***     TL;DR.***

This is Version 1 of the Game Design Document for my forthcoming app The Ascension Simulator. With this mobile app game, my intention is to scale self-worth and gamify trauma-healing. This will be done by bringing our players through a combination of platformer-action, simulation and puzzle game styles, playfully guiding them through various challenges such as self-reflections, identity-programming, and meditation.

With a focus on the massive LGBTQ+ gamer demographic, this game will envelope its players in an interface glistening with all the comforts of Y2K nostalgia. I’d like to begin hacking over summer 2023, and am currently building out a team of developers in the web3 space. My DMs are open!

***     Introduction:***

This essay is a continuation of my thoughts documented in The Spiritual Incubator, an article I released in August of 2022. If you haven’t read that piece yet, I encourage you to do so first and then come back!

Below, I’d like to outline my forthcoming plans for building The Ascension Simulator, the game in question! May this article serve as Version 1 of the Game Design Document, introducing readers to the concept and vision I am embodying as of this day, May 10th 2023, as well as providing a concise overview for those who will be building out the prototype with me.

***     Index:***

1. Why?

2. Concept + Story

3. Developer Platform

4. Genre + Gameplay

5. Player Challenges

6. Art + Visual References

7. Vision for Impact

8. Target Audience

9. Inspiration

10. Web3 Integration

11. Development Strategy

12. Monetization Strategy

13. Potential Builder Team

14. Closing Remarks

***     1. Why?***

My intention in building this game is to scale self-worth and gamify trauma-healing, increasing the range of beneficiaries to the internal resources of high self-compassion, intuitive adeptness, and joyful courage. Access to sharpening these skills need no longer be limited to those with a hardwired discipline for self-development and shame-clearing. By creating a nostalgic, playful, and rewarding environment for undergoing the cultivation of these inner assets, we are opening the gates to a more abundant, healthy, and vibrant human species.

In order for humanity to survive the next hundred years and beyond, we will have to prioritize our cultivation of self-compassion. No justice-related aid will ever have the sustainable impact we desire and deserve without us first comprehensively addressing the root of humanity’s moral crisis. Stemming from the collective trauma of believing that we, in and of ourselves, are not enough, we attempt to prove our enoughness by controlling our external worlds; however, in finding a reliable means of soul-nourishing connection on the inside, we no longer need to count on coercing an external force in order to feel truly seen, loved, or connected.

Indeed, collectively embodying the realization that no amount of material possessions or external validation could ever heighten nor detract from our intrinsic self-worth will give us the practical potential to make intuitive choices for the collective. This will inevitably lead us to lower rates of violence, poverty, and ecological destruction.

Another why: to express my world-view! I do understand us humans to be living in a simulated reality, where Earth itself is a super hard level full of strenuous inner challenges, designed specifically to make our hearts stronger. My soul purpose in this game is to evolve myself by increasing my capacity for Self-compassion; this superpower unlocks the doors I seek to have opened. I am being guided.

As quantum-physics proves, manifesting the movement of matter around us is in large part contingent on our mindsets, belief systems, and programmed identities (i.e. our Self-storytelling). Through my time spent in the self-mastery worlds (as both mentor and mentee), I know that these stories we tell ourselves repeatedly inevitably dictate how we show up in the world, as well as what circumstances rise to mirror us.

This life, this level, is a game of balancing action and inaction, desire and non-attachment; the ancient art of Wu-Wei. The devs (Gods?) endlessly perceive our internal worlds, rewarding us with short-cuts, synchronicities, and miracles when we least expect them. Ever notice how right when you let go of something, it shows up? My intention is to provide a playful environment within which folks can learn, experiment with, and ultimately embody these timeless principals, thus enabling greater connection and communication with the Universe, as well as the refined ability to manifest more enjoyment in their lives.

I think it’s relevant to note here that I can actually struggle a lot with letting myself rest and play, historically opting instead for workaholism and relentless self-excavation. I don’t think its a coincidence that I am now obsessively envisioning a self-excavation…game!? I see this app creation process as a deeping in my own dedication to healing my inner child, by creating a world for him to do just that within.

