This game was inspired by the intersection of humanity and the natural world, in particular the peculiar behavior of bowerbirds, a species that decorates their nest using brightly-colored objects, including, in modern times, discarded plastic and garbage. From Wikipedia:
"The most notable characteristic of bowerbirds is their extraordinarily complex courtship and mating behaviour, where males build a bower to attract mates. In and around the bower, the male places a variety of brightly colored objects he has collected. These objects – usually different among each species – may include hundreds of shells, leaves, flowers, feathers, stones, berries, and even discarded plastic items, coins, nails, rifle shells, or pieces of glass. The males spend hours arranging this collection. Several studies of different species have shown that colors of decorations males use on their bowers match the preferences of females."
In A Game About Birds Who Love Trash and Other Birds, you play as a male bowerbird attempting to woo a mate by gathering and arranging objects in your nest in the most appealing way. Decide how you want to decorate, choosing between natural materials such as berries and leaves and a variety of human garbage such as coke cans, chip bags, bottle caps, and plastic straws.
Made for Professor Tom Ellman's MEDS/CMPU-376 course at Vassar College.
Contact me at phoebeshalloway@gmail.com for a download link.
Playtime: Variable. 5-20 min.
