Documentation 1 - Project Proposal

Concept Statement 

Giving birth to a baby is a special moment in every parent's life. This particular moment brought both the greatest happiness and extreme difficulties. When a baby is born, the dramatic Hormone change and severe lack of rest will drag a woman into an almost inevitable "baby blues." This "baby blue" can develop into a real issue, Postpartum Depression. According to research, 50%-80% of the new moms have "baby blues" during the Postpartum period. 13% of new moms get Postpartum Depression. Suffering from mental health problems has a negative impact on both new moms and babies. Not to mention that new dads can also get Postpartum Depression. However, this issue is preventable during the prepartum and postpartum period as long as new moms and their family members have a correct vision of Postpartum Depression. 

Introducing Be Her Ally, a social impact game that would educate new parents about Postpartum Depression and advocate for family support in a more interactive and immersive experience. Players will play as a new dad to explore what happens to "their wife in a problem" by messaging and talking to their "family members" and "friends." They will know the scientific information about Postpartum Depression and find out the right way advised by professionals to deal with it. This game would either be developed by Twine or Unity, and it could be a self-educating game and a tool for professionals and maternity class holders to help their patients. 

Audiences 

1. New Dads(Primary): New dads who worry about their wives having baby blues and experiencing postpartum. They would like to help, but they do not know what is happening and what they could do.

2. New Moms(Secondary): New mothers in their postpartum period. Especially for those experiencing baby blues or suspecting themselves experiencing/experiencing postpartum depression.

3. Other Family Members(Secondary): Any family members who worry about new parents' mental health and would like to know what Postpartum Depression is and how to support it.

4. Professionals(Others): Doctors and educators like maternity class holders who want to educate the idea of Postpartum Depression better and help the new parents by giving them a source and a tool to solve the issue.

User Scenario

Design Precedents 

1. Depression Quest 

• "Depression Quest is an interactive fiction game that describes various situations and prompts the player to choose their response. In addition, most pages feature a set of still images and atmospheric music. The game has over 40,000 words of text and multiple possible endings."

• Depression Quest did an excellent job in making the experience of feeling like a patient with depression.

2. Coming Out Simulator 

• "Players would experience a semi-fictional version of the designer on a night that changed his life forever by choosing their words wisely. Players would figure out how to approach their hyper-conservative Asian parents. Moreover, if all that seems confusing or awkward, that is the gist of coming out as queer, isn't it?"

• Coming Out Simulator inspired me to tell the story uniquely. It also gave me the idea of doing a messaging game. Their way of interacting with players is fantastic.

3. Bury Me, My Love

• "Bury me, my Love tells Nour's story as she flees Syria and tries to reach Europe. But why did the young woman decide to leave? Bury me, my Love is a reality-inspired interactive fiction designed for mobile phones. Communications will occur in pseudo real-time. How will Players best help?"

• Bury Me My Love is another game that inspires me in the game mechanics. I also really like how it tells the story.

4. Genshin Impact (Hangout Event Map) 

5. Fire Embassy: Three Houses (Calendar) 

6. For All Time (Map)

Why Develop Future? 

• a more straightforward understanding and reliable source.

  • Most of the sources out there about Postpartum Depression are text-based. There are many articles and research, but it is not new-parents friendly. New parents need to research all the baby stuff and take care of the baby. They do not have time and energy to read articles to find solutions. Moreover, articles and research online are mixed with practical and useless information. It is hard for people who know little about psychology to figure out the right way to solve the issue.

• A self-educating tool to understand the issue and solution.

  • Many new dads and family members of new moms are aware of the issue that the new mom is having some problems. However, they do not know what exactly happened to the new moms. Even though they know it is about Postpartum Depression, they do not know how to support new moms. Playing this game will know the problem because they may have the same situation as the people in this game. They will also learn the scientific information and professionally approved methods to support them.

• Professionals approved solutions.

  • New parents are busy. Making an appointment with a psychologist or psychiatrist may not be practical during the Postpartum period. By playing this game, they will learn the basic information about Postpartum Depression and how to deal with it as professionals. Of course, the game will suggest they seek professional help, but an urgent kit is essential.

• A fun, immersive, and interactive experience.

  • The game tells a story where new parents would likely link their experience and emotion. It is a typical new parent story that new parents would sympathize with. They will also be able to interact with the story to explore different endings to make the experience more immersive.

• Education without being overwhelming and priming in mind.

  • Mental problems are always overwhelming. It is not good to freak out pregnant people and priming the idea of getting depression after delivery. However, a game may not be that scary and still educational and practical.

• Ludo literacy and ludo narrative.

  • Playing is always the best way to be educated.

Timeline

• 1/18 - 1/30 -> Research

  • Research Literature

  • Design Precedents

  • Competitive Analysis

  • Stakeholders

• Stakeholders Interviews and Observations

  • 2 New Moms

  • 3 New Dads

  • 2 Professionals

  • Audience

  • Personas

  • Concept Map

  • Scenarios

  • Design Questions

  • RBT Analysis

  • User Scenario - Journey

  • Key functionality and features/Design Framework

• 1/31 - 3/6 -> Design

  • Scripts(drafts)

  • Game Mechanics Design

  • Narrative Design

  • Character Design

• 3/7 - 4/10 -> Development

  • Coding

  • Assets

  • Final Ver. Scripts

• 4/11 - 5/2 -> Playtesting & Revising

• 5/2 - 5/9 -> Prepare for presentation & Presentation (backup time)