I was also inspired to make this game in an attempt to bring more friends, family, and community members further along on their inner journeys. A massive energy surge in envisioning this project came on the heels of me feeling really let-down by a couple close people in my world. I thought that if I created a more accessible and fun way for my friends and family to evolve their own levels of self-compassion, maybe they would be better companions to me. Ironically, I now recognize that this game will actually train me to no longer rely on them to feel connected - and, I wanted to share that personal anecdote regardless. It always comes back to the Self, eh…may this game serve as a reliable companion while we take the long walk home.

***     2. Concept + Story***

The Human player (that’s you) enters a simulated reality world that your Guides created for you to Evolve your Angel within. Your Angel is a Higher Self version of you - a future Self, if you will - who benefits, grows and glows by helping its Human evolve their inner technologies. As the Angel undergoes increasingly challenging exercises, it gains rewards in the form of tokens, superpowers, avatar upgrades, and more.

Your Angel’s goal is ultimately to generate enough compassion to help transcend this dimension onto a 5D Eco-topian timeline, saving earth and all its inhabitants from cruelty, conflict, and climate collapse.

Note: I do recognize that the concept of “Angels” has been presented in the Abrahamic religions of Islam and Christianity, so this title will be a point of contention for certain audience members who may have had painful past experiences with these religions. I’m open to fleshing this out, potentially referring to the game avatars as Guides, Pleiadians, Ascendeds…we shall see.

3. Developer Platform

I would like to develop the app using the React JavaScript library, which enables interfacing across all three spaces of iOS, Android, and web.

4. Genre + Gameplay:

Genre: Mobile Game, Casual with elements of Puzzle, Platformer/Action, and Simulation. Likely to incorporates elements of Ai Coaching as the technologies develop.

With clearly defined plot points and objectives during game progression, soundscapes that trigger both nostalgia + calm, and a pacing which keeps the user engaged day after day, I do decree that The Ascension Simulator gameplay shall be timeless!

We’ve all played games that help us to learn things (like Duolingo, for example). In The Ascension Simulator, each player will select their own little pixelated avatar Angel. Then, that Angel will walk through platform levels, each level presenting its own set of challenges (physical, mental, and emotional). With each challenge, lesson, and mini-game, the Angel will evolve to incorporate the whats, whys, and hows of whatever inner-development tool it is being tasked with.

There will be built-in rewards, engagement loops, and win/lose scenarios embedded throughout. There are secret short-cuts where you can “quantum leap” levels if you do not get triggered by the same things in the same ways anymore.

For certain challenges, you get rewarded when you check in every day, like feeding a Tamagotchi. In order to pass some levels, you simply MUST check in everyday and for example meditate until the streak has been completed, or you have to start over.

You can hop between worlds, completing the challenges set out in different dimensions, and thereby allowing you to opt-out of certain challenges if it’s just feeling like too much for you that day. This enables the moderated self-selection of the tools and habits that work best for you.

***     5. Player Challenges:***

• Meditations (silent, guided, with music, binaural beats, etc.)

• Self-Reflection through Journaling, Surveys, and Written Prompt responses (based on the information gathered, the app prescribes next steps, practices, and challenges)

• Affirmations (accountability recorded through typing, speaking using voice-to-text, and/or through video using facial recognition technologies)

• Self-concept design, identity and reality creation models

• Phone breaks where you have to stay on the app and the entire rest of the phone goes Do Not Disturb/airplane-mode for periods of time. Serves as an accountable phone break.

• Breath-work (for inner-peace and clarity, and on higher levels, potentially introducing DMT-producing breath-work practices)

• Gamifying further exercises found in the books “Self-Therapy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Wholeness and Healing your Inner Child” and “Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” among others.

     6. Art + Visual References:

Nostalgia is a key element of the UX design - and not just because its cute! A 2022 study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that nostalgia actually reduces our experience of real physical pain (!!). This app will wrap its players up in a warm hug, making them feel like eeeverything is okaaay. Like when you were a kid and there was nowhere to go, nothing to do. The ultimate comfort. Simpler times.

