I was thinking of creating a long game where you basically have to prevent a suicide. Then, after I finished about half the planning for it, I realized - suicide isn't a joke, and perhaps I shouldn't make a game focused about it. The story is essentially that someone's son commits suicide, and then God sends him back 1 week in time so he can try and prevent it.
Is that too serious a topic?
Not really. If people dont like it, they dont play it. Most wont have a problem.
Serious is good. There aren't enough serious games. Go for it.
This is kinda similar to the Frank The Farmhand Is Racist discussion we had, but the bottom line is this:
Suicide is, unfortunately, a part of life. It happens. Pretending that it doesn't happen and ignoring it isn't going to help anybody -- so long as you handle it well, I can't see any problems with a game about this.
Yep, I agree, more serious games n serious topics is good. Make sure it doesn't turn into a joke due to unneccessary jokes and gags. A bit of appropriate/dark humor can still work well imo. The idea also sound very interesting. Maybe I'm just a sucker for time-travel ideas. ;) Who is sent back in time though, the father or the son?
Especially considering it doesn't seem like the theme's gonna' be "YAY! Killing yourself is FUN, kids!", I think it'll be alright. Heck, I encourage it, even.
If you want to make a really serious game, and you think you can pull it off, then go for it. I really like the idea of preventing a suicide. I actually had to do it once, but fortunately other people found out about it before I did and prevented it.
Some interesting things would be how long the game really would be (maybe it could build up to suicide?) and then the aftermath of preventing it. Now, I don't know If you want to pull the Sierra thing and have the player lose if he can't prevent the suicide. That would be pretty depressing.
Alright, I'll go ahead with it.
I just wasn't sure if it was appropriate to make a game out of something like that.
If anyone's curious, I plan it to be a long ("full-length" is the term?) game, with the father going back in time and having to not only prevent it from happening without telling anyone he traveled through time, but figure out what made his son do it in the first place.
At first I was going to do the Sierra thing, but then who wants to have to go back and do the whole game over again if they lose?
Thanks for the quick replies, by the way.
No one thinks It's a wonderful life is too serious for christmas day TV, but it has a very similar premise to your game. I think your story would only become really miserable if you got the bad ending.
i think it owuld be fine. as long as you have graphics that reflect the mood of the game. even if the storyline is completley serioius and well written, i think if we are all being perfectly honest we would be affected if the graphics were crappy and cartoony. you have to get the full mood of the game otherwise it would be considere (at least to me) to be riducling suicide which is not something to be done.
Quote from: Zootyfruit on Sat 21/08/2004 12:33:54
we would be affected if the graphics were crappy and cartoony
Well, I'm no expert on graphics actually. The Critics' Lounge sometimes amazes me.
Here is something I had whipped up real quick, really just to test my graphics program.
This is basically the drawing style my characters would have. Does this look too cartoony?
(http://www.jayssite.com/capture1.gif)
It doesn't concern the quality more the style I would think, Pleurghburg (Never get tired of this example) has emm... "Unrealistic" graphics, but it has a rather dark and morbid nature, by cartoony I think of exaggerated characatures like DOTT, so I don't think it's too cartoony.
i think that idea is pretty good.
it reminds me of a film i watched.
the sprite can be made in any style you want if you like its cartoony style keep it and when you think of a way to make it better edit it and show it .to me it looks cartoony
I think that while playing the game you'll get used to the graphics. None of the dialogue will ridicule it, so I think the graphics shouldn't really matter too much.
Alternately, you could go with a look that's even more cartoony than that, which would allow you to tackle a lot of difficult and sensitive issues more deeply by sheer contrast.
I don't think the sprite you showed looks too cartoony, though. Some shading could probably spruce it up a fair bit and add to the bleakness of the subject matter. In fact, if I was trying to do a game of this type, I'd consider using a lot of screen tinting to fit the mood of given scenes.
I for one would love to see more serious games.
The cartoon joke style is growing tierd.
