A team of our Communication Design students has designed a new product for game design company Runaway.

Zoe Hobson, CEO of Runaway, provided the brief, to create a mobile game for their target audience, American women 18 to 25 years old. For this demographic, students Daisy Amos, Edith O’Neill, James Reed, and Libby Guthrie chose to work within the cottagecore aesthetic, based on a romanticised rural lifestyle. They also embraced Runaway Play's values, including inspiration from the natural world, and making meaningful connections.

In their single-player game, "Alchemist's Cottage", the player is the alchemist who comes to live in a cottage in the countryside. The game is populated by animal characters, beginning with a goat called Poppy who introduces the player to the world. As the alchemist the player collects recipes and grows ingredients to craft remedies. By helping the characters, the player builds friendships and contributes to restoration of community and ecosystem. Different locations and resources are unlocked as the game progresses.

Daisy, Edith, James and Libby created a detailed User Story which they pitched to Zoe and Lead Designer, Jeff Laird, at Runaway's Dunedin studio. The feedback was very positive with the team being complimented on how well they were able to capture the spirit of a Runaway game.

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