The pixelated cotton-candy dreamscape of The Ascension Simulator is unapologetically femme, magical, and child-like. Kind of like if Animal Crossing and Super Mario had a lil Sailor Moon baby. Those of us who loved and lived in the early 2000s deserve to relive the most comforting nostalgic elements of our childhoods, all while healing our inner children!

Other UX inspirations include:

• Fabiola Larios (a fantastic digital glitter artist in the NFT space)

• Math Blasters (an early 2000s educational computer game I used to play)

• Candy Land (Hasbro Interactive circa 1998; I just love all the candy)

• Roller Coaster Tycoon (such pixel! such sounds!)

***     7. Vision for Impact:***

How rewarding is it to know that your time and energy have contributed to a cause you believe in? Imagine if, through doing your own inner work, you could tangibly pay it forward? With The Ascension Simulator, you can! Embedded within the gameplay, your reward upon reaching certain milestones will be the opportunity to loan your “winnings” (real fiat money) to a women entrepreneur, for example through Kiva. You could also have the option to send a donation in the name of your avatar, perhaps to an LGBTQ+ organization such as The Trevor Project, or a youth mindfulness org like The David Lynch Foundation.

This act of doing good stimulates a flood of endorphins known as the helper’s high, boosting self-esteem and happiness while combatting feelings of depression. This falls directly in line with the app’s ethos and mission, and will enable us to scale our impact even further, inviting players to be direct co-creators in impact.

***     8. Target Audience:***

My target audience is LGBTQ+ Gen Zs and Millennials, a growing demographic that I feel so blessed to be part of. According to USA Today, the queer community represents 19.7% + 11.2% of these generations respectively, compared to 2.7% of boomers and 3.3% of Gen Xers. We are a massive, and ever-growing audience.

While every human deserves all the self-compassion they can get their hands on, I recognize that the LGBTQ+ community continues to face global marginalization of significantly higher magnitudes than our straight and cisgender community members. Creating this game as a resource with queer folks in mind is a way of ensuring that we are receiving the extra care and concern we deserve.

Many of us as queer folks are hungry for a non-religious sense of spiritual connection, for most religious communities have told us to hide, mask, or outright change who we are. The Ascension Simulator will provide this audience with the tools to access a spiritual connection safely, and on their own terms.

Further, due to the complexities of historical oppression, many queer folks face greater challenges with mental health, financial security, and access to safe and affirming therapy. This app aims at being an effective ally in these arenas, to a rapidly increasing audience who also happens to have a statistically higher likelihood of playing this exact style of game.

Indeed, according to Nielson statistics, LGBTQ+ gamers are 40% more likely than their non-queer counter-parts to play simulation games on mobile. That’s a significant margin!

What does it mean for us as queer folks to have the tools in our hands to practically conjure joy, belonging, and unconditional self-acceptance? Are we about to become The Joy Generation itself?

     9. Inspiration:

• This game draws inspiration from, and yet differs from the app Finch (a “self-care tamagotchi”) because it dives deeper into emotional processing and reality creation than Finch does, yet mirrors its incentivisation for daily practice via the gamification of self-development practices.

• It also draws inspiration from Free Rice, a simple word game put on by the UN World Food Programme which has catalyzed the donation of over 220 billion grains of rice.

• The CHANI app, which includes personalized guidance and journal prompts, yet focuses more on astrology than our app, and lacks the gamified aspect.

• Heroic, a self-mastery goal, habit, and affirmation tracking platform with a more sharp aesthetic tone, and again without the gamified aspect.

• Duolingo, arguably the world’s most popular gamified educational mobile app! Teaches languages.

• Celeste, a platform narrative video game which follows a young trans woman as she climbs a mountain, battling her anxiety and depression and cultivating self-forgiveness.

• Inwords, an Ai coaching app. I have played with this app, and don’t believe the technology to be as developed as would be necessary to execute on my vision for The Ascension Simulator. I have hours of content in an online database that, technology permitting, I’ll feed the Ai so it can scale my impact as a life coach, eventually allowing all players access to as nuanced and refined a gameplay-integrated coaching experience as possible.

