I want the players of my game to experience exploration and discovery. I want them to come away from my game feeling as though they have learnt something and the time they spent playing was valued. My goal is to inspire a yearning for growth and change.
The game should challenge the way the player thinks. They could be faced with difficult decisions that force them to stop and analyse; imagine the consequences of the action before it is played before them. They could be forced to think critically and empathetically, made to examine how small actions could affect not only the world that they are immersed in, but also the one around them.
It is essential that the game has an educational element. A current world problem could be appropriate because as it would be relatable as well as reassuring. I think that it's important that the narrative is engaging as well as emotionally driven so the player is able to empathise with the characters motivations.
It would be really interesting to challenge the players moral judgement but would be extremely difficult to draw a line between right and wrong as well as deciding which choices should or should not be rewarded.
To successfully capture the essence of this experience, I think that a relatable yet unique character design is essential as well as an emotionally driven storyline. The character must have a story that the player is able to empathise with so that they have reason keep playing; to watch them grow and progress throughout the game.
Inspiration:
Janus - the god of doors, gates and transitions.
In Roman mythology, Janus represents the metaphorical doors between two or more options. He is a protector of the transitions between life/death, beginning/end, war/peace etc.
Feedback:
An interactive narrative would work well for these game ideas.
The player could choose paths and experience the advantages/disadvantages or their choices and see how it affects the lives of others in the game rather than the protagonists.
It could also be interesting for the games main theme to reflect a world problem such as world hunger for an example.
Look into philosophy. Do some research into moral responsibility.