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IAT 312 - Fall 2024 - Simon Fraser University
Paycheck to Paycheck
Paycheck to Paycheck
Our Current Project
Slogan
Slogan
Ever tried living paycheck to paycheck? Here is your chance to go through a simulation of the struggles and uncertainty that this lifestyle bestows upon numerous people in the world.
Razor
Razor
A game that allows players to experience the struggles of living paycheck to paycheck, where you have to balance your finances, mental health, and physical health in the stressful living situation, where resources are constantly drained and where you spend your time needs to be balanced properly.
Vision Statement
Vision Statement
Paycheck to Paycheck is a tabletop board game in which players aim to survive as long as possible barely making a living wage. Each player will have to manage their time between making money at their job and managing their physical and mental health by going to locations around the board. As they go through their day to day and pay their rent, they may meet up with others and compete against them going to certain locations, they can also buy perks or cards from the market and trade with others. There are also major events that will take place at certain times throughout the game.
Player experience goal(s)
Player experience goal(s)
Targeted aesthetics and desired player experience goals
What (desired emotion and player experience goals),
What (desired emotion and player experience goals),
Our desired player experience goal is to create a stressful situation where players have to split their time into managing different resources. We want players to feel the hardships that people in these situations actually face every day.
Our desired player experience goal is to create a stressful situation where players have to split their time into managing different resources. We want players to feel the hardships that people in these situations actually face every day.
Why
Why
The players all act as people who are suffering through the paycheck to paycheck grind. It allows them to share the experience of facing similar struggles or having to go above others, as well as having group events that allow discussion and insight into the issue.
The players all act as people who are suffering through the paycheck to paycheck grind. It allows them to share the experience of facing similar struggles or having to go above others, as well as having group events that allow discussion and insight into the issue.
How
How
The struggle is shown through splitting your characters time into different activities at locations to improve the players finances, mental state, and physical state respectively, as well having group events that allow all users to face the same wave of struggles.
The struggle is shown through splitting your characters time into different activities at locations to improve the players finances, mental state, and physical state respectively, as well having group events that allow all users to face the same wave of struggles.
How does it address the design challenge of a Transformative Game?
How does it address the design challenge of a Transformative Game?
What’s the underlying challenge/problem your game aims to tackle, and how could addressing this help make this world a better place to live?
The underlying problem our game aims to shine a light on is the struggle that people go through living paycheck to paycheck, and having to balance their time between making money at work, and maintaining their mental and physical health. It can help people understand what it is like to work a job barely making a living wage, and provoke some empathy towards those who are struggling with that kind of lifestyle. Also, bringing awareness to this problem can help the target audience, people who can spend extra money on a board game, be more content with what they already have and approach life with a more positive mindset.
Background research on underlying problem/challenge that your game aims to tackle
Life stress is a pervasive issue in modern society, impacting both mental health and physical health. Sources of stress include occupational demands, financial difficulties, complex interpersonal relationships, and daily uncertainties. This stress can lead to emotional problems such as anxiety and depression, as well as physical health issues like cardiovascular disease and weakened immune function. This challenge in the diversity of stressor and individual differences in how people perceive and respond to stress, making it difficult to develop a one size fits all solution.
Common methods for managing stress include therapy, meditation, self- help, strategies, and gaming. Recently games have emerged as a promising tool for stress relief. Games offer high interactivity and entertainment value, allowing users to escape from real-world stress while engaging in enjoyable activities. For example, Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, they provide a stress free virtual world, help players relax through its slow-paced framing simulation.
Team motivation
It’s a relatable topic to our team members because we may also enter a 9-5 environment soon. The topic of work-life balance and work-life struggle is an important subject that may also resonate with the players. This topic is also relatable to use because we may end up in this situation later in life because of the uncertainty of getting a job that allows us to make good enough money to not live paycheck to paycheck. Also this struggle is becoming more widespread as inflation is increasing along with housing prices in our areas which may not allow us to afford a mortgage or rent.
Why would a game be a suitable approach to tackling this challenge/problem?
A game offers a level of reach that we believe is greater than other media like a published article or a short film. We also believe that people will be offered a greater level of interaction with this type of experience than something that they watch or listen to. By giving the player meaningful choices throughout the game, they have the opportunity to interact with the message we want to convey on a deeper level, because they are an active participant rather than an observer. We aim to accomplish this level of interaction through realistic and grounded gameplay mechanics that portray an aspect of real life through their elements. The other addition would be the real life dilemmas that the game portrays, for instance having to pay rent on time and getting evicted if you don’t choose between paying the heating bill or getting food for the week.
Desired “transformation” and impact of game on players
With our game, we wish our players to experience and understand the struggle of being in a 9-5 environment, living paycheck to paycheck. By playing our game, players can learn to take care of themselves and manage work-life balance better in real life. People who are not in 9-5 might reconsider their job-finding criteria. We focus on changing people’s understanding because this might lead people to actions.
