Kept Woman

Prospectus

Kept Woman is a satirical take on the attitude towards women in society, specifically the attitude of romantic prospects. Presented as a single-player point and click video game, it takes inspiration from simulation ‘pet’ games such as Nintendogs, Pixel Chix and Tamagotchi. Elements of the game would also be akin to video games in the dating simulation genre.

Functionally, the game is a doll house. It’s as if the player is looking in on the wife. The wife can be found around the house doing various activities and adhering to a routine independent of the player’s actions.There is a disconnect between the player and the character because of this. The game lacks immersion purposefully in order to frame the wife character as an ‘other’.

The player plays the traditional role of the husband. Gameplay-wise, they can move from room to room and interact with the environment and the wife by clicking on them. The interactions with the wife that are available are superficial yet display the wife's personality. They are meant to juxtapose with the way the wife is presented in a stereotypical role. She is written as and presented as a human being, but the game pushes her into the ‘pet’ role, despite the fact that you are the one who is being taken care of.

The game commentates on the ‘domestication’ of women through a melancholic and repetitive game loop. There is nothing fantastical or unrealistic about the story, and that is what makes it relevant. It is a bleak outlook on arguably the most common outcome of a woman’s life. No matter who she was were before, now she is ‘the wife’.

Equipment:

1X Monitor with HDMI port

1X Computer:

-Strong enough to run small 3D games

-USB Connectivity

-HDMI Connectivity

1X Mouse with USB

1X HDMI cord

1X Over-ear headphones with USB

1X Stand/Station for mouse and Monitor