Game Vision Statement

Evergreen

In this blog post I will be discussing my ideas and the vision I have for my new game "EverGreen" through a "Gave Vision Statement". I will be describing my ideas and the design of my game. I chose this name after brainstorming many other names. I looked at other gardening game names to make sure I didn't chose a name that is already being used. I settled on Evergreen because it's short simple and related to nature/gardening. "In botany, an evergreen is a plant whose "foliage remains green and functional through more than one growing season."

Introduction: Evergreen is an arcade/simulation style games suitable for all age groups and abilities to be played on a computer for now but will be developed to be played on a phone/tablet in the future. The player must help miss evergreen to keep her secret garden alive by planting and water her beautiful flowers. This relaxing game is a fun escape form everyday stress and is fun for all the family. Suitable for a wide range of age groups and abilities. It is a fun and simple game to play.

Background: When researching and brainstorming this Idea my original inspiration came from my mother but as I began to develop it I researched other games that have a similar concept . I looked at "Hive and Honey" by Onerat Games (here) a bee and garden simulation game for the pc, "Alice green fingers" by BigFish games (here) a buy and sell gardening simulation game also made for the pc and  Minecraft by Mojang Studios (here) a world simulation game where you can design and create your own world, made for the pc and now can be played on any smart phone or tablet. The games I listed above are the games I kept in mind when deigning my idea, I took inspiration from the game play and design. 

Description: When you the player first opens the game you will be met with Mrs.Evergreen a kind old lady with her gardening get up on. She will then explain the rules to you in a speech bubble, how the game works and what your goal is. You will start with a blank slate of grass. You will be able to control Mrs.Evergreen and help her plant a flower, water it so it will grow to its full potential but make sure you remember to water your flowers properly other wise they will dray up or get flooded and die. Your aim is simple so just enjoy planting the pretty flowers and watching your garden expand. The only time limit you may face is getting the flowers watered in time other than that this game is simply a relaxing escape to your secret garden. 

Key Features: 

• Relaxing music: there will be no change in music tempo or volume at any time during the game I would like to keep a calm environment and not add any pressure with different sounds. 
• Simple Controls: the game will be easy to control so it is able to be played by a wide variety of age groups and abilities this will be an inclusive enjoyable game. I also want the controls to translate well from playing on a computer/laptop to playing on a smart phone or tablet. 
• Game Play: I want the game to be played at a relaxed speed, but not so slow its boring but I do not want Mrs.Evergreen running around the garden like a crazy lady.  

Genre: When I think of this game it seems to fit in to a wide range of genres at first I  thought it was an arcade game but it didn't have some of the features most arcade games have like short levels, high scores and lives. It didn't have the pressure of an arcade game. So now I would describe it as game with a mix of simulation and arcade game features. I would describe it as a fun gardening simulation game for now but as it gets developed I think I could find better words to use to describe it.

Platforms: I think the game concept is applicable to multiple platforms, The game will be developed to play on the PC at first but I think it would easily translate to a game you could play on your phone or tablet as the controls are simple. I intend for this to be a single player game as adding a second player will add a level of competition and that defeats the relaxing, simple aspect of the game.

Concept Art:

(Image one two three and four)