Scratching an Itch

#13 - What's a find-em-up?


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Cookies Bakery by leafthief is a cozy Christmas game for this merry time. I hope everyone is having amazing holidays!

Although it says that it’s a Visual Novel, I think it’s what GameDiscoverCO called a find-em-up. This is the first one I played (I think), and it’s basically this loop:

* A person has a problem and they come to you

* You’re the expert and do more research to figure out their problem

* You help the person

I believe this appeals to two things: altruism and mastery. It’s a very nice feeling to help other people. There’s also something incredibly satisfying in learning arcane facts and diving deep into some niche. Cookies Bakery is heavy on the help, and light on the cooking—which works in its favor. I think the context of a bakery on Christmas where you need to figure out the correct recipe is just the right amount of friction at a cozy time such as this.



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Scratching an ItchBy game design quickie