Writing and Pre-Pro

3 weeks later and already lots has changed since this original set of diagrams in my journal.

One of the big questions that I have had hanging over this game is the question of depicting psychologically difficult stimuli to people. Gaslighting sucks, it sucks to experience it and it sucks to hear about it. That does not make for a fun experience. Conceptually I'm still desiring to make this game, I'm actually less inclined to work on the writing of the experience. Every time I sit down to write some hypothetical conversations that might happen, I get into a really negative space. I don't like sitting with the language of gaslighting and the discomfort actively prevents me from getting scenario writing done.

So the original idea of "these are text message conversations that occurred and the player intervenes by texting something different" had to modified. Over the last couple weeks, I have definitely abandoned that. Too many false starts on the writing process to actually commit. Maybe someone else could, but not this designer. It's too negative, too weakwave for me to just have people sit and respond or be forced to take in the abusive and shitty language employed by gaslighters. That's not an experience that I want people to have. I had to re-evaluate what I'm aiming for.

There existed a paper/tabletop version of 'I Hear You' that was a type of hack from "One Missed Call". Taking that original framework, the prototype enforced the rule that there would always be one player wanting to keep the relationship and the other, a GM type, would always be about ending it. As a two player game, the keep player would try and maintain the conversation going as long as possible while also trying to assemble key phrases that people use to stop try and stop gaslighting. There was a deck of cards with the key words to assemble the phrases. Phrases like "I need you to stop saying that" or "That is not what you said." A player would draw cards like a poker hand and exchanges and additional draws were gained by keeping the conversation going. This "worked" in that you could play it, but the experience was such that players felt like they were being forced to keep an obviously bad thing going. Not what I wanted.
It was back to the planning phase and I think I want to stick with the cards, but have players play a game of memory (finding matching cards) in order to assemble the words needed for response, with the conversation taking place between two people completely separately from the player playing the match game. Essentially, the gaslighting conversation plays out like a stageplay while the player is actually playing the memory game in order to literally reach into memory and assemble a sentence.  I like this much more and will report back what this ends up looking like soon (??)

P.s. - I have to be extremely thankful for the people who have participated in my early discussions about how this game should function, so thanks to Amanda, SJ, TJ, and more.