I was really excited to hear about Seth Alter’s new game project, No Pineapple Left Behind. When we’d talked last, he’d dropped some hints that his next project had to do with pineapples in school, but this was not exactly what I’d pictured. (Not totally sure what I expected, but it wasn’t test-taking tropical fruit.) No Pineapple Left Behind is in development, but it will begin with an evil wizard turning middle schoolers into pineapples.
In this game, pineapples are preferable to students because pineapples take tests and get grades (they are enchanted pineapples) without asking annoying questions, getting bored and restless, or all those other pesky things that children do. The school’s goal is to pass exams, and no one really looks too hard into whether a child or a pineapple took the exam, as long as they get a good grade. So when pineapples do well on their exams, the school and therefore the player, will get more money.
Unfortunately, the pineapple cure is not foolproof, and sometimes an unattended pineapple can turn back into a child. This is an undesirable outcome, because children need things besides exams and children do things besides take tests.
Although the classrooms full of pineapples are a little unusual, the school has a very realistic goal of getting more students to pass more exams, in order to receive funding. Players of No Pineapple Left Behind will take on the role of a school principal and will be tasked with getting passing grades and definitely not letting the pineapples turn back into children. To make more money, players can expell struggling students before they hurt the class average and cut art classes to save money. Seth is a former teacher, so some of the school’s goals hit very close to home. I love the concept of No Pineapple Left Behind, and I’m really looking forward to playing the finished game.
via No Pineapple Left Behind — Upcoming Indie Game Satirizes Education Reform.
