WHO ARE WE?
As a studio that embraces diversity, Paper Cutter Games is dedicated to giving voice to people and issues that have historically been crushed or swept under the rug.
We believe that our players deserve to feel seen. And this begins with opening doors that help us better understand our peers. One of our primary goals as a studio is to challenge stereotypes and the simplifications saturating the video game market. Our “international and diverse team” is a power-up we’re proud to keep equipped.
WHAT ARE WE DOING, YOU ASK?
Paper Cutter Games is an indie game development studio dedicated to achieving mass-market appeal through constructing compelling narratives supported by its game mechanics, UX/UI best practices, level design, and art. We thoughtfully and accurately explore complex themes through intensive and continued collaboration with subject matter professionals, and continue the conversation beyond the game by providing interested players with resources to learn more about the subject matter or get involved in related community projects.
WHY ARE WE HERE?
We solve 2 major problems facing the present video game industry:
1. Gameplay lacks cohesion with the narrative, breaking immersion, creating frustrating experiences, and leading to churn.
2. Complex themes (like mental health) are rarely tackled in an engaging and accurate way; when they are, the conversation ends when the credits roll.
We also harness the 3 key factors to growth/success in the games industry (according to the International Game Developers Association):
1. Diversity in game content
2. Advanced game design
3. Innovative storytelling
HOW ARE WE TACKLING THIS?
Our first game is Project Filter (working title), and centers on the themes of mental health and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD), perception, and healing from trauma. Since our main method for exploring this theme is using game mechanics rooted in metacognition, i.e., awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes, Project Filter is being developed in collaboration with the Danish psychologist house Cektos Center for Metacognitive Therapy. This combination of themes and their in-depth exploration with licensed psychologists has never been done before.
Our competition ignores this new and uncharted niche of providing narrative-informed gameplay with deep exploration of any mental health issue. The overarching goal of our startup is to become the proprietary eponym of this niche.
Project Filter is the first of a franchise that will speak to our studio’s ethos and throw open the industry’s doors to diverse content and major advancements in narrative game design.
Currently, our team is focused on developing our demo and securing additional investments.
WHY ARE WE TAKING THIS RISK?
Game development is a risky venture, but our team is passionate about art, video games, and pushing the envelope. We imagine a future where the game dev industry doesn't just welcome diversity and the exploration of complex (and sometimes uncomfortable) subject matter, but embraces them. This ideal, and our personal connections to the themes encompassed in Project Filter, drive us to see our studio succeed and become a top studio in Europe.
