After thinking for about a week, I finally settled on my main goal for this project. At the core of it, I want to create an educational game, but not the kind that screams "this is a lesson".
To me, a great educational game is one where players have fun, explore, and mess around, while quietly picking up knowledge without even noticing it. The gameplay should feel smooth, engaging, and effortless, with knowledge just slipping in while they're simply enjoying the experience.
As someone who tries to be a little more mindful about the environment, climate change has always been lingering in the back of my mind. It's one of those global issues that's always there, always pressing, and I feel like it deserves more attention in a way that isn't overwhelming. So my aim is to build an experience that draws players in with fun and curiosity, while encouraging them to reflect on their own role in the climate conversation. If they walk away with a new thought, a small shift in mindset, or just a bit more awareness, I'll feel like the game has done something meaningful and I've achieved something worthwhile.
Originally, I planned to develop a game focused solely on global warming. However, noticing the growing prevalence of AI in today's society and its increasing integration into both student life and professional environments, it prompted me to reconsider this approach.
After conversing with peers, I realised a general lack of awareness and understanding about the energy consumption and ecological consequences associated with AI technologies. Seeing this pattern, I believe that integrating AI with environmental themes could create a fresh and engaging perspective.
Once I figured out the topic of my game (which was about AI and the environment), I started making draft art for the game. And since I've always had a thing for pixel art, I knew the style my game would be in and made my first character, the Budgie.
Just for fun, I decided to put it in a suit, and thought it looked pretty cool. So I made a few more characters, then started thinking about the world they would inhabit - And that is when the idea of Bird Corp was started to take shape.
After some time, I started making simple idle and walk animations, backgrounds, and other assets in order to bring the world of Bird Corp to life.
Research findings on similar games, mechanics, audience expectations, and inspiration references for our prototype.