Thesis Statement

Caveside is a platformer about the effects of gentrification on poorer citizens and a criticism of city/country expansion. Through environmental storytelling, you can see more and more people left without resources as the mayor becomes more comfortable. The city eventually topples due to greed.

Game Research and Inspiration

Surface Story

Main Theme/Moral

Main Character

Environment

Clues (Significant Objects and Characters)

Problem: humans are forced to create an underground civilization.

Lower class worker who mines and collects valuable items

Underground post-climate cave system

(1) natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, and tornadoes overcoming humans and forcing them underground

(3) Economic incentives like wealth growth leading to corruption

(2) people being pushed out of their home in-game due to not paying enough tax money (due to poverty) to the leader of the city

(4) "Cold material" being necessary for human life that is scarce for the lower class

Hidden Story

People working in lower wages than the value of their job

Gentrified cities such as Boston and Cambridge

(1) Modern day climate destruction such as deforestation and pollution and its dangerous effects

(3) Those in power taking more than they should

(2) gentrification and stealing from the poor to provide for the rich

(4) Resources such as food and building supplies that are being denied from the lower class

Cause: past generations destroyed the environment

Effect: Natural disasters increased at such a rapid rate that humans were forced underground with limited resources.

People who are in need of essential supplies like food and housing are being denied them

Capitalism being driven by unending production growth at the expense of depletion of natural resources, pollution, and climate change.

Many deaths and low quality of life

Allegory Map

Process - Skill Building and Brainstorming

Sketches

Grace

Game Play Diagram 

Scene 1: Home

Scene 2: The Town

Scene 3: Hills

Scene 4: The Caves

Gentrification: mayor steals cooling stones from the poor and gives to the rich

Climate Change: humans are forced to move underground after their world is destroyed from the increase in natural disasters.

Player completes the "Hills" level to collect cooling stones

Player completes the "Caves" level to collect cooling stones

Player completes the "Tunnels" level to collect cooling stones

Player meets characters in town and learns about the mayor (see next page for dialogue)

Player spawns in bedroom and is greeted by the guide

Scene 5: The Tunnels

1:27 minute timer when character moves between cool zones

Mayor takes a disproportionate amount of coolant for themself

Society underground eventually collapses

due to this

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Grace

Dialogue

Environment Concept 1

Visual Inspiration Image

Mood: sheltered |Setting:underground

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Environment Concept 2

DIGITAL Collage

PHYSICAL Collage

Mood: Desperate | Setting: Cave

Environment Concept 3

DIGITAL Collage

PHYSICAL Collage

Inspiration Image

Inspiration Image

Mood:Dirt|Setting: Underground

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Character Design

Player

Player w/ pickaxe

Tim

Maya

Tod

Mayor

Grace

Asset Evolution:

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Game Highlights:

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