Preliminary Plan >>
Although my initial conception was to create a game reflecting the employment difficulties faced by women. But I decided to expand the scope of social research. Because I believe that employment difficulties are just the tip of the iceberg. A more comprehensive social research will also benefit me in creating a better game.
I set the protagonist as a recent female college graduate. Imagining some gender oppression she might face from birth to employment. Then selecting specific aspects to draft a survey questionnaire. Beyond the social research, I also searched online for three women from diverse backgrounds. I conducted remote interviews about their job-seeking experiences and, with their consent, recorded the interviews in written form. In addition, through online research, I obtained some news articles and data. I integrated these materials as content for my game.
Social Research >>
Before the reform of the college entrance examination (gaokao) in China, high school students all faced the first major crossroads in their lives: choosing between studying arts or sciences. At this moment, those cliched remarks are going to echo in their ears again. "Boys have stronger logical thinking and are more suitable for science subjects. Girls should study arts." "In the second and third years of high school, boys perform better than girls." So, many girls, without any plans for the future, embarked on this seemingly effortless path.
Later on, they may discover their talent in the field of science. They might also lament the very limited employment options in the arts, regretting their earlier choice based on these words. So I created a survey targeting this phenomenon. The survey participants are female college students. A total of 162 valid questionnaires were received.