How would you assess the game’s impact?
Our main goal is informing players about the struggles of living off paycheck to paycheck, so if we are able to observe the playtesters discussing the living experience of people suffering from this cause, that would be a good indicator that our message was able to resonate with them, and they gained new insights about the topic with others.
Inspiration Analysis
Inspiration Analysis
Monopoly https://shop.hasbro.com/en-us/monopoly:
This game is a very popular game that deals with capitalism. This is a big inspiration for our project because of the similarity between its message and what we want our message to be. The game is all about trying not to go bankrupt, and taking actions to make the most money and stabilize your income as best you can. Our game is similar in that our lose conditions are losing your money, but our game includes other resources such as mental and physical health.
Inspiration Analysis
Inspiration Analysis
Spent https://playspent.org/:
Spent is a web browser game that gives the player 1000$ per month to live on and forces them to either get a job or exit the game. Based on the job you select you can face unforeseen consequences such as selecting a labour intensive job having a high level of stress on your body, or a temp job having unreliable hours. The player is faced with real-life decisions such as paying bills, deciding whether or not to go out with friends, and other options that revolve around saving or losing money. The game is very up front about its messaging, which is that managing finances for a family can be very difficult in our current economy. The player is faced with decisions that reinforce this, for example the player selects a house either close to nature, with a low cost of living, or close to work, with lower travel costs but higher cost of rent.
Why Your Project is Innovative?
Why Your Project is Innovative?
(a) Innovation
(a) Innovation
Paycheck to paycheck offers a fresh perspective on survival games by focusing on everyday struggles with financial instability, mental health, and physical health. The combination of strategic card play, unique character abilities, and location-based mechanics creates an engaging, decision-driven experience. Its escalating difficulty, driven by resource depletion and unexpected major events, keeps players on their toes, offering high replayability and fostering social interaction.
(b) Relevance
(b) Relevance
In a world where many face the challenges of financial instability and health management, this game provides a relatable and reflective experience., It invites players to navigate these issues collaboratively and competitively, highlighting the importance of support systems and strategic thinking. The game resonates with players by creating moments of empathy, humor, and tension, simulating the real-life balance between work, health, and personal life.
(c) Selling points
(c) Selling points
Sparks conversation about financial and health pressures in a fun and engaging way.
Encourage both competition and collaboration, leading to dynamic group interaction and memorable moments.
A survival game centered on relatable, real-life challenges rather than fantasy or apocalyptic settings.
Premise, Setting, Objective, Gameplay, & Narrative
Premise, Setting, Objective, Gameplay, & Narrative
Premise & Theme
Premise & Theme
Balancing all the different elements and resources of a person living paycheck to pay check who can barely survive. The goal is to survive for 7 days as unexpected events take place and other players either aid or compete against one another to stay alive until the end. The premise is just that you are playing as someone who is struggling to stay afloat working a 9-5 job. The player is put in the position of a working class citizen who must make decisions to survive, however players are not given unique identities like profile cards or unique statistics.
Setting
Setting
The game is set in a contemporary urban environment, where players assume the roles of individuals struggling to make ends meet while managing their personal well-being.
Game Objective
Game Objective
The goal is to survive 7 days without depleting players’ money, mental health, or physical health, all while managing escalating expenses and unpredictable events.
Core Gameplay
Core Gameplay
Players take turns across three daily phases, choosing locations, and performing actions to earn money or restore health. they must collaborate or compete in tasks, manage their resources, and prepare for major events.
Unique Elements
Unique Elements
The game’s unique combination of strategic card play, location-based actions, and escalating resource management creates a tense yet engaging experience. It integrates social dynamics, real-life challenges, and replayable scenarios that emphasize both individual decisions and group dynamics.
Mechanics
Mechanics
The game requires around 4-6 players and starts with each player drawing a profile card and 5 numbered and coloured cards. The players start by all placing their pieces on the respective location they wish to go to for that turn. The turns work as 3 turns for a full day. Each location has set rules and actions take place depending on the amount of players on each spot. These actions and the location determine how much of a resource or benefit each player receives that turn. At the end of each day all players lose a specific amount of resources, mental health, physical health and money. This cycle repeats until day 7 or all players except one loses. If you survive until day 7 you win or if you are the last alive.
The core mechanic is choosing locations and then placing action cards to outwit opposing players to gain resources. Or cooperate with them to both receive resources.
Play Matrix
Play Matrix
Our game largely is determined by the cards you get in your hand and that you draw. There is a little bit of skill and mental calculation when strategizing which location to go to, and which cards to play and when. There is no physical dexterity needed to play this game, it is a mental game.
Rule Sheet
Rule Sheet
You Can find our rule sheet by clicking the photo below:
Video Introduction
Video Introduction
You can find a video introduction to our game at this link below:
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