Jessika is a full motion video mystery adventure where players are part of a group that specializes in processing digital footprints of deceased people – all on behalf of the relatives. What at first seems to be a job like any other quickly develops into a dark drama with twists and turns.
All the players need are their laptop and some basic background info about the “victim” – in this case it’s all about Jessika. They can access her database and browse her files by typing different search terms into the search mask. These will give them access to video clips, audio files, notes, and news articles. Those can be shared with the client and colleagues to dig even deeper. Players have to use their savvy and combine the facts to unfold the true story of Jessika.
Status: Released
My Role:
- Game Designer
- Producer
What I did:
- Historical Research
- Story and Dialogues
- Video Production
- Marketing and PR
- Business Development
What I learned:
Working on Jessika taught me a lot about working in a very small team (3 people), how to write branching dialogues to enhance player agency in a linear narrative and how to integrate a serious topioc (right wing radicalization) into entertaining gameplay. Furthermore, I gathered a lot of experience in public pitching, publisher meetings, contract negotiation and how to closely work with a publishing partner.