Given the popularity and yet stark contrast between the above inspirations, I see The Ascension Simulator as bridging important gaps between the gaming, wellness, and impact sectors. Instead of simply tracking, teaching, or entertaining, The Ascension Simulator seeks to combine the above methods and more into one satisfying and unique gameplay model.

***     10. Web3 Integration:***

I recognize that connecting a wallet, paying gas, and understanding utilities can all be significant barriers for those not yet awakened to the wonders of web3. In order for me to choose to integrate web3 into the app, it would need to be next-to-seemless, so as to not deter potential players. That being said, I do have some web3 ideas that I think would notably elevate the Ascension Simulator’s overall experience longterm:

• Token-Gated features: Picture this - you’ve just completed some deep shadow work, and won a gorgeous, personalized NFT as part of your in-game reward. You’re looking to integrate your experience deeper, so you enter the token-gated chat where only players who have completed the same level as you can hang. You find your new bestie and prance off into the proverbial sunset to process together.

• Currency + DAO: You are earning the $ASCEND currency as part of your in-game rewards. The more you play, the more you earn. You watch your stake in the shared treasury rise, mirroring an increase in the power of your vote on certain democratic processes. Shortly, $ASCEND becomes a mutual aid resource for you and your fellow community members, and eventually, you are even able to pay your own rent with money you earned from playing the game.

***     11. Development Strategy:***

Phase 1: Hackathons* *Myself and the builders will attend coding marathons to begin building out the MVP. Upcoming hackathons include the NERSC Open Hackathon in July 2023, and the BNL Open Hackathon in August 2023. This gives us a chance to get our hands dirty, and potentially win some startup capital (sans equity ties).

Phase 2: Grants* *Next! Prototype in hand, we will apply for grants such as Gitcoin, WAGBI, and the Web3 Foundation. This will enable us to build out more features and iterate!

Phase 3: Investors* *After that, aligned investors and partnerships will develop organically, supporting The Ascension Simulator in its next phases of substantial growth.

     12. Monetization Strategy:

Please note that all ads need to be aligned with our ethos and intentions. Only uplifting and relevant partnerships, thank you!

• In-Game Ads: DIGAs (dynamic; appearing inside the game’s universe, for example on a poster) and SIGAs (static; product placements and customized integrations)

• Rewarded Video Ads: Watch a video, get an [extra life, 10 coins, gold star, etc.]

• In-App Purchases: A combination of inexpensive common items [100 golden coins for you, sir!], as well as more expensive rarer items…the rarer items potentially being 1-on-1 coaching with me, or another practitioner.

• I’d also love to reward our players by enabling them to win discount codes during gameplay. The sponsorships would be hand-picked for each player, whether it be gender-affirming care, wellness products, or sex toys. I see this as a win-win in that it helps monetize the app by providing funding from sponsors, while also helping our players gain access to supportive resources.

     13. Potential Builder Team:

*people I have run this idea by
^people I have not run this idea by lol

Full-Stack Software Engineer: *Genesis
Programmer + UX Designer: *REM
UI Designer: ^Whoopi
Character Design: *Brad Bradley
World Design: ^Fabiola Larios
Game + Level Designer: ^Tommy Ting
Composer: *Clay Xavier
Marketing Strategy + Content Creation: *Finn Lobsien
Accountability Buddy: **CY Lee

***     Closing Remarks:***

I’m so jazzed about this !!! I have literally been creating this document non-stop for days and nights on end! lol I don’t remember the last time I committed myself to something so wholly and yet so effortlessly! It’s like I’m a teenager in love XD

Anyways - if you’re curious about hearing more, bouncing ideas around, or being a part of the building team, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I’d like to have more women and trans fems on the team too, so plz holler if that’s you or if a friend comes to mind!

Okay - if you seriously read this whole thing, you really are a real one - and if you just skipped to this part lol I appreciate you too !!! Thanks for being here everybody !!

And as always, ma dears ~~

✰ collection optional ✰
☑︎ enjoyment encouraged ☑︎

With love and passion,

- Forrest
(he/him)