Shelf Life

Through my cycle game, Shelf Life, I intend to depict the fractured relationship between myself as an artist, and my creative ideas. Oftentimes, my motivation to pursue a creative idea drains quickly if not acted on right away, resulting in a feeling of disdain toward the project. This causes me to work through the project very miserably, or abandon the project all together. As a Media Studies student, where our curriculum constantly asks us to expel excessive amounts of creative energy, this has become an ongoing cycle which I constantly battle to break. 

This experience is shared by many, as it's a common saying that creative ideas have a “shelf life” that will expire if not pursued in time. I used this as the inspiration for my game, portraying the creative idea as a “vision” which must be trapped in a jar and kept on a shelf. Although the passages branch off slightly, the player will ultimately reach the same point of defeat, emphasizing the constant struggle to keep creativity alive. While using fabulism to depict a mystical experience for the player, I hope this cycle speaks to those who may share the same up and down feelings about creative ideas as I do.

To improve this game, I ran it by my roommates, who all have different tastes in stories. The main feedback I took was to find the perfect balance of representing the theme effectively without being too explicit. I aimed to add just enough flowery language and fantastical elements, while still depicting the metaphor clearly, and incorporating elements of realism that the player can connect with.