Process

Our first step was to create the characters in the game by asking close friends about their ideal guys, and we created five male characters. Then I sketched the original characters, based on how we wanted them to look. I had a friend help by digitally drawing them. Julie and I wanted to make our project more interactive, so we decided to make a quiz to help match users to their "ideal" character based on what they look for in a partner.

 

Revolutionary Moment

At the beginning of the program, Arnell shared with Julie that her goal was to create an otome game, a story-based video game containing anime-style art, a project she dreamed up with her sister. Julie was excited to help brainstorm ways to bring it to life. At one of their weekly meetings at the library, Arnell taught Julie how to draw basic anime characters, and it all clicked! Visual media was really what brought them together as a pair. They spent many of their meetings together drawing, expressing thoughts and feelings through caricatures, and chatting about applying to art school.