Hello world and welcome back to another Rainy Day devlog! There’s the project’s official name. It’s on the title and it’s also registered in my targeted markets, which is Android and iOS.
As I’m coming to an end with the discovery phase I have previously mentioned in the first devlog, the overall idea has become more clear and I have done a lot of reflection about the project as well as game development in general. Like why a financial literacy/educational kind of game? What is the motive? And these are questions good to be answered early on; otherwise, you won’t know if the project aligns with your soul and you may just completely “lose” it halfway through the project, right?
Ever since reading “Reality is Broken” by author Jane McGonigal, one of my recommended books for anyone, even outside of the gaming/game development field, I have been inspired to aim for something bigger with my game development studio. It’s several statements I rephrased from the book as a question, and it is: “how could I leverage the power of games to reinvent everything from government, health care, and education to traditional media, marketing, and entrepreneurship – perhaps even world peace?” How could all game developers? How could you or I do it?
Hence, my attempts with this financial literacy game I am starting. Because I believe games can change the world in many ways, the book I just mentioned explores and will explain more clearly than I ever will. Games changed my world. Early on with Pokemon cards, yes, games don’t have to be just digital apps; the gameplay of it taught me how to make the most out of the cards I am handed with. It’s in the subconscious and I really believe that it bled into my real life. It taught me to make the most out of the things I have in my life. And Pokemon is a game for just one example. There are several more games and I am sure you and everyone in the world has been affected by games in many ways that is hard to notice.
Another reflection I have done is based on a question I’ve been asked personally before, and it goes something like, “out of all the software you can make, why games?” I knew I had the work ethic to make games, I am fully engaged when I develop, and obsess over every little thing about the projects I start, yet, I struggled to answer the question and just said “because I love making games.” I’m a bit reserved, so it’s maybe why I answered like that, but it’s also because I didn’t know how to answer it.
You know, apps like Uber, Airbnb, online shopping apps, etc, are apps that are out there making big impactful changes in our world. And that is the real worldview for most apps, too. They are tools that may help and will make big changes in peoples lives. With games, the reality is that people view them pretty much just as a time-pass hobby and just a way to escape real life. As something not to be treated seriously, but it’s simply not true. “It’s just a game.” These points are all true, but games can be so much more. Games can also be serious tools that can have the same impact as Uber, Airbnb, and all these other apps. A quick google search looking back in history, we can find that the Lydians used games to ease hunger many years ago by taking turns with who is eating and who is playing. Look into it if you’d like!
So, all in all, I choose to develop games out of all the software I can make because I don’t see a difference with their potential to impact a bigger cause. It just depends on the game being developed. I’ve been rambling, but again, Jane McGonigal’s book, Reality is Broken, beautifully puts together everything I’m talking about, and in a much better way. For the game developers, the mission I try to aim out can be yours too! Or at the very least, ask yourself why you are developing the game that you are making and really define that. Key word is aim. At the end of the day, games are in the entertainment genre just like movies are. Gamified learning, aka educational games, are a more direct approach to this aim, but there are indirect ways as well with the use of the game’s whole story narrative.
I hope the things I brought up got you thinking for the better, especially the game developers out there!
Consider subscribing to become a beta tester for Rainy Day once it’s available. Its free and do join the Discord community where we can we can communicate more closely!
Thank you again and take care always.
Special thank you shoutout to my supporters who donated in August Thank you Laura Milligan