Map and Premise: Staircase

The story is set in a tall spiral staircase, with a wider base that gets narrower towards the top in diameter. More people, namely those who are less class-privileged, live at the base of the staircase while those who are more privileged (a fewer amount) live at the top of the staircase. People are scattered throughout the staircase at various levels depending on their class. I’m also thinking that the staircase is set in a bubble, where air is a semi-precious commodity, serving the dual purpose of keeping the bubble from collapsing and also for characters to breathe. In this version of the game, players will be a middle class character (but other versions could be from the POV of upper or lower class characters). The player will play as the middle class character and understand this dystopia in various ways as they explore the staircase. The character is driven by inquisitiveness after witnessing a questionable event (e.g. the lower class characters needing to take turns to breathe air, or the upperclass children poking holes playing darts on the bubble for fun). The plot unfolds as the character explores the staircase, potentially with other characters. The understanding that the player should arrive at is the implications of the class divide — e.g. that billionaires/the ultra-wealthy should not exist, squashing of unions, unfair labor being tied to the success of the rich, and redistribution of wealth.

 

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