Prosperity City

Creating a game for social change.

Purpose

This project is an ongoing work for my Senior Capstone project. It will be completed by April 2025 and exhibited in The Corcoran School of Art & Design’s NEXT exhibition.

Duration

September 2024 – Present (ongoing)

Responsibilities

Game Design
Programming
User Research
User Experience Design
User Interface Design

Discovery

Background

The problem: Despite the promise of the American Dream, systemic barriers, random chance, and inequities often make success unattainable for many. This disconnect can diminish empathy and reinforce an individualistic mindset, limiting community solidarity.

To challenge this perspective, I created a game that encourages players to step into different life experiences. Through gameplay, it highlights the role of systemic obstacles while emphasizing the power of collective action, mutual aid, and community support in overcoming challenges.

How might we foster empathy for those unable to achieve the American Dream and encourage people to build community in the process?

Research

First, I needed to find if Americans still subscribe to the concept of the American Dream. In this context, I define the American Dream as the promise of equal opportunity and attainable prosperity through hard work in the United States.

I received 18 online survey responses that included multiple choice and open-ended questions about people’s thoughts on the American Dream, their behaviors pertaining to community action, and their experiences in their occupations. Some significant findings that came from this survey were:

“The discrepancy between rich and poor in the US makes it very hard to climb. Add the fact that people can be hampered by things totally out of their control, like disease, for which they are financially penalized to a much higher degree in the US than in many other places.”
-Participant 13, American Dream Survey

Next, I needed to know more about people’s gaming habits and preferences to inform my decisions on the format of the game I would create. I facilitated 5 semi-structured interviews in person and collected 27 survey responses online.

Brainstorming

Refining the Concept

After discovering that many people aren’t convinced the American Dream is guaranteed, I decided to create an implicit critique of the concept. While many acknowledged the system’s flaws, they expressed uncertainty about how to address such a large-scale issue. Instead of simply reiterating that the problem exists, I wanted to provide players with actionable steps to confront it.

I drew inspiration from mutual aid programs in the US, particularly the Black Panther Party’s Survival Programs. These programs offer a successful example of community-driven support. By studying the steps taken by the Black Panther Party, I identified tasks that could be integrated into the game to reflect collective action and community empowerment.

Competitive Audits

I did audits on products that served similar purposes to find what aspects I could take inspiration from while also finding how I could set myself apart from what already exists.

Disparity Trap

Goal: “…provides an easy way to have hard conversations around race and privilege in America”
Explores how privilege works in systematic and non-systematic ways
To win the game, reach basic life goals like earning a job, home, and business
Each player’s gameplay is different; their identities are based on dice rolls
Can work cooperatively with other players

American Dream Game

Goal: Make people explore how bias and systematic inequality are an obstacle to reaching the American Dream
To win the game, reach the end of the board
Players’ gameplay is different based on what spaces they land on the board.
The game can be played digitally, as a tabletop board game, or on a life-sized board where players walk on the board.
Can be used for training in corporate settings

Development

Character Journey

The idea for Prosperity City was finalized! To define the events and goals of the game narrative, I created a journey map.

Mockups

To brainstorm the visual style of the game, I used AI to generate initial mockups for 2D and 3D options which helped me quickly explore different design possibilities. This allowed me to refine the aesthetic direction and ensure it aligned with the game’s themes.

I decided to take inspiration from game models like Stardew Valley and create a 2D, top-down pixel game. Currently, I’m working to build the environment and program using Unity.