Push My Buttons - Alien Sex Game
In this game, 1-3 players attempt to erotically stimulate an alien being and help it reach climax. The players must work together synchronizing their inputs and using the audio-visual-haptic feedback to determine if what they're doing is pleasurable or annoying for the alien.
It runs as a physical installation including a screen and three gamepads strapped to balloons, which are strapped inside various "organs" that are made of plastic bags and trash.
It was fun to make, but the setup is cumbersome because you have to build an alien out of random junk for it to work. We don't have a playable version online, but here's some video of it in action.
Here is the game page on itch.io
It was also interesting to make this game because I never made a game on this topic before, and it would be nice to analyze it a bit more. Not much analysis of the topic went into making it, but a few immediate questions popped into my head when making it, such as "are we making an alien rape simulator?", "how can we avoid that and ensure the vibe is of consensual eroticism rather than sexual harassment?" and "is this game even ok to make?". In the end we just called it consensual and proceeded; we considered the premise of an alien with 3 organs made of trash bags looking to be stimulated absurd enough to fly under the radar.
But still, those questions haunt me and I think we could have spent a little more time as a team clarifying our intentions and general direction, and I think it could have even resulted in a better game if we did discuss it.
I aim to write an article going a bit more in depth on this topic. I'll link here when it's done.
Here is an article going in more depth about this topic: [[Notes on eroticism in games]]
Credits
Made at Spelkollektivet Halloween Jam 2023
Hjalte - programming, game design
Asger - programming, game design
Horatiu - sound, music, programming ass., game design
Jay - graphics, original inspiration