I'm making a game about Nazi Germany, and I need YOUR to help!

Just how much control they have over TV content is an open question as well. Ratings and add revenue are the drivers for most programs.

 

A problem could that the Germans lived in a bubble densely filled with Nazi propaganda without access to facts and dissenting voices. One might say, just because of this all their decisions were irrational.

Another, that their decisions didn't matter. The Jewish girl will be gassed. The young German will be drafted and killed far away from home. Any other development could suggest they weren't "everyday people".

And the Germans didn't support the Nazis because they "devalued their fellow men and women", they supported them because they gave them work, better standard of living, and fatter paychecks. And allowed them to be proud of their fatherland.

 

Gday there...ive learnt a great deal of history from games...especially if a map is included. Great to hear you run a gaming company...awesome mate!

I would say:
1. My initial reaction is I hope that it is explained what IS Nazi Germany as opposed to Germany...many still call Germans Nazis not understanding the political party and attitudes that went with it.
2. I think the goal is to be commended, just so long as it doesn't glorify the Nazis or war in general. Gameplay is ALWAYS the secret to success or failure...try to tune into the historical period and place the player right inside it...
3. Would I buy it? I don't buy games anymore (Just download the free ones) - And someone like me might roll their eyes with not only another WW2 game, but another using the "Nazi" brand to sell it...
4. I think there should be some questions where REALLY hard answers must be found, where one might have to spend money for certain solutions or lose something...it should cost or "hurt" the player to make some choices and be rewarded with making other hard choices...

Whats the ultimate goal of the game?

 

Make sure you include how finance and banking sealed their coffin against the international community. Nazi Germany created their own currency and didn't use private financing debt banks owned by the same people that owned the Federal Reserve, Bank of England, etc. Finance and the economy is an important part of Nazi Germany.

 

The impact of the finance on Germany in the 30's was significant but it is really questionable that it "sealed their coffin against the international community". Most countries create their own currency. The over valuation of the Mark was significant in that it impacted both the reparation payments and Germany's ability to import raw materials however it is far from clear it had anywhere near the impact you want to ascribe to it.

 

The Germans themselves decided they needed to peg the Mark against the dollar / gold in order to halt the hyperinflation. It is a myth that they voluntarily stepped away from the international financial system; they were forced to, as were many other states due to the crisis. Including Britain.

Nazi Germany was built on one massive ponzi scheme. The war had nothing to do with the international community's view of German finances post 1933, and much to do with then current German attitudes and Nazi German internal policies. It was Nazi Germany that sought to dominate Central and Eastern Europe by building an Empire. Something few other non-Germans were willing to let them do.

However, the International community's perceived attitude towards Germany in Germany immediately post WW1, during the 20's and the German experience of hyperinflation during the Weimar Republic, provided a nursery for the plethora of right-wing nationalist groups in Germany, leading ultimately to the excesses of Nazism.

 

We're getting some great discussion here guys and gals! Let's keep talking about what you would expect from this kind of game.

Lots of big events in there - our story is pretty prolific, and I think we cover most, if not all, of those. Since it takes place from the perspective of someone within Germany, some major events outside of Germany will only be mentioned rather than seen firsthand. Anything else that comes to mind, let me know!

We reference all of these, I'm fairly certain! All of those items listed are essential to understanding Nazi Germany and how it operated. The Night of the Long Knives is particularly fascinating, because many Germans purportedly saw it as Hitler "taking care of business" -- not something crazy. That would set the stage for many things to come of course.

You present a good argument -- especially the final point. No one would have supported the Nazis if they knew the ultimate endgame, but because Hitler harnessed the problems of the time and presented solutions for the country (the economy, getting people to work, etc.). There were many unfortunate realities of the time, and our story seeks to help players understand how it all came to be - small at first, bigger in scale as time goes on.

Thanks for the kind words and your thoughts! In regards to 1 and 2 -- 100% agree. We're not glorifying the Nazis, but rather, showing that it wasn't something insane that could only happen once. It was built from millions of people choosing to "do" or "do nothing." Everyday people had just as much of an impact on the world around them, and our game is being built to illustrate that we all have choices to make in this world, for better or worse.

