TIME TO STAR

In this Twine game, I chose “Kpop culture” , one of my obsessions, as the main theme. This theme appeals to me because Kpop is not only a symbol of contemporary global pop culture, but also represents the pursuit of dreams, the test of teamwork, and the experience of personal growth for young people. Behind the glamorous exterior of a Kpop idol are the sorrows and challenges they experience while growing up. I hope that through an idol development game, players can deeply experience this unique cultural atmosphere and the complicated process of becoming an idol.

In the game I present the core thematic arguments: the collision of dreams and reality, and the loss and reconstruction of personal identity. Through the context of Kpop, I explore how individuals can pursue success while remaining self-conscious in the face of high competition, rigorous training, and immense public pressure. A Kpop idol is not only a symbol of an individual, but also represents the interests and profile of the entire team.Therefore, the player has to make a choice between personal pursuit and team responsibility, thus triggering a reflection on self-identity and collective sense of belonging. To complete my thematic idea, I use first-person perspective for all choices in the game and use craft elements such as non-linear narrative structure and dialogue to complete my work.

I follow the concept of “achieving victory is important” as mentioned by Greg Costikyan. In my game, the player's goal is not only to pursue individual success, but also to consider the interests of the team and collective responsibility. This creates deeper thinking and emotional resonance as players must weigh their personal desires against teamwork in their decision-making. For example, when confronted with rumors, players need to decide to either clarify, or remain silent, which not only affects the character's career, but may also affect the harmony of the team. Also, I designed options and storylines that require relative decision-making, which allows the player to get a real “sense of accomplishment” after successfully overcoming obstacles.

In reference to Branching Infinity, I choose the “key node” structure, which allows the reader to choose between major plot nodes while maintaining the coherence of the core narrative. And despite the multiple branches of the story, certain important events (the company's plan of the character's debut; being invited by a capitalist) remain fixed in their occurrence. This design approach allows the player to enjoy the choices while experiencing the core plot of the story. The choices the player makes will not only affect the character's trajectory, but will also steer the story towards a different ending, allowing the player to feel the importance of each decision. However, I also referenced some of the loop structures to guide the player to re think and remake decisions if they make a bad decision. This makes the game more inclusive and increase player engagement

Regarding the testing of the game, I refer to the strategy mentioned by Nat Mesnard in the interview. During testing, I invited the game's target player base, specifically people who are interested in Kpop culture or who also have dreams of becoming idols. This helped me gather more professional feedback on the game's mechanics and storytelling, and also gave me an idea of how the themes resonated with players. Additionally, in response to the difficulty of certain missions and options, testers provided feedback that they were confused and stumped by certain options, so I added hints (bolding important text) to the content to make it clearer and help players move through the story more smoothly.