Achievement Unlocked: Touch Grass

This artwork is a collaboration with Digital Sculptor @planttdaddii Growing up, video games were a big part of the way Nicole would spend her time. However, one thing always bugged her. The main characters of most of these games she grew up playing were male. She didn’t think much of it at first, until she started playing games that let the player choose the main character’s name. She thought it was a bit weird that a male character would be named Nicole, but she went with it, suspending her disbelief. Ultimately, both stereotypical gender options didn’t really resonate with her. Being the tomboy that she was, she wanted to play as a character that felt more like her, more androgynous. For this piece, Nicole conceptualized a non-binary character named Fish who she later created with @planttdaddii (Sam Clover) that embodies a character she would have loved playing as growing up. The platform world Nicole and Sam created for Fish is based on NYC and was conceptualized by Sam. Recently, Sam moved from Seattle to New York. She chose a NYC-style platformer world because she felt it would be a perfect way to express how chaotic it is to live in New York, and thought it would make a great world for a character to fight baddies within. The world also reflects the little things that bring Sam joy and help her overcome daily stressors. Fish battles enemies in this NYC-themed world, jumping from platform to platform, proud to be facing these challenges as a hero, living life true to themself.