aftermath.site: Do you remember the reality show Project Runway? Not the zombified new version on the cable network Freeform, but the original run of the show on Bravo back in 2004. I was obsessed with that show, not just because I love drama but because it gave the viewer an in-depth look at what it takes to create a clothing pattern and then put it together. I get the same vicarious thrill from the game Dressmaker.
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Some part of me questions the purpose of this article, since for all the coverage and gameplay I've seen of Dressmaker (which I've been sort of distantly following since all the way back in Early Access -- how time flies!), I've yet to see someone complain about the actual mechanics of sewing. Still, this debate about realism in gaming inevitably drags us back into the eternal discourse that haunts us all: should games be "fun"? Or rather, do games HAVE to be fun? My stance has always been "no, but understand that this is maybe an unpopular position (and specifically an unpopular position for people who love to complain)." Games, like all artforms, don't have to be PLEASANT experiences. Disturbs the comfortable, yadda-yadda, you know it by now. It's nice to see a popular game like this embrace some friction, now that gaming shifts towards live service and making everything as easy for the player as possible.
I think it's kinda shocking that there aren't more sewing related video games out there. It feels like it occupies the same space as many video games where it is both simultaneously the most frustrating experience ever and incredibly fun and fulfilling. I will probably never play this game just because why would I spend my free time pretending to sew something when I could just, you know, actually sew something. But I feel that way about a lot of games that exist. I’m glad to hear that the sewing mechanics in this game are frustrating, and I really hope there is ability to sew pieces together in the wrong way, so they player has to sit there with a seam ripper and pick apart all of their life's choices, as is an important step in any sewing project. I think as a society we need more craft based games, maybe this game leads to more people learning how to sew in the process.
I've been seeing this game all over the internet lately, and it looks really fun. As someone who can't sew for the life of him, I feel like this is a great way for me to see the process of making a garment without horrendously messing it up in real life and spending real money on it. The more I see about the game, the more I want to try it myself. My sibling is a costume designer, so I'm often learning about costume construction from them. This game would be a great chance for me to go more in depth about the clothing construction process, and it seems pretty accurate to real life based on the article and reviews I've seen. I love the idea of gamifying crafts because it makes them more accessible for people and can inspire people to actually try out the real version of the craft.
I love this game. I have it, I played it this morning, it’s so fun. I think one really big part of it’s mass appeal is that it makes sewing and garment creation accessible to people who may not have access to it. Sewing, especially on the scale of the garments in dressmaker, is expensive, time consuming, and takes up space that people just don’t have. In the game, you still get to complete many of the tasks of sewing, without spending the money, taking up the space, or taking as long for many of the tasks. While we in school of drama are privileged enough to have the space, have things paid for by the university, and have this work be our actual classwork, all things that may make a game like this feel redundant, I think for people in any other field this game can be the only access they have to the hand crafts that we take for granted.
I could not tell you the amount of times I’ve been sent this game. I really love the concept of this game and that it is eerily similar to actually sewing (but maybe without all the back pain, broken needles, and running out of bobbin thread), I saw someone using a petal to operate the sewing machine on this game??? This is crazy??? While I haven’t gotten around to playing it yet, I am really curious to see if sewing online ragebaits me just as much as it has over the last seven years. I also wonder if this the game is similar enough to a real machine to the point that you can learn the basics of garment making before sitting down at a real machine. I also think it’s funny that you have to listen to clients and they tell you if they like the garment or not, it can prepare you for the way people react if you don’t make what they had in mind lol.
So here is the thing: I have played 100% of the dressmaker game since it has been released. It is very entertaining and easy to get sucked into. After playing for over 24 hours I have some likes and dislikes. I absolutely love how dresses are designed modularly with the ability to plan out everything you are going to do. On the other hand, I feel as though the placement of trim and decorations needs to be refined. As someone with sewing experience I found myself emanating real life by trying to get the most pattern pieces out of as little fabric as possible. Dressmaker truly touches on each part of the garment creating process from planning to cutting out patterns, laying out the pieces in the right places, and finally sewing along each straight line and each annoying curve. People in the community have made some amazing dresses that I recommend people go check out online. I might even use this game to conceptualize my next sewing project.
As someone who has absolutely no sowing knowledge or experience, this sounds really interesting. Based on other comments, this is clearly a known game (at least to the theater community), and well loved. Personally, I think it sounds very interesting, although I would worry that it would get a bit boring, even if you are doing different patterns and unlock more advanced stuff, in the end it is still a game primarily about sowing, which feels like it could get boring--on the other hand, people love lawn mowing simulator and pressure washing simulator, and those feel even more like chores, so apparently I just don't understand humanity. I do think that the idea of learning and playing around in game for those who don't have access to equipment or materials is very cool, particularly combined with what the author proposed in a hard mode, where you have to do literally the actual steps, which could even be a cheap learning solution.
What a delightful article! In all honesty, it was the project runway reference that drew me to this article. Along with Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway was one of the Hallmark shows that I would watch with my grandma growing up. We squeeze into her giant recliner chair and snuggle up to watch these silly reality shows. I distinctly the one designer who put fringe in everything! I mean everything… It was their whole thing and the judges kept telling them to stop putting in fringe, but they kept doing it and ended up winning, with fringe. I mean, as entertaining as the drama was I was always most interested in the creativity: how they went from idea to sketches to finish pieces in an insanely short amount of time. And the accessory wall oh my goodness! I think some of my favorite episodes are the ones where models would have some sort of added aesthetic body part like scales or horns. And the designers would have to create a garment that highlighted these elements.
- Mags Holcomb
I have played this game a little since it has come out and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I have very minimal costume sewing experience but also was a big fan of Project Runway. For a little bit of time in middle school, I wanted to be a fashion designer. While that clearly did not happen, I have still enjoyed dressup games where you have to create something for someone else and you have to puzzle together what might be their style. What I love about Dressmaker is that it was made by someone whose wife was a dressmaker that was thinking about becoming a costume designer, but she was diagnosed with something that made it so she could not physically sew anymore so he made this game for her. The reason that the game feels so much like real sewing is because she was consulted on how one would build a garment.
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