For question 3, we're trying to think of a better title that's more evocative of the period, rather than something so upfront (kind of almost sounds like a History Channel special, hehe). Do you have any ideas for us? We're struggling to come up with a good name that doesn't sound either too military or too cliche. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Finally, in regards to question 4 and the final thought -- that's the vibe we're going for. It starts out simply enough making small everyday decisions (agreeing or disagreeing with someone), escalates further (choosing to stop a fight among your friends about something that was said about Jews), to the biggest ones of all - ones that could kill someone else but save yourself. Reading the script always gives me goosebumps because it's so powerful, and these decisions aren't easy -- and they're exactly what they would have been like had you been around at that time.

The ultimate goal is to promote empathy; players will understand that choices in life matter, and that we should make efforts to empathize with and understand others rather than judging them at face value (especially based off of what someone else/the media has said).

The economy is mentioned many times and even influences a few decisions you have to make in the game. It's a relief to hear that many peoples' suggestions are already in our story!

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Lots of good questions and discussion, folks! Follow-up question -- what would you call the game, if you had to pick an alternate title?

 

Sounds like you have a pretty good footing. Look forward to the end product.

 

"The day I stopped the war"
"Today I make a difference"
"Fight or Flight!"
"Who's side am I on?"

 

Thank you so much! It's great to talk about it in a community like this one where everyone is so knowledgeable on the subject. We're currently waiting on a holocaust institute to verify our story and sources, then we'll move forward with crowdfunding. I'm definitely going to get y'all to critique our stuff even more, it's really helpful!

Now I'm thinking of all the ways I can use the word "Difference" and "Side", hmm...

Oh! There's a word that the internet made up a few years ago --

"Sonder - n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, and worries"

I think this is very evocative of the time and the context. After playing the game, the mindset of the player is no longer, "the Nazis were crazy," but rather, "I understand how these things came to be, and how it could happen again."

What do y'all think?

 

Thank you so much! Our game will be very accessible to players of all experience levels, and should be able to run on a variety of setups so you won't need a super powerful machine to play.

 

Do you have an approximate release date?

 

We're looking at doing a Kickstarter in the next 2 months or so. It'll take roughly a year from the end of any crowdfunding, so probably later summer/early fall 2017!

 

Update -- we heard back from a holocaust institute about our story, and the response was good! We have to go back and edit a few minor things throughout for consistency and added accuracy, but this was a major step forward.

I also think we're going to go with the name Sonder. It feels really fitting!

 

Congrats on this step. I think the name is befitting. Keep up with the updates.

 

Much-delayed update:

We're making progress on updating the game's script (a long process) based on the recommendations that a holocaust institute gave us.

And another exciting update... I have a phone call with the National Holocaust Museum in Washington DC this week!!! Now, it's nothing official in regards to any aspect of us working together, but they're curious about learning more regarding the project. Maybe we can get an endorsement or stamp of approval. Fingers crossed guys!

Finally - if anyone wants to help critique our Kickstarter page and video, send me a PM and I can send you a draft version of the project.

Slowly but surely we're making progress!

 

To the OP, as an avid video game player, and a fan for anything WW2, I feel this idea is not strong enough to warrant an entire game designed solely on the premise of choosing dialogue options. There has to be some sort of action, SOME, not all guns blazing all the time, but SOME. There's also the concept. I'm not sure how living as a Jewish person in Germany, during Nazi Germany, will be received publicly, I think there's a risk there. Without seeing any art or a demo in action, it's impossible to say if it's worth my time and money.


BTW, I'd be happy to critique the kickstarter campaign.

 

Any updates

 

Look at the Keppler fund if you don't believe Finance and Capitalism didn't play an important role in the Third Reich. It was basically Himmler's personal slush fund for SS and other military projects, financed by the big German corporations and their parent US corporations, some of which were avoided during the bombing raids.