Project Kasma Procrastination

Welcome to Project Kasma.

For my cycle game, I chose to explore the cycle of procrastination. Procrastination is rooted in the lives of most humans, sometimes you’re actively aware that it’s creeping up on you, and other times you don’t even realize you’re stuck in the loop of putting things to the side until something terrible happens. It also feels authentically true as a student; I push things away until the last minute until my being erupts in immense stress, and afterwards, I am faced with not knowing exactly what happened. I do it over and over again, just like the protagonist in this game. 

Project Kasma Procrastination follows the player and protagonist, embarking on a journey of procrastination. As the player, you begin a new job and are given a list of tasks to do. As you go through each time during your night shift, you keep neglecting your task of putting the green tomatoes in the drawer. Why? You’re not sure, and it doesn’t matter, other things seem more interesting in this weird, mystery world.

I approached the meaning gap by using the original names I had in my procrastination cycle. The story takes a more narrative approach and because of this in the first play, and perhaps without context, the player would not recognize that it’s about procrastination. Thus, by naming the passages with their original names the player must make the connection between the two. What is happening within the text that relates to the passage? In the first one, the player starts the first day of their job, distantly relating to ‘A New Task Appears.’ This subtle hint encourages players to reflect on how each passage title is related to their choices in the game. 

The thematic argument I intend to make within the cyclical structure is how procrastination can feel both irrational and inevitable. That even when you try to do better, you end up right back where you started. The narrative suggests that procrastination is not a habit but a deeper loop where distraction, avoidance, and stress lead to disorientation. It traps the player in a cycle that’s both self-inflicted and out of their control, continuing the frustration of the cycle. 

In my playtest my peers noted that they felt the anxiety of what was going to happen wasn’t built up enough. To increase the player’s connectivity with the protagonist, I was able to use more description and mystery within the context to allow for more to allow for more immersive storytelling. Additionally, I had four passages dedicated to the player procrastinating the green tomatoes task, but my peer felt it dragged on with not enough reason why the protagonist would wait that long, and in turn, rush the ending. I split the procrastinating and the reaction/after math into half so both sides of the reflection felt as if they had enough of a narrative pull. 

I hope you enjoy playing Project Kasma Procrastination!