The latest project from the always-clever technology artist Nicole He (previously) is The Crush House, a thirst-person (sic) shooter video game that plunges into the shoes of a reality TV producer. The goal is not to murder the vain and selfish contestants (as tempting as it may be) — but rather, to shoot them on video. The trick is figuring out what juicy drama your viewers want to watch. And oh, there's a lot of trashy drama to choose from!
Here's the official game blurb, via Steam:
Film and produce 1999's hottest reality TV show: The Crush House! Select a crush-worthy cast, satisfy voracious audiences and keep the show on air to uncover the sinister secrets behind this darkly comic thirst-person shooter.
Jae has scored the gig of her dreams as the producer on 1999's hottest reality TV show, The Crush House! The demands are high and the stakes higher as she must cast, film, and produce each season. Play as Jae as you capture the budding romances and explosive drama of each unique season in the iconic Malibu mansion. And no matter what, remember to satiate the demands of your rabid audience or risk cancellation.
Each season is unique based on your chosen cast and the ever-changing audience demands. The longer you manage to keep your show on air, the more questions start to arise. What's up with the cast's dependence on Crush Juice? Where does the Success Slide even go? Clandestine conversations and some good old-fashioned snooping will help you uncover the truth.. providing the Network doesn't get in your way.
It reminds me of Unreal, the Lifetime scripted drama about the people behind the scenes of a trashy reality dating show that was definitely not The Bachelor/ette. The producers are out there manipulating a lot of juicy drama—both because they like the power, and because they have to keep the network executives happy, for fear of losing their jobs. The Crush House is one of those satires that makes you complicit in the ugly, awful thing it's satirizing—which is embarrassingly part of the fun, too.
The Crush House [Nicole He / Steam]
