5. Why?
The founders of the game “The Escapist” tied to make a
game which would puts you in place of a prisoner in jail who
is craving for freedom. In our everyday lives we cannot
experience such things, so the developers made this game
to let people experience the true adrenaline of trying to
escape from jail. Gaming industry is booming nowadays,
because people are finally ready to pay not for the product,
but for the experience that it offers.
6. How?
A small team of developers has already made a indie game
before, but this time they wanted to create a more
interesting and breathtaking game. To manage the project a
team of game designers and programmers was gathered
together to work on “The Escapist”. With help of
crowdfunding the project became a reality in a vary short
period of time.
7. What?
A game which has a very close simulation of a prisoner who is trying
to escape from jail by using items which every prisoner has in real
life. By using crafting skills, gaining reputation, working out, stealing
items from work and digging a tunnel to reach the one ultimate goal
of the game, freedom. The game uses very strict schedules for the
player, so he has to always manage his time while playing, otherwise
it may raise the guards suspicion towards your persona. Much more
careful steps are required to finish the game, and the developers
have managed to make the project as real as possible for the player
to experience something outside of the box.
9. Consumer
The consumer is the player himself, without consumers there is no purpose of the game
development. In this specific case, the consumer is the investor who has invested money into
the game development process. Most loyal consumers/pledgers had the most important role, as
without their support, game would have been released later than promised.
10. Community
The gaming community is usually very supportive when it comes to indie game development. In
this specific case the community was the biggest driver of the whole project, as they were
interested in finalizing the project as soon as possible, because the promises which were given
by the developers were offering unbelievable experience and something new in gaming that has
never happened before. The community was hyped and was ready to help the project as much
as they could by having a great desire to play the game.
11. Connection
The connection is the game itself, the experience that the game offers. Even after the game,
many communities are gathered around to discuss the game, maybe develop it in their own way,
so the communication and socializing process around the game is a very important thing which
cannot be excluded when such experience is offered.
12. Context
The gaming context, online community including (Facebook, twitter, gaming forums) and
probably one of the biggest gaming social media/online game store STEAM.
13. Personal opinion
I think that it is very interesting to see how small indie games can offer an unforgettable
experience, as before analyzing the project, I have not only played it, but also read player
reviews, and I was amazed by the amount of people who here very satisfied with the game as
much as I was. The developers already had experience in game development which probably
helped them create “The Escapist”, which delivered a in-depth experience of a prisoner. The
team is still looking forward to updating the game and including new features, and of course all
based of the communities feedback and player desires.
14. Which Digital Communication Media
would you use and why?
In my opinion, developers have used all the necessary social media to reach the community.
Steam is one of the biggest gaming social platforms, which is a great choice for any game to get
some audience, recognition and PR. Facebook, twitter and gaming forums was a great choice
too, as two way communication is the best way not only to know the players desires, but also to
communicate with their players, update them with latest information as quick as possible via
twitter, share videos of early game stages via Youtube and Facebook. The idea of involving the
player into the process, makes it a story line which every person wants to follow, and the more
you follow the story, the more involved you are, and the more involved you are, the bigger your
desire for the game is. This technique is very powerful, and still many big companies are
underestimating this method.