(try to) Dress Up

Game Przegląd & History

(try to) Dress Up – Rozgrywka demo from Nivetha Kannan on Vimeo.

Growing up, I always loved to play casual dress-up games. Though I was a great fan of more mainstream titles such as Mario or Pokemon, the online dress up world still had me captivated for hours on end. I’m not sure why I liked them so much but I think it could have been due to my upbringing. As a daughter of a mostly rural Indian family, my clothing choices were monitored very strictly. My Mom and Dad weren’t strict on a lot of stereotypically Asian things (they let me major in art, for example) but due to social expectations of women in our culture (and virtually every culture), my clothes were constantly censored by my parents. Dress up games gave me an outlet where I could dress as I wanted without reprimand. “(try to) Dress Up” is a game than basically acts like the dress up games I loved growing up but simulates my real world experience with dressing up. The game is designed so that you have to get my parents’ permission before going out in that you’re wearing. Good luck with that- they’re pretty tough judges to please.

Rozgrywka Mechanics & Systems

This project has been written about in various websites. Please read more about the projects in these various articles:

“The Autobiographical Dress-Em-Up About Pleasing Your Conservative Parents” by Jess Joho // KillScreensDaily.com

Release & Industry Impact

“You’re Not Going Out Like That: (Try To) Dress Up” by Alice O’Conner // rockpapershotgun.com

“Try to Please Your Conservative Parents in This Semi-Autobiographical Dress Up Game” by Melody Lee // TheAbsoluteMag.

“(Try To) Dress Up is the Dress Up Game for People With Strict Parents” by Megan Patterson // paperDroids.com

“Pixelthreads: Reclaiming the Dress-Up Game” by Megan Patterson // themarysue.com

This game is going to be shown at the Game Developers of Color Expo in NYC. Please come to meet me and play it in person if you have the chance!