Volition Newlove’s kinky cyberpunk mystery Null Event
The Queer Games Bundle is a collection of nearly 600 items by LGBTQ+ creators and teams, nearly 400 of which are independent video games, all sold for just $60. I’m talking with creators from the bundle about their games and their making habits. Visit the bundle and consider buying it.
This game has adult content, but the interview is SFW.
Volition Newlove’s kinky cyberpunk mystery Null Event is a cool investigation game all on its own, before you add in any of the kinky encounters. There are secrets to find, gear checks to pass, and drones to pester (envy). It also matters who you partner with — in my playthrough I had some achingly boring vanilla sex with my untrustworthy boss. Whoops.
How long have you been making games?
I’ve started releasing games publicly a couple of years ago due to starting to have a much more stable housing situation, though I’ve been working on projects since I was young.
What tools do you like to use?
Most of the games I’ve released lately have been made in Twine, I’ve found it fairly useful for learning JavaScript. Before that, I used to use Inform and RPGMaker, though nothing big came of that.
What themes or genres do you like to explore?
Body horror is one, though obviously it’s quite known for its popularity with trans people (even David Cronenberg has noted it recently). I also tend to write a lot about the pressure to be productive in a world that demonises people who aren’t seen as productive.
What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of making games?
My most favourite part of making games is the freedom of self-expression it allows. Until recently, I’ve struggled to understand any coding language, and didn’t have any opportunities to learn.
My least favourite part of making games is probably the constant urge to compare to my peers. Starting behind a lot of other people, I feel much more compelled to prove myself.
Is there a game that has affected you recently?
In terms of games that I’ve played (rather than simply watched other people play), probably Disco Elysium. There’s some games I find myself replaying (with different choices) just to attempt at understanding different themes of the game.
Null Event is a mystery game with scenes of strong kinky stuff. Why this combination?
The original idea for the game involved the player taking part in a heist. Over time, though, I started to feel like a mystery was a better way to keep the intrigue front-and-centre, and intrigue (I feel) really complements the kink.
Cyberpunk seems like an especially kink-friendly setting — what’s your favorite augmentation or scene from the game?
My favourite scene isn’t something especially kinky or cyberpunk, but is an intimate encounter with Em that takes place between the two investigation sections. I wanted the scene to involve some negotiation, with options the player could suggest that the partner turns down, and also allow for some content (in this case, a conversation) for if the player isn’t interested in the act. A lot of games will allow for the player to turn down a sex scene (whether it’s an implied sequence or not), but I often find that they tend to equate that encounter with intimacy in general, and I wanted to subvert that by giving the player an alternate intimate moment exclusive to that choice.
I liked finding or choosing upgrades. What was it like writing all the different threads of the investigation?
I’ve never actually made a game with class-based character creation before this, so it was at times challenging to ‘balance’ out each option for each augmentation.
I played a pretty lawful good route and ended up with the “return on investment” ending. Do you have a favorite?
Probably the Recruitment ending. It’s darker, but leans most heavily into the dronification kink, and I feel the fatalism of it is useful for contrasting the more optimistic or comforting endings.
These characters are great and there’s so much structure in this worldbuilding. Is there more in store?
Thank you so much! Currently, I’m working on @HellworldLover with @ArtofReinaV (who did the character art for Null Event). It’s a monster dating sim set during an apocalypse. The game’s lot less kinky than Null Event, but it does still have mystery elements.
