A video game about unemployment sounds too bizarre to be true, but if you haven't heard, the new "Unemployment Quest" is about to make its launch in just one month. This indie RPG surrounds the challenges of joblessness, and has gotten a lot of positive feedback so far.
The sole creator of "Unemployment Quest," Charles DeYoe, told GameNGuide that his own unemployment inspired him to come up with this idea.
"It seems to me that unemployed people don't have much of a voice in our culture," he said. "I wanted to make something others in my situation (and I know there are many) can relate to."
The immediate objective of the game is for the protagonist to find a job. Your first task is to go to town and talk to shop owners, yet as the game progresses, it becomes more about self-exploration and coping with the emotional challenges of joblessness. Foes include "Doubts," "Isolation," "Shame," and the main villain, "Uncertain Future."
"It's a modest title, but an honest attempt at expression," DeYoe said.
DeYoe used the RPG Maker software (specifically VX Ace) to create "Unemployment Quest." He created all the music himself, using Korg DS-10+ for Nintendo DS, and made original sound-effects using Nanoloop software for Nintendo Game Boy. The game is Windows-only at the moment, but is hoping to have it on other platforms soon.
"I believe Xbox Live Indie Games will be first," DeYoe said. "I'm also talking with someone about a potential Facebook version, so we'll see where that goes."
For the CD version, he plans on selling them at conventions. His girlfriend, Rayana Sassano is the illustrator of the image to be used as the cover art. She and his friend, Emily Donnelly, will also be testing the final version of the game, because play-testing is important to improving a game considerably.
DeYoe has received a lot of positive support through Kickstarter (a crowd funding website for creative projects), raising over $8,000, which was $7,000 more than his initial goal. Despite the phenomenal sponsorship, there have been negative backlashes as well.
"A lot of people seem to think that by my not having a job, I shouldn't be trusted to make a game," He said. "Others think that since I'm using RPG Maker, my game is instantly garbage; I don't understand their logic.
DeYoe encourages those who are jobless to keep trying and to create something. He said that although not everyone may be inclined to create things, there is always value in creation and expression as long as it's honest.
"People without jobs are still people and there's great value in human existence," DeYoe said. "'Every man and every woman is a star.'"
"Unemployment Quest" will be available for Windows in the U.S. on June 15, 2012.
