By Maliyah Battle and Anna Quick If you were ever bored in school and had access to a computer, you must know what Papa Louie games are. The classic Papa’s Pizzeria was released in 2007, and now there are around 20 games in the Papa Louie series. These games became influential for me as they were the default game I would play when I was bored in class, I even do this when I avoid homework today. I also know many of my friends would play these games in middle and high school to pass the time quickly. These games seem as if they are pointless and simply for children, but there is a lot more depth to the Papa Louie series’ games than you’d expect. Utilizing customer satisfaction levels, Papa’s games create a stressful yet competitive aura that can be compared to games we have played in class, especially 80 Days. Although the series is often referred to as “Papa Louie games” there is a difference between the true Papa Louie games—like Papa Louie: When Pizza’s Attack and Papa Louie 2: When Burgers Attack!—and the Papa Louie series, like Papa’s Pizzeria and Papa’s Burgeria. Papa Louie: When Pizza’s Attack is the first game that kicks everything off. The beginning of Papa’s Pizzeria picks up after Papa Louie: When Pizza’s Attack ends, and in this game Roy is tasked with running Papa Louie’s pizzeria on his own. These two games, although connected, are structured very differently. I thought it was important to specify the names of the games in this blog post because we will discuss the Papa Louie series, not the actual Papa Louie games. Although there are upwards of 20 games in the Papa Louie series, the premise of these games is very similar. Whichever game you are playing, the functions are nearly the same. The employee comes in and must assemble some type of food for customers. Whether the food is wings, pizza, or burgers, the goal of the game is to assemble the food just as the customer ordered it. For example, in Papa’s Pizzeria, players must put toppings on pizzas, cook the pizzas, and then cut pizzas. The customer tells the employee what toppings they want, how cooked they want their pizza, and how they want their pizza cut. When the pizza is finished and given to the customer they judge the employee on how well they follow their instructions and give them scores in every station. This aspect creates a hectic game because the more you play the game, the harder it gets. The first day of the game is usually easy and only two customers come in, but as players progress through the game they get upwards of 7-8 customers that come in every day. Players also must keep time in mind as customers will give the employee a low score if they have to wait too long for their food. The objective of the game is to satisfy the customer and get tipped well, as the money the employee receives in the game can sometimes be put towards buying items for the shop (depending on which game you are playing). Overall, the Papa Louie series games have the same layout and have the same end goal: make money. Whichever game out of the series you decided to play, your choices and how quickly you execute an order matter. Customer satisfaction is strongly encouraged to make the most money and help you save towards buying items in the shop. On the other hand, you don’t have to follow the customer's order and can do whatever you want, which would, in turn, cause you to make less profit. Depending on how badly you do with their order, customers will give you fewer stars which lowers your reputation. Consequences are a direct result of the player's decisions just like in 80 Days. In 80 Days, players have the freedom to choose what type of journey they want to make around the world. Is the goal to win the bet of traveling around the world in 80 days as fast as possible or take their time and explore different narratives? Do they want to choose more practical interactions and strengthen relationships or do they choose the more chaotic ones that ruin relationships? Ultimately, in both games players have control over making decisions that can affect satisfaction and relationships. Additionally, both Papa Louie games and 80 Days also explore themes of time management and resource management. In the Papa Louie series, the player is in charge of completing multiple orders at one time consequently learning how to manage various aspects of the restaurant to serve customers effectively. Similarly, in 80 Days players have to manage their time to make it around the world in 80 days and stay on track to make it to markets or banks before closing time. Players also have the responsibility of managing funds, Fogg’s health, and transportation options. While Papa’s games and 80 Days differ in narratives and settings, they share themes and fundamental mechanics that revolve around decision-making and management. While Papa Louie games may seem simplistic on the surface, they offer insights into how games don’t need to have drawn-out narratives to explore depths and themes. The Papa Louie series narrative is connected through multiple Papa’s games and is not required to know for a player to play. 80 Days has an organized and structured narrative all in one container, yet it shares the same main themes of decision-making and management with Papa Louie games. The concepts of Papa Louie games and 80 Days could not be any further apart, but they share the same qualities. Overall, Papa’s games serve as an example of how games, regardless of genre, can offer players immersive experiences.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWe are the students of "Digital Literatures" at Millikin University. These are some of the digital narratives that entice, inspire, and challenge us. Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|