Collaborative Artist RPG -Shape Seekers

Imagine a mobile game where players create and customize 2D avatars with clothing, hair, and accessories crafted by artists within the game's ecosystem. These avatars then explore a "world" filled with RPG storylines, also created by the community's artists. This concept would foster engaging gameplay and spark interesting collaborations. The main game would be a 2D RPG with reaction-based mechanics in a visual novel-style setting. This would be complemented by mini-games such as crosswords, puzzles, and themed Sudoku boards. Players could complete these challenges to earn shapes or other NFTs—all exclusive to the app and submitted by artists. This innovative idea could revolutionize artist discovery and create an ideal ecosystem for an L2 platform that aims to gamify art.

Now I’m going to break down this artist-driven RPG concept into its key components prompted to hit in this text space:

Concept:

• A mobile 2D RPG game with a unique focus on artist-created content

• Avatars:

  • Players receive an avatar upon downloading the game

  • Players can purchase NFT clothes, accessories, and hairstyles designed by artists

• RPG:

  • The game world and storylines are crafted by artists in the ecosystem

  • Players explore simplified artist-created narratives

Functionality:

• Avatar customization with artist-created clothing, hair, and accessories

  • Artists submit work to a singular collection, allowing for appropriate tagging and filtering of categories (e.g., hair, shirt, hat, pants, belt, handheld items, pets). A royalty split with game developers incentivizes ongoing artist and developer contributions.

    • POTENTIAL ENHANCEMENTS:

      • Mintable completed character outfits (stored in a "locker room") that burn the original NFT clothing items, creating a rarity system and fostering a healthy secondary market

      • Fashion show events

• 2D RPG gameplay with dialogue tree/reaction-based mechanics

  • Visual novel style reminiscent of indie Newgrounds games, Ace Attorney, or the Gaia Online shopping experience

  • Simple background, character, and text options for dialogue tree interactions

    • Things that could be EXTRA FUN:

      • Mechanics for alternate story endings based on text decisions

      • Consequence-based badges for character profiles

        • Similar to Steam badges, but more creative

          • Example: A user choosing a chaotic text response earns a "MENACE" badge

      • A 2D village where characters can access houses/shops to initiate storylines (each story has its own location for simplicity)

        • Discoverable billboards/flyers on the ground

          • Opportunity to advertise and promote upcoming real-life events, artist drops, etc.

• Artist-created mini-games like crosswords, puzzles, and Sudoku boards, themed to complement storylines

• Exclusive in-game reward pool from artists for completing storylines/mini-games

Value:

• A platform for artist innovation, discovery, and collaboration

  • Helps artists connect with the NFT audience, giving them a compelling reason to engage with the platform

• Unique, constantly evolving content created by a diverse artist community

  • Artists provide creative work for developers, potentially offering a cost-effective solution

• Potential for a large, scalable ecosystem

  • Artists' mini-game experiences would encourage them to share with their networks, driving user discovery. A free-to-download app with free-to-uncover experiences would be optimal, with the possibility of paid or earned access to bigger artist names' content.

Engagement:

• Personalization through avatar customization

• Diverse gameplay elements (RPG, mini-games, exploration)

• Community-driven content creation and consumption

• NFT collection aspect for exclusive items

• Potential for frequent updates with new artist contributions

I've been wanting an experience like this for a LONG time, and I'm disappointed that none of the metaverses have tried this approach. I’d love to connect and riff off of this idea more, so please don’t hesitate to reach out.