My Role on The Political Machine 2024
The Political Machine (TPM) is a product Stardock produces every presidential election cycle. I was assigned to the Designer role on the project with the goal of taking the previous 2020 version and updating it for 2024. This involved:
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Changing the candidate roster to match the 2024 Presidential Election
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Updating Issues based on trending data and polls
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Adding a new gameplay mode in the form of Primaries
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Adding new features with Political Action Cards and Debates
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Keeping up with the hectic changes throughout the 2024 Election
Primaries
To expand on the player experience, it was decided to add Primaries to The Political Machine 2024. I wrote the original design document that included the goal of having more than 2 players and the UX for setting up a game and the additional UX that would help players track the changes in gameplay in the primaries mode. I also did the research so the flow of Primaries would be similar to the real-world primaries of 2024.
Debates
Another feature I felt important to add to TPM 2024 was Debates. It felt like a natural addition to the formula, given the weight and importance given to them in the news cycle. I wrote up the design and drafted the initial UX and UI. Once fully implemented, I was also responsible for writing and putting together all the related content.
Political Action Cards
The Creative Director conceived the outline for Political Action Cards as a way to add more complex interactions to the game. I took the outline and created a more detailed design for the system and content. I leaned into designing decks around a few unique cards that would fit the tone of an ideology and give them a distinct playstyle.