While many of you might be aware of the gacha style of gaming, others might be wondering what this is about. Gacha, short for ‘Gashapon’, is a type of game formulated on the random rewards system. The inspiration comes from the iconic capsule toy vending machines from Japan. In the virtual version of it, you put in a currency, in-game or real, and receive random rewards like characters, cards, and objects from a fixed pool.
Because there’s only one chance to get the character or reward you seek, you have to gamble to get it! And, this gambling aspect is one of the reasons it is criticized. “Gacha games usually offer extra chances to get the character or outright buy rare characters you want for real money, and this creates a virtual gambling addiction for some,” says Ken Kim.
Ken, autistic with ADHD and our scholarship recipient, found a way to utilize the addictive power of gacha games to help people realize their goals in real life without the exploitative elements through their first game Rival Goals.
“Rival Goals will be available for a one-time purchase, and players will be able to unlock rewards by reporting their goal completion in real life.” A powerful way to have fun while not missing out on what you actually need to do!
We asked Ken what inspired the idea of Rival Goals. Here’s what they told us.
The Beginning
It all began when Ken was a child. Ken grew up getting educated in several gifted programs at school. For someone who showed a lot of promise, and still does, this might come as a surprise. Despite being in these classes, Ken had difficulty keeping up with schoolwork as well as trouble making friends like anyone else of their age would do.
“Since I was a child, I always felt as if I lived a different life as compared to others.”
Difficulty staying focused on tasks or finishing them, be it schoolwork or daily chores, trouble communicating and expressing themselves are common signs seen in those who have ADHD or autism spectrum disorder.
On several occasions, Ken tried to explain the situation to adults in their life. However, as they narrate, “While I tried to explain to them that my brain seems to work on a different set of rules compared to others, there wasn’t widespread awareness and understanding of conditions such as autism and ADHD at the time, so people failed to comprehend me.”
Moreover, the biases and lack of knowledge surrounding neurodivergent issues within society at large often leave those with these conditions with no choice but to mask them. “I was exceptionally skilled at masking my neurodivergent traits, which was and is still sometimes helpful, but it also leads to expectations that I am not able to match most of the time.”
While this wasn’t enough, after escaping an abusive household, Ken struggled to navigate through adulthood without parents. In 2023, they lost their home, job, grandfather, and best friend all within a week.
But this beautiful soul didn't lose hope! “There was a huge silver lining in these moments of adversity and depression.”
Ken was diagnosed with autism and ADHD at the age of 24. This came as a huge relief to them! Imagine knowing something is different within you but unable to explain what it is without certainty or evidence. It can create a lot of stress and burden for most individuals, neurodivergent or not.
So when Ken got diagnosed, they laughed joyfully with relief. It felt like all of their questions were answered. “A lot of my issues made so much sense after I got the news that I am autistic with ADHD.”
However, that was just the beginning. “I had a lot of work to do afterward. Since then I’ve learned a lot about the things that overwhelm me, and how I can manage or minimize the issues that come with it.”
Ken not only invited genuine friendships into their life but also discovered their passion for developing video games.
“In a significant way, the diagnosis felt like coming home for the very first time.”
From Discovery to Finding a Sense of Purpose
As a kid, Ken loved cartoons, animations, and games! In addition to these hobbies and interests, they always loved storytelling. Ken forever wanted to create stories that inspired complex emotions in people.
For a long time Ken played several games and was especially attracted to unique ones. “The earliest game I played was ‘Um Jammer Lammy’, which is a rhythm game about an anxious lamb girl who becomes confident when she starts playing guitar.” Ken saw their reflection in the little lamb girl. Later, as Ken grew up, they loved playing Pokemon. The collection aspect of the game, where the player has to collect a Pokemon through various means, was especially popular among the neurodivergent community. Thanks to the structure of this feature, it resonated with the trait of fixation for many as well as gave them the opportunity to collaborate toward success in the game. A game called ‘Ib’ really sparked their interest in making games.
