Proposal Idea and Rationale
Project Planning & Management: Proposal Idea and Rationale
1st Topic in question: Bullying.
1st Topic in question: Bullying.
Bullying is an ongoing social issue that society has been facing for countless years. It comes in many forms and can be directed to just about anyone either physically or mentally. One issue I've noted is how or rather why bullying continues to prevail, and one of the biggest factors is a lack of empathy for the victim. Social attitude these days tend to be more isolated and selfish both on part for the victim and for the rest of society. For society, it's the fear of getting involved/getting too deep into someone else's business whereas for the victim, it's the shame as well as fear of a negative backlash.
Simply put, my idea is to address that issue and subtly allow the public to; at their own discretion, play the role of a bully victim. Since media is widespread these days and is bound to spread the message faster and more effectively, I decided to use a form of media to spread this message for awareness in the form of a video game. The idea is create a role-playing game with multiple decisions derived from real-life bully cases where the player is put into the shoes of a victim. The player then has to navigate through the everyday perils and pain of the victim and will be prompted with a series of decisions, each one leading to a different outcome and ultimately deciding the ending for the game.
My target audience are both parents and young adults who represent our newest generation in society. The reason for this is because most bully cases occur within the schooling period in a person's life. I decided to target the root of the problem and address the matter at it's core; Where it begins. A proper age range for this game/simulation would be 18 - 35 (Research by race, group, ethnics.) and practically and higher number since one can still be a parent at any age. The reason for this is the complexity of the game's choices and message both in subtlety and depth. Most likely, children would barely scratch the surface of understanding it so it's best to cater to those old enough to have both experience and maturity to fathom the game's direction.
The uniqueness of this idea is the boldness and depth of the product. Most anti-bullying ads, or related artefacts address the issue, yes but their methods mostly stand to pass the message on. It's a commendable effort to be sure, but having people know the issue is still quite far from people feeling it. I plan to take it a step further by making people experience it for themselves. Empathy can only occur if a person has experienced the same as other people, so I intend for the audience to role-play in order to gain personal insight on the issue.
My reason for making this is rather personal. I have been a a bully victim many times in my schooling life and I know firsthand how painful the consequences can be. I hope to reach out to public on this issue and to help grant a voice to those who can't or wouldn't speak out of fear. Rasing the red flag is the first step to getting society to move to the right direction.
Methods of Execution (Ideas & Direction)
1) Video Game
I'll make a video game via RPG Maker MV, a pixel game-making software. I plan to create many resources to be used in game from character representations to sprites. The only resource I will use that won't be mine would be the in-built tiling and buidling system.
The audience's role here is to become the Player and experience the tragedy of bullying.
The game will be made available to both PC and Mac ports.
2) Visual Novel
Using a different outlet, I want to document and tell the story of a bully victim through the form of a visual novel. Once again emphasizing on the aspect of empathy, I intend to bring the victim's story to life and allow users/players to relive the pain and know firsthand the life of the victim.
The audience's role here is to become the Player and experience the tragedy of bullying.
The game will be made available to both PC and Mac ports.
3) Web Comic
A purely illustrative form of a victim's story with a moral emphasis and once again taking the readers on the feel-train. Meant to present the perspective of an individual, and the dark theme of a depressed individual.
The audience's role here is as an audience to the silent sufffering of another.
Web comic will be released as a volume on my site and can be downloaded from google drive.
Simply put, my idea is to address that issue and subtly allow the public to; at their own discretion, play the role of a bully victim. Since media is widespread these days and is bound to spread the message faster and more effectively, I decided to use a form of media to spread this message for awareness in the form of a video game. The idea is create a role-playing game with multiple decisions derived from real-life bully cases where the player is put into the shoes of a victim. The player then has to navigate through the everyday perils and pain of the victim and will be prompted with a series of decisions, each one leading to a different outcome and ultimately deciding the ending for the game.
My target audience are both parents and young adults who represent our newest generation in society. The reason for this is because most bully cases occur within the schooling period in a person's life. I decided to target the root of the problem and address the matter at it's core; Where it begins. A proper age range for this game/simulation would be 18 - 35 (Research by race, group, ethnics.) and practically and higher number since one can still be a parent at any age. The reason for this is the complexity of the game's choices and message both in subtlety and depth. Most likely, children would barely scratch the surface of understanding it so it's best to cater to those old enough to have both experience and maturity to fathom the game's direction.
The uniqueness of this idea is the boldness and depth of the product. Most anti-bullying ads, or related artefacts address the issue, yes but their methods mostly stand to pass the message on. It's a commendable effort to be sure, but having people know the issue is still quite far from people feeling it. I plan to take it a step further by making people experience it for themselves. Empathy can only occur if a person has experienced the same as other people, so I intend for the audience to role-play in order to gain personal insight on the issue.
My reason for making this is rather personal. I have been a a bully victim many times in my schooling life and I know firsthand how painful the consequences can be. I hope to reach out to public on this issue and to help grant a voice to those who can't or wouldn't speak out of fear. Rasing the red flag is the first step to getting society to move to the right direction.
Methods of Execution (Ideas & Direction)
1) Video Game
I'll make a video game via RPG Maker MV, a pixel game-making software. I plan to create many resources to be used in game from character representations to sprites. The only resource I will use that won't be mine would be the in-built tiling and buidling system.
The audience's role here is to become the Player and experience the tragedy of bullying.
The game will be made available to both PC and Mac ports.
2) Visual Novel
Using a different outlet, I want to document and tell the story of a bully victim through the form of a visual novel. Once again emphasizing on the aspect of empathy, I intend to bring the victim's story to life and allow users/players to relive the pain and know firsthand the life of the victim.
The audience's role here is to become the Player and experience the tragedy of bullying.
The game will be made available to both PC and Mac ports.
3) Web Comic
A purely illustrative form of a victim's story with a moral emphasis and once again taking the readers on the feel-train. Meant to present the perspective of an individual, and the dark theme of a depressed individual.
The audience's role here is as an audience to the silent sufffering of another.
Web comic will be released as a volume on my site and can be downloaded from google drive.
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