Hello! I hope I'm not rude for asking this, but if I purchase CHANGE on itch.io, will I get a Steam key or even a GOG key? Many developers are giving out Steam keys for their titles when purchased here. Thanks.
When our previous game PONCHO didn't do so well, I found myself five figures in debt, jobless, unable to pay rent and thus went through eviction. We didn't make it to being on the streets, we were lucky enough to have the safety net of friends and family to couch surf with until we were back on our feet. But it made us realise how easy it is to fall into homelessness, if that safety net isn't there.
We began the game with prototyping and research, quickly realising that we couldn't do the subject justice unless we also made it about mental health, addiction and other issues tied into homelessness.
We did speak to dozens of homeless people, as well as cross referencing many, many articles, studies and other data published by various charity, journalistic and governmental institutions. Through this we learned things like the leading cause of homelessness among women being escape from domestic abuse, that the average life expectancy for someone who is homeless long-term is 44... I could go on, but the research was a big part of it.
If you're wondering what homeless think of the game now, it's about 70/30 positive negative, based on the public reviews from people on steam and such. Though I always expected some players to go in "with their arms crossed", so to speak, since it is a risky subject.
We detest games like "Bum simulator" existing; we wanted to create a positive voice from the world of games on a serious issue by building empathy in the player through the medium I know best. And we really wanted to get it right for this reason, balancing the fine line of making it an engaging experience while also being a depressing one. I guess we just had something to say, and now we've said it.
Thanks for the serious answer. Sounds like your hearts are in the right place. I live in LA where we've got about 60,000 people living unhoused, and our city is currently in the process of violently pushing them out of every public space. Instead of, y'know, just paying for fuckin' housing. And given the existence of crap like "Bum Simulator", I hope you can forgive the skepticism. Good luck with the game!
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Hello! I hope I'm not rude for asking this, but if I purchase CHANGE on itch.io, will I get a Steam key or even a GOG key? Many developers are giving out Steam keys for their titles when purchased here. Thanks.
Ah thanks, Steam keys are now available. :)
"When members of the development team almost fell into homelessness some years ago"
So have any of you actually experienced homelessness? Did you consult with anyone who's been unhoused?
When our previous game PONCHO didn't do so well, I found myself five figures in debt, jobless, unable to pay rent and thus went through eviction. We didn't make it to being on the streets, we were lucky enough to have the safety net of friends and family to couch surf with until we were back on our feet. But it made us realise how easy it is to fall into homelessness, if that safety net isn't there.
We began the game with prototyping and research, quickly realising that we couldn't do the subject justice unless we also made it about mental health, addiction and other issues tied into homelessness.
We did speak to dozens of homeless people, as well as cross referencing many, many articles, studies and other data published by various charity, journalistic and governmental institutions. Through this we learned things like the leading cause of homelessness among women being escape from domestic abuse, that the average life expectancy for someone who is homeless long-term is 44... I could go on, but the research was a big part of it.
If you're wondering what homeless think of the game now, it's about 70/30 positive negative, based on the public reviews from people on steam and such. Though I always expected some players to go in "with their arms crossed", so to speak, since it is a risky subject.
We detest games like "Bum simulator" existing; we wanted to create a positive voice from the world of games on a serious issue by building empathy in the player through the medium I know best. And we really wanted to get it right for this reason, balancing the fine line of making it an engaging experience while also being a depressing one. I guess we just had something to say, and now we've said it.
Happy to answer any more questions. ^-^
Thanks for the serious answer. Sounds like your hearts are in the right place. I live in LA where we've got about 60,000 people living unhoused, and our city is currently in the process of violently pushing them out of every public space. Instead of, y'know, just paying for fuckin' housing. And given the existence of crap like "Bum Simulator", I hope you can forgive the skepticism. Good luck with the game!