Is this game idea too serious?

Jay · Fri 20/08/2004 19:37:19

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?

Mr Jake · Fri 20/08/2004 19:39:09

Not really. If people dont like it, they dont play it. Most wont have a problem.

Dave Gilbert · Fri 20/08/2004 19:50:45

Serious is good. There aren't enough serious games. Go for it.

Pumaman · Fri 20/08/2004 19:59:42

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.

Ginny · Fri 20/08/2004 22:05:21

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?

Ozwalled · Fri 20/08/2004 22:27:36

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.

edmundito · Fri 20/08/2004 22:31:57

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.

Jay · Sat 21/08/2004 01:43:08

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.

Ali · Sat 21/08/2004 11:01:13

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.

Sam. · Sat 21/08/2004 12:33:54

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.

Jay · Sat 21/08/2004 20:35:25

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?

Mephistophilis · Sat 21/08/2004 20:56:08

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.

mousemat · Sat 21/08/2004 21:04:36

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

Jay · Sat 21/08/2004 21:40:41

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.

Ozwalled · Sun 22/08/2004 06:31:53

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.

cpage · Sun 22/08/2004 07:13:52

I for one would love to see more serious games.
The cartoon joke style is growing tierd.

Kinoko · 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.

MarcKal · Wed 25/08/2004 04:51:16

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.

R4L · Wed 25/08/2004 19:56:10

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.

Rui 'Trovatore' Pires · Wed 25/08/2004 21:01:13

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.

[close]

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.