gene splicing is a unique topic and not one a lot of people know about... like me. (Apart from people studying sciences). Im curious to see how you're gonna incorporate gameplay and aliens.
Making a game off of gene-splicing could make a very unique experience and can make a great hook. I look forward to seeing the mechanics if you decide to move forward with the idea.
Hi! I think you have a profound understanding of your design goals, and I completely agree with your perspective on game hook! Moreover, I find your game theme to be both hilarious and intriguing. I hope I can actually play your game someday, lol.