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Dangerous game?

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rpcarnell
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Joined: 12/31/1969

I developed this game six months ago, and now everyone is telling me it is dangerous:

http://carnellgames.bravehost.com/plastic_rules.htm

Game is called "Plastic Surgery". You can guess that this is a game where players must try to improve their features. How? Each player must get four cards. Those four cards will tell them what their deffects are (regardless of how they look like). A card can say he has a big nose (even if he doesn't) and needs liposuction, etc.

The purpose of the game is finding the cards with the right plastic surgery. A card that says "Nose Job" will allow you to get rid of the card that says "You have a big nose".

Problem is everyone thinks this game is far from marketable. Even my mom says people will be offended by it and can even get into fights; something that game publishers might see.

Do you agree? Is my game dead before it was even born?

http://carnellgames.bravehost.com/plastic_rules.htm

seo
seo's picture
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Joined: 07/21/2008
Dangerous game?

Maybe some people will get offended, but some won't. But that will happen with many topics, anyway.

To maximise the latter group you could give the game a humorous tone, use funny cartoonish illustrations, maybe even use alien or animal characters instead of people.

Just my 2 cents.

Seo

jwalduck
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Joined: 09/06/2011
Dangerous game?

Lunch Money got published and it was about kids bullying and beating each other up for lunch money.

To me plastic surgery seems like a theme that is in the public mind at the moment. The question would be how you treat the theme (respectfully or humorously) and who you your target market is (teenage girls, game players, people who watch The Swan/Extreme Makeover, people jaded by plastic surgery shows).

I think that would be a tough line to walk.

DSfan
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Dangerous game?

Quote:
I developed this game six months ago, and now everyone is telling me it is dangerous:

http://carnellgames.bravehost.com/plastic_rules.htm

Game is called "Plastic Surgery". You can guess that this is a game where players must try to improve their features. How? Each player must get four cards. Those four cards will tell them what their deffects are (regardless of how they look like). A card can say he has a big nose (even if he doesn't) and needs liposuction, etc.

The purpose of the game is finding the cards with the right plastic surgery. A card that says "Nose Job" will allow you to get rid of the card that says "You have a big nose".

Problem is everyone thinks this game is far from marketable. Even my mom says people will be offended by it and can even get into fights; something that game publishers might see.

Do you agree? Is my game dead before it was even born?

http://carnellgames.bravehost.com/plastic_rules.htm

I dont think its dead. The only thing you really need is to find the right demographic for this type of game. It may be hard, but its worth a shot.

I second seos idea of using funny illustrations on the cards. Charactures would probably be the way to go. That would take the hurt out, and make it more funny.

I could see it already: On the card that says you have a big nose you could have a characture with a tiny head and a huge nose! The nose job card could have a large head and a small nose or something. That would help show the contrast between the two cards.

Good Luck,
-Justin

FastLearner
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Dangerous game?

Just license the immensely popular (though more popular a year ago) television series Nip/Tuck. It's about plastic surgery and there's no way your game could offend those viewers.

-- Matthew

Anonymous
Dangerous game?

Sounds like your big problem is that you think your theme may hurt your chances of getting it published.

If you send your game to a publisher and they think the theme is marketable, then it's their dime to lose if they're wrong. If they don't think it's marketable but they like the mechanics and want to publish it, they'll paste on a new theme anyway.

The problem is that a publisher may not want to put the effort to re-theme a game from a new designer (sorry if you have published games already and you're a big name in the design world).

If you wan to send this to a publisher, then try the publishers that are most likely to carry something like this. If you're going cartoony, then imagine which publishers would carry something of that sort. The worst that any publisher can say is "no thanks". At that point you just try another publisher.

rpcarnell
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Dangerous game?

thank you.

I was expecting to hear less optimistic replies.

You people are right. Cartoonish cards would work better.

Anonymous
Dangerous game?

Reminds me of 'operation' - the game from the 80s...

Anyway I definitely think cartoonish 'over-the-top' graphics would make this game really hilarious.

As far as offending someone, everything offends someone.... It couldnt hurt to try...

OrlandoPat
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Joined: 10/16/2008
Try a different tone

Just stumbled across this thread... My two cents worth: I agree that the cartoony approach is the key to avoiding any upset. If you can keep the tone "funny" and maybe even make fun of some of the more ridiculous situations, you can probably leverage the topic into an advantage.

Lor
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Dangerous game?

Is it all gals? That's a little chauvy... what about guys? I have a tummy needing a big tuck, and I wouldn't mind a longer... nose. I could fantasize that. If you make it ridiculous enough, you'll help me over a stupid internal need to be somebody I'm not.

What happens when two players meet on the board? Do they assess eachother's scars or something?

It's got the bones of a cute idea, a premise. Could use a another level of interaction or so.

rpcarnell
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Dangerous game?

Actually I copyrighted a new version of the game. It's called Quest for Perfection, not plastic surgery.

Reason for this is the fact that I removed the breast implants card to replace them with dental work cards.

Now the game features two male characters and two female characters.

Gray squares will allow players to exchange plastic surgery cards. If you have a surgery another player needs, you can sell it for $1000. If you meet another player on the same square, you can also exchange surgeries.

That's as much interaction as you can get.

Lor
Lor's picture
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Dangerous game?

How about if one player volunteers to do the surgery at half price and pocket the dough? I've always wanted to be a cutup... ;-)

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