DRESS-UP GAME by IAN MARTIN
Artist’s statement
Online dress-up games are usually about the player’s pleasure. The avatar is an analogue of the player, or just a body for them to dress and undress. I first played dress-up games as a child on Newgrounds.com, peeling sloppily-drawn t-shirts off doctored nude photos of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. There were games for every major celebrity at the time, and nearly all of them were naked. I was disappointed whenever I opened one to find an immovable fig leaf drawn over the crotch (or sometimes, a message chiding my naughtiness).
In “DRESS-UP GAME”, the model isn’t a conventionally attractive celebrity. You can’t change their body or gender to make them more interesting to you. You can’t take off their underwear. The only option is to start dressing them up. They have feelings, and they let you know if they like or hate something you put them in.
The model’s body type isn’t typical for a dress-up game, which usually deals in aspirational conventional beauty. The clothing options don’t adhere to any particular gender. You can add unconventional items and extra body parts, which the model enjoys and encourages.
There are few other limits to what you can do -- unless the model says no. If you make the model unhappy enough, they’ll leave the game. Unlike many dress-up games, you don’t get to do whatever you want to the model without consequences.
I wanted to make a dress-up game that is surprising and fun for the player, and rewards experimentation, but still involves respecting the boundaries of the person being dressed. The model only dislikes a small number of clothes, but their boundaries must be respected or the game ends. If you work with those limitations, though, you’ll have a very rewarding time, and so will the model.
Instructions
Click and hold an item to drag it. When holding an item, use the mouse wheel to rotate it. Drag items onto the model to create an outfit.
If you don’t want an item anymore, drag it to the edge of the screen and it will disappear.
The model will tell you if you pick up an item they don’t like. If you pick up too many undesirable items, then the model will get upset and leave the game. Don’t make the model uncomfortable.
Click the arrows near the model to change the model’s gender, their underwear, and the background.
Click “Save” in the bottom-right to save a screenshot of the outfit you’ve created.
Click this link to Play the game
IAN MARTIN is a poet and game maker living in Ottawa. IAN’s writing has appeared recently in Neutral Spaces, The Puritan, ottawater, Cypress, The Wild Literary Magazine, and SURFACES.cx. You can play IAN's games at ianmart1n.itch.io.