When you play a game, you generally have certain expectations. For instance, if you play a game by a well-known studio, especially a AAA game, there are certain expectations you may have. If you are used to playing a game in a series (such as the Call of Duty series), you are likely expecting an FPS game, a quality HUD (heads-up display), online arena play, and playability on most modern systems. The reason you have this expectation is usually because of the design philosophy of whichever studio created the game you are playing.
So what is the philosophy of I Can Play There Studios (ICPTS)? That is a question that I ask myself every time I think about a game or add code to an existing game. It boils down to one thing: ICPTS focuses on games where the story matters. At my core, I am a writer who enjoys crafting compelling stories. There are plenty of games where the only reason you play them is to win or to battle against others, or even to escape reality for a while. These are all great reasons to enjoy a game, but in the games I create, the goal is to tell a story.
But telling a story is a bit too vague to truly describe the goal of my games. In fact, each game has a main story with a large amount of substories and side stories. Obviously, the main story is the one you write yourself as you play each game, but within that story, each of the primary NPCs (Non-Playable Characters) has their own stories that unfold as you interact with them. Your interactions with each NPC will consist of a variety of branching dialogues based on the choices you make. You may completely change the lives of an NPC based on how you interact with them. You may create a loving relationship, an amicable friendship, or create an enemy, sometimes all three in one game. This is completely intentional!
When you read this, the likely question is “Why?” The reason is both simple and complicated. The simple reason is that I played so many games in the past that offered a variety of choices, but found that very few of them had a meaningful impact on the story. Certainly, some of them influenced character development (such as those in Star Wars: The Old Republic, Quest for Glory V: DragonFire, and Stardew Valley). But ultimately, when you reach the endgame, the final ending was essentially the same. The complicated reason is that life is often a series of choices we make both actively and passively. We may not realize how a simple decision we make, such as saying “Thank You” to someone or cutting someone off in traffic, can set off a cascade of events we may or may not be aware of. If you think this sounds far-fetched, just think about how many times we read a story about two people who connected through some unexpected circumstances, and it results in some crazy future state. That is how my games play out.
Also, I am a parent of 4 children, all of whom are teenagers. Since I run my own development shop, I don’t have many beta testers available, so I lean on my kids, wife, and friends to test for me. This means that I would not create a game that I would be uncomfortable with my children or friends reading or playing. That means you won’t find erotic material mixed in. My games are basically ending at PG13. I could certainly create these games, but I have no desire to do so. Instead, the games focus on the story and the life of the characters within it; the focus is on emotional and personal growth. Yes, there are kisses in the game; yes, there are some intimate scenes, but they do not depict anything lewd. It’s more about the whole person being available to the other. The extra stuff, well, you will have to use your imagination because you won’t find it here. I understand that many people in the audience may often expect these games to contain that material (as often happens in the VN world), but that is not for me. Instead, I hope you enjoy reading the stories as they unfold.
The bottom line of my philosophy is – every choice matters, so pick the ones you want.