"Perfect Thrift" is a simulation role-playing game that revolves around the topic of thrifting. In each level, there is a different character, who has an event they have to attend. These events hold a specific dress code that the character will have to thrift clothing pieces to fit. Additionally, this video game would have a point system in which you gain points based on how well your chosen outfit fits the occasion. Players would be able spend their points to "flip their thrifts" meaning they could alter the pieces to fit or look better. Different characters in each level who vary in gender, size and taste in clothing is what will make the game interactive and charismatic. Shopping from second-hand or consignment shops is a great way to prevent waste and excessive energy consumption. In "Perfect Thrift", an overall theme of protecting the environment would be communicated through the topic of thrifting.

My friends and I often go thrifting together as a weekend activity or just to find some cute clothes. We always talk about how thrifting is much like a game. You have to search for things that are fashionable but are also your size. Finding the right time to go is also crucial because at a certain point in the day, all the good things are gone. This is what made me think that thrift shopping could be a great idea for a video game. Preserving the Earth is becoming and increasingly significant issue in the world. Thrifting is also a popular activity amongst teens. I wanted to create a game idea that was fun for people my age but also makes an impact which is why I incorporated these two topics.

There are different characters in each level that vary in gender, size, sexuality, and race. However, they all shop at the same thrift store "World Thrift." Players will be able to see how all the characters they have played as connect when certain characters donate their clothes to the thrift store and they are bought by other characters. This will convey the theme of giving second-hand clothing a new home. Thrift shopping is extremely beneficial for the planet as it keeps clothes of out landfills and reduces carbon and chemical pollution.

After her mother's unexpected passing, Luna, a normally bubbly teenage girl, shuts everyone out and escapes for the summer. From solving mysteries to forming new friendships, Luna might realize her stay at Bluebell Shores is a little bit serendipitous.

My mother, Lin-Chuan Huang, passed away in October. It was very difficult to process my grief; I felt like there were not a lot of resources out there that talk about the grieving process, especially going through it as a teenager. I wanted to create a video game that could talk about grief in a respectful and approachable manner, while still offering a meaningful gameplay for people that have and have not experienced grief. If I could describe this game in three words, it would be bittersweet, witty, and story-driven! It was important for me to weave parts of my life and my identity into this video game. I am lucky to be apart of and feel the love of strong female communities. Thus, I wanted a female protagonist and a female-centered story. I am Taiwanese American and am passionate about having more representation of the Asian American identity. Thus, the main character in my video game, Luna, is of Taiwanese American descent. My video game is called Serendipity, which means "the fact of finding interesting or valuable things by chance." I like to think the title relates back to the theme of the grief journey, and relishing small moments of joy and remembrance.

I have always liked the idea of how certain earthly influences affect one another, like how the moon's gravitational pull can cause tides in the ocean. Since the video game takes place on a coastal town called Bluebell Shores, it made sense for me to name my main character Luna, which means moon in Latin. At Bluebell Shores, Luna forms a closer relationship with her Ama, which is what we Taiwanese people affectionately call our grandmothers. There are other characters that shape the story - Luna's mother, in the form of flashbacks, the town mayor (who may be up to no good...but shhh!! that's for Luna to discover later), and Apollo, one of the friends Luna makes. Currently, I am planning for Luna's journey to span 14 days. Each day, Serendipity players will adopt Luna's POV and explore Bluebell Shores for interesting conversations, clues, and emotional reflections. The main conflict point, Luna's grief, is supplemented with her discovery that the mayor is planning to shut down Bluebell Shores for good, allowing nearby urban construction companies to tow down the town in favor of building a glamorous sparkling shopping complex. People and places are often much deeper than they appear on the surface, and as Luna prods away at different factors and adapts to the new climate, she grows so much in maturity and strength.

The main purpose of my game is to teach players how to cook, and about the culture and diversity that food plays an important role in. When the player logs in, they will create an account to save their progress. On the home screen, there is a pinwheel on both sides of the screen. The one on the left shows different countries you can get recipes from. The one on the right shows the food categories: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, dessert, and the “try again”.  There will be a button to press, and it will say “Press Me!”. When you press the button, it will spin both wheels. Out of the various possibilities, the wheel may land on Poland…maybe, and the other will land on dessert…maybe. Then you will get a series of recipes and one of these will be randomly selected and presented to you. You will then go to a store and pick out the ingredients for the dish. When you are done shopping you will go to your kitchen and begin cooking! If your dish requires you to set a timer, then you will have a small timer on the top right of your screen. While the timer is running you will have to perform other tasks such as cutting fruits or vegetables, washing dishes, boiling milk etc. This way children will have to multitask while also paying attention to the timer on their screen. If they do not remove their dish from the oven or stove on time it will get burnt and they will lose points. Through this, kids learn to manage time and multi-task. Time management and responsibility are extremely important skills in someone’s life and this game helps enforce these skills. After you are done cooking the dish, you will be awarded points based on how well your accuracy was for measurements, following the recipe correctly, accuracy, presentation, and how well the dish is cooked/prepared. Finally, you will get some information about the place the dish originates from and its culture. The points you earn will be used for leveling up your kitchen. There will also be seasonal events, such as new treats to bake, new skins for your kitchen, and more. The game will also end with a leaderboard showing the top ten players and their score. It will also show where you are on the leaderboard. This will motivate players to put more effort into their dishes thus pushing them to play the game more often.

My inspiration was my love of cooking. I was baking one day, and thinking about what to do for my game, and decided "Why not combine cooking and video games!" and the rest is history.

When the player first opens up the game, they will see a kitchen with two spinners on either side. Once you press play the game will start with your character stumbling across a small, rundown, cafe. The character decides to buy the cafe, and remodel it. Then, the game begins. First, there will be a small pop up screen that asks if you want instructions or not. When you start the gameplay, there is a spin me button. When the player presses it, the two spinners on the sides will start spinning. One will land on a country, and one will land on a time of eating. i.e: I spin the spinner and get the United Kingdom and Breakfast. A series of cards will show up on the screen. One will be randomly selected, and show the recipe as shown on the document attached below. Then, the player will go to a little store, and search for the dish ingredients. Once all ingredients are located, the player will head back to the kitchen, and cook. The player will learn how to cook the food, and get a sense of time management and multitasking. When the dish is done, the player will receive a score. The points that are rewarded are based on time management, if anything burned, or if there were not the correct ingredients, etc. Then, after getting all the points, you will move up on the leaderboard. After that, a small pop up will come on the screen, and talk a little bit about the place the dish is from. The player will also get a chance to level up their kitchen and avatar using the points they score.

Please look at the documents attached to see the welcome screen, the leaderboard, and a sample of the recipe card.