Been there, Done that? Part III

The longer I draw this search out, the harder it gets. Prepare yourself for some crazy treatments of works you'd never really consider. Your regular scheduled program will return at a later date.

Parody Religions
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is the deity of the parody religion, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Pastafarianism. It's become an internet phenomena and is part of a satirical protest against the teaching of Intelligent Design in schools.

You can read the story on the website or Wikipedia and you can substitute FSM with the Invisible Pink Unicorn or Russell's Teapot.

Suggestions for satirical religious games:

• RTS
  Where you pick a god and try to convert as many "heathens" and dominate the world by building websites, fan groups and viral videos. (satirical gods tend to be up to date with their technology)


• Fighter
  [Edit 25th July 2010: Clearly didn't research this enough since Molleindustria pulled this one off a few years ago.]
  Tired of arguing over who beats all? Duke it out with fellow geeks in this crazy fighting game. Includes Charles Darwin, ninjas and pirates as unlockable characters.


• Open World
  In the style of GTA or Destroy All Humans, consider getting FSM to possess a human host and convert(inform) as many people as possible. Or the FSM can go around and frighten as many people as possible. Any publicity is good publicity right? Points awarded for scaring hardcore religious and convincing people to be well informed


• Casual Game Puzzler
  Try some Bejewelled or Tetris clones where you've got to match up FSM(or other) symbols to clear the stage. (Pretty lame, maybe you can say the rapture is coming and your chosen god is collecting believers to save...)


• Art Game
  A game about what's it like to be an internet phenomena


• Educational(Serious) game
  A game more about why or why not Intelligent Design should be taught as an alternative to evolution theories.

Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
Mrs Beeton Online
A Victorian classic, "a guide of reliable information about every aspect of running a house for the aspirant middle classes".

Consider:

• Cooking Mama: Victorian Style
  Points given if you've managed to prevent the children from upsetting the cook and have gotten the house ready should your mother-in-law come unannounced.


• Mrs Beeton for the Nintendo DS or as an IPhone Ap like this


• Casual Game
  Time management and cooking come together in a Victorian version of Cake Mania


• Sandbox Victorian House
  It's like playing with a virtual doll house except you've got to pay the bills wearing a full set of petticoats and a corset. Mrs Beeton serves as your help menu/tutorial guide


• Puzzle
  Perhaps a Mrs Beeton version of Record Tripping?

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Wikipedia entry
The wiki will give you a decent overview of the book but it you like surrealism, give the book a try. It features two parallel narratives that may converge at the end. Yes, it's one of those things open to interpretation.

Hard-Boiled Wonderland contains:
- "Calcutec," a human data processor/encryption system who has been trained to use their subconscious as an encryption key.
- The System, a quasi-governmental organisation who protect data
- The Factory, a rogue organisation who steal data
- "Semiotics", fallen Calcutecs who work for the Factory
- Crazy scientist who's developed an imperfect method of recording images from the subconscious
- INKlings, a group of sewer-dwellers who are dangerous and worship fish and leeches. They eat humans.
- Thugs
- Love interests

The End of the World contains:
- Isolated town that is walled off
- Unicorns
- Group of people who have had their shadows (and their minds & memories) removed
- A protagonist who reads dreams from unicorn skulls and is losing his memory of his previous life
- His shadow who is trying not to die (and lose the protagonist's mind) He plans an escape and tries to get the protagonist to help.

Possible treatments:

• Third person sandbox
  Set in the world of Hard-Boiled Wonderland, the player's role is to be either a Calcutec or Semiotic and receives missions based on their role. Confrontations with the enemy and INKlings can be avoided if one is careful. Alternativly the player could be a agent for the System or the Factory and be trying to poach members from the other organisation.


• Art (or Puzzler) game
  Set in The End of the World, a stranger decides to stay and is given the village initiation. Experience the world by interacting with stuff or in the puzzle version, solve the myster of the town by working with your shadow.


• Puzzle game
  Train a Calcutec by getting them to encrypt data into their head via puzzles. More indepth data requires harder missions. When you've finished the character(you) is now a fully trained Calcutec

There maybe some ideas to come, we shall see.