I Was a Teenage Exocolonist turns life experiences into a card game

gamedeveloper.com:

This interview is part of our Road to the IGF series. The IGF (Independent Games Festival) aims to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize independent game developers advancing the medium. Every year, Game Developer sits down with the finalists for the IGF ahead of GDC to explore the themes, design decisions, and tools behind each entry.

I Was a Teenage Exocolonistsees players living as teens on a strange alien world, turning their unique lived experiences and decisions into a card game.

Game Developer sat down with the Designer and Creative Director of the Excellence in Narrative-nominated title, Sarah Northway, to talk about how the exciting possibilities of a dangerous alien (and raising princesses as a kid) would lead to the game's branching narrative possibilities, the way they shifted visuals and music to follow the character's path from a child with a rosy outlook to an adult who knows the challenges of this world, and the thoughts that went into turning life decisions into a card game.

Who are you, and what was your role in developing I Was a Teenage Exocolonist ?

I'm Sarah Northway, the designer, coder, lead writer, and creative director of I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (Exocolonist).

What's your background in making games?

I started Northway Games with my husband in 2009. Between the two of us we've released a dozen games, including my post-apocalyptic city builder series Rebuild 1-3.

How did you come up with the concept for I Was a Teenage Exocolonist ?

I love life simulators like the Sims, but the biggest influence was a Japanese series from the 90s called Princess Maker where you raise a little girl. I thought it would be interesting to play as the "princess", and see