I think the idea of this game could only be sending out good messages about suicide (if it's done properly). I mean, not only is it a game about suicide that wouldn't joke about it, it's a game that might teach people ways to avoid it and how to handle a potential suicide. Not that I'm saying you should make it educational :) but I can't see how anyone could find it offensive.
Sounds like a great idea. Yeah, like a lot of people said, send out good messages. Don't be too educationaly, but at least include something in either endings about why suicide is bad.
I think it would be better if you went back as the son so he could reflect on what made him commit suicide and then he realizes that he made a mistake.
But either way, the story sounds great but like MarcKal said, put something at the end saying that suicide is bad.
Nothing is too serious.
NOTE - PEOPLE WHO PLAYED AND DIDN'T FINISH "HARVESTER" DON'T READ THIS MAJOR SPOILER
Spoiler
"Harvester" promoted serial-killing, in a fashion.
At this point in time, there is really no taboo in any art form - so long as it's not gratuitous. Do whatever you wish, and if you feel the need to justify it do so, in-game or not.
Personally, I like such depressing settings, because of the same reasons I like horror movies. It puts things in perspective. After all the sad and horror and chills, it's like "Wow, my life ain't that bad after all." And besides, it can make for great catharsis.
Hate to be rehashing this even more, but it sounds like "The Park."
Quote from: Kinoko on Sun 22/08/2004 15:31:55
I think the idea of this game could only be sending out good messages about suicide (if it's done properly). I mean, not only is it a game about suicide that wouldn't joke about it, it's a game that might teach people ways to avoid it and how to handle a potential suicide. Not that I'm saying you should make it educational :) but I can't see how anyone could find it offensive.
It's one thing if it depicts suicide in an open-minded, human way.
But don't make it about life's-to-wonderful-to-kill-yourself, or some sort of moralising propaganda against the shame of comitting suicide.
Not even a professional psychologist can literary "teach" somebody to avoid it.
-- And I would like to see someone who could say that an amateur adventure game pushed him into suicide!
Ridiculous.
Dark stories are good.
It sounds interesting. I don't think there is any story that is too dark to be told, but it all depends on how it is done. To be frank, I've had one of the darkest periods of my life recently and have used much of that in my artistic work. (A classic way of dealing with such things by the way.)
I do not want to reveal too much, but there will be some strong suicide/post mortem themes in my upcoming game The Zone. It would be interesting too see how you plan such a story. Please tell us more.
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned this already, but the game Mourir en Mer is a game more or less about suicide that is very tastefully done and it's one of my favorite AGS games. I'd suggest playing that to get an idea of how you could do it.
As for art style, so long as the story is strong, I don't think a cartoony art style will have any impact on it.
Mourir en mer is more about somebody who's bound to die, and wishes to do it at a special location.
I agree that it's not morbid or tasteless, but it's still not a matter of choosing whether to live or die...at least that's the way I interpreted it
I think it is a very nice artistic element to have a contrast between the medium and the theme, or the theme and the setting. I'll use my usual example for this one - Begnini's "La Vita e Bella". On thje surface, a tragi-comedy about the Holocuast. Yet, it only helps build the tremendous strength of the movie, and doesn't seem offensive for one second. The same is true with any work of art - you can use this to further sharpen and emhpasise your point.
However, you do have two traps to avoid. The first one, is do not parodize such a serious theme. The second, do not mock it (close, but not the same). As long as it is done in an appropriate matter, it is all well.
Quote from: Andail on Mon 30/08/2004 09:31:19
Mourir en mer is more about somebody who's bound to die, and wishes to do it at a special location.
I agree that it's not morbid or tasteless, but it's still not a matter of choosing whether to live or die...at least that's the way I interpreted it
I never felt like the main character HAD to die when he did, or that death, at the time of the game, was inevitable. Maybe that's the way the creator meant it. It probably is. The fact remains that it's about death and is done well. Even if it's not about suicide specifically, it's still a good example of working with a potentially touchy subject in a gentle manner.