Wall Street RPG

Note: This game was created for the Nokia 3410 by a small company named DesMondo in 2004. The company distributed the game via a custom portal in the WAP service old phones used to connect to. Shortly after the game was released, DesMondo filed for bankruptcy and the custom web portal was taken offline. It is not known why the company went bankrupt, but it's believed that it was due to the game being released late in the 3410's life cycle, and poor marketing. Those who still remember it consider Wall Street RPG to be incredibly ahead of it's time. The music however, was terrible. Do not look it up. Some things are best left forgotten.

The following is copied from an old magazine advertisement:

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There's a new kid on the block...

It's 1986 and you've just been hired as a data analyst at the once prestigious Mason Blythe investment bank. Fight for clients by making connections and proving yourself useful. You decide what tasks to take on and what to delegate. Knowledge is power on Wall Street, maintain your Rolodex to stay informed on where the money's going.

Become a Wall Street rockstar!

The game features:

• Unparalleled character creation. Make a strong impression with your choice of thirteen portraits, and play any way you like by developing four impactful stats:  Charm, Wit, Cool, and Luck.
• Deep build customization. On Wall Street, what you wear matters.
• Complex resource management. Balance your Productivity, Social, and Energy meters and make every day count.
• Rich trading systems and realistic trends.
• A full calendar year where you spend your days pushing and pulling stock, and your nights fine dining and exploring the city.
• There's a man standing at the foot of my bed.
  
• A dynamic reputation system that shapes how you can interact with people.
• Six compelling followers to recruit, including a very perceptive pigeon.
• Multiple endings. How high can you go within the three-year period?

Can you restore Mason Blythe as the number one investment bank on Wall Street? Or will you tear it all down on your path to make your own name? Play it out in this exciting new pocket-sized RPG from DesMondo!

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Important: This is not a real game.

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This art project was created for Polyducks' Nokia Art Jam 2. Thanks to Polyducks for hosting the jam, and thanks to Brandon James Greer for spotlighting it. I wouldn't have had the fun creative journey this project took me on without them. I went waaay further than I thought I would, I only planned on making the start screen, but the ideas kept coming of how I could do the UI, and funny weird interactions you might have. I tried to balance the humor with also showing how despicable these types of people actually are. It was a fun art project but I don't think I could ever seriously develop the concept of being one of these people lol. I also don't know that much about about stock trading, most of this jargon I've written is picked up by osmosis, I'm sure half of it sounds wrong but oh well.

All in all, it was so much fun working with such intense restrictions. I have dabbled with pixel art in the past, but this was a whole new level. I made all this over the span of 6 days I think, and I'm stoked I have something that feels complete out of that.