“But what tipped the scale for me was the 2015 Indie RPG Undertale.” The game triggered Ken’s love for storytelling. “It made me realize that games are a powerful storytelling medium.”
In addition to their passion for creating influential and action-oriented stories, the inspiration for Rival Goals also came from Ken’s struggles of being a neurodivergent individual.
Although autism provided Ken with strengths like organization and efficiency, the combination of ADHD and even depression posed challenges. “I started to struggle a lot with keeping up with all of the tasks or things I wished I could do every day. Due to a cocktail of autism and ADHD, sometimes it can be really hard to do basic things on a daily basis. And, I’ve heard of many others who face similar struggles.”
Ken tried out several apps to set up daily goals and as they say, “level up”, but since there wasn’t a real reason to keep up with them they failed to help them. “The responsibility of rewards lies solely with the user, so with neurodivergent conditions, they weren’t powerful motivators.”
Ken thought to themself “Why isn’t there a fun way, a game or app, where I can unlock a good story or meaningful rewards as you complete your daily tasks? Something that would make me itching to progress and keep up with my goals in real life.”
That’s when it struck Ken that if nobody had made it, they could! With a love for games and a purpose in mind, Ken immediately took to the task. Ken started with simple ideas, which evolved over time. Ken even spoke about it to random individuals, who told her things like ‘OMG, I need that!’ or ‘My daughter has ADHD and could really use something like this.’
This further motivated Ken as they realized that by developing such a game, they would be helping many other neurodivergent people accomplish things that they actually want to in real life.
This gave birth to Rival Goals.
The Game and the Process
Rival Goals is a gacha style visual novel game where players can ‘win’ when they complete their goals in real life. A win in its true sense is what Ken aspires to deliver through Rival Goals, their first creation in the gaming world.
“A lot of neurodivergent individuals like me find it challenging to keep up with basic chores due to executive dysfunction,” says Ken. They add, “This game will help people to accomplish their goals in a fun and exciting way, be it working for a set period of time or a full night’s sleep.”
The more they accomplish, the more the system rewards them with fun things to unlock and do. In fact, in Rival Goals, users can create customized characters who will consistently encourage and motivate them.
Ken brainstormed the title for weeks before they came up with Rival Goals, a play on the term ‘squad goals’, which they describe as “all about rivals helping you accomplish your goals.” A creative take indeed!
While Ken received some help with background art and programming, most of the characters and writing is done by Ken themself. After some thought and rough sketches, Ken decided to go with funky characters based on objects, animals, creatures, or simply inspiration from day-to-day life such as TV, fishbowls, bees, etc.
Of course, there were challenges. With executive dysfunction, Ken finds it tricky at times to communicate their ideas. On the brighter side, the entire process of ideating, characterization, writing, and working with talented people has been a learning curve, which excites Ken.
Ken epitomizes the essence of Dreamzilla. This is why when we heard Ken’s desire to contribute through their artistic abilities, it was an instant yes!
The Future
The game is set to release in 2025, however you will be able to check out the demo of Rival Goals on Steam which is planned for the end of 2024. We asked Ken how they plan to celebrate the launch of this first project, and they said they'd love to travel to Japan.
“As the game wraps up, I’d love to visit Japan, where I always wanted to go!”
Ken is already thinking of adding a writer and designer to the team. After all, we’re sure their journey of telling stories through games won’t end here. “Before the idea for Rival Goals struck me, I was writing an RPG/rhythm game about a musical alien named Eileen who can mimic the sounds of instruments. I’d still like to revisit it once Rival Goals is out.”
Ken also dreams of moving to California someday. We can’t wait to welcome Ken and see the wonders this superhuman creates!
Sources:
- Mayo Clinic: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children
- National Institute of Mental Health: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- Mayo Clinic: Autism Spectrum Disorder
- MDPI: Addiction and Spending in Gacha Games
- Both Guns Blazing: What is a Gacha
- Steam: Rival Goals
- Reddit: What makes a gacha game a gacha game?
- PsychCentral: Do I Have ADHD, Autism, or Both?