Please give your feedback and suggestions for this business proposal (in a constructive manner!) for this proposer to review, respond to, and take into account should they go forward as the Lead! For more information on how proposals work:  http://thecrackden.com/discuss/topic/group-and-business-proposals/

 

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Asylum Arcade

By Callisto Cloud

 

TYPE: Official Business

 

SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hathian/63/48/35

 

BACKGROUND: Direction: First and foremost, I would want to try and breathe new life into the Arcade as it has always been a staple in Hathian but never received the RP traffic it deserves! In this endeavor, I would want to work with the Crack Den staff to freshen up the location by adding in more modern games, prize givers for souvenirs, and perhaps integrating a 21+ bar to offer a condensed menu of food and drinks to make it more inviting as a spot to hang out and not just a warehouse for classic retro cabinets! Since Linden Labs has also passed rules that no Youth avatars can be in adult sims (and as such no “Youth-Friendly” areas exist in Hathian), I believe the Arcade’s dynamic should adapt to these changes to more accurately appeal to the characters we do have. With My character would likely want to turn the arcade into one of the more modern arcades from the Far East– Dance Dance Revolution, Claw Machine / Gacha games, Skee Ball, Prize Tables, IC Arcade Currency Cards (instead of quarters), Karaoke, and offering Boba, Themed Cocktails, and Far Eastern street foods! Event ideas:

 

1. I would promote the new ownership of the business by offering all first-time customers a pre-loaded IC Currency Card that they can use to play in the arcade (and maybe a ‘loyalty’ membership that they can use to get discounts on reloading it and daily food discounts! IC of course, no OOC transactions!!)

 

2. Recurring events each month that could hold contests or competitions for certain arcade games!

 

3. Regularly themed events for each holiday every month with prizes and incentives being added in addition to the regular stock. Collectibles for the collectors!

 

4. Consistent weekly schedule where certain days may have IC discounts for certain services! (ie: 50% games on Mon-Tues, Free Karaoke Wednesday, Thursday BOGO Drinks, 50% Off Karaoke Fridays, etc. etc.)

 

5. HighScorers of the Month! If we can get even just a small handful of new machines with interactive gameplays and highscores we could ICly track those scores on the internal leaderboards, resetting them regularly each month (or two). This could also be in collaboration with the newspaper where we can have a column to announce the highscore holders. Additionally, we can have a simple placard in the arcade that allows these high score holders to live in fame!

 

6. Conventions and Block Parties! Partnering with all of the businesses in the area would be a huge collaborative undertaking, but it could make for an extremely fun and memorable event! We’ve seen block parties in Hathian before, and I’d love to coordinate both large ones (that encompass any and all businesses wanting to take part) and small ones (that are maybe more specifically themed like cosplay conventions between the Arcade, the Comic Store, and catering from nearby establishments)

New Employee Experience: The most important part of a roleplay environment is the player base itself, so I put a very high level of emphasis on the experience of employees. Any new employee that gets hired would be welcomed OOCly and encouraged to ask any questions as necessary. ICly, I would arrange for an interview to give the RP experience of actually applying and getting hired for the job. Once hired, I would ICly RP with each new hire to do a training scene and show their character the ropes as opposed to just randomly showing up without having ever met the manager! Employees will be regularly communicated with via group notices and I would make a conscious effort to reach out to each employee personally to check in on how they're doing as well as occasional IC texts to keep them incentivized to keep showing up for work!

 

Character Fit: My character, Yukiko, grew up with a maliciously overbearing father who treated her as a child with no ability to protect, or speak for, herself. Due to this, she was often coddled, overly protected, and surrounded by hired thugs that her father wanted to keep their eyes on her (not for her own safety but rather for his reputation and appearances). Yukiko hated this and felt it undermined her independence, so she spent a lot of her formative years hiding from them and there was no better place to blend in than a crowded arcade. Arcades always felt like little safehouses for her all throughout that city where she could act independently without her father’s influence, so she’s always been drawn to them. Having seen the Arcade in-person (IC) she felt that spark of nostalgia and has the motivation to turn the place around. It would provide familiar sanctuary to herself, to other similarly wayward souls, and allow her to pay tribute to her past self and payback the experiences the Arcade gave her by reviving one she found in the wild of Hathian.

 

UNIQUE: An arcade is already in a league of its own since it has virtually no competitors in Hathian. However, that alone has clearly not been enough to make it /really/ stand out. I want to make this business stand out by making it one of the locations that has a consistent population inside of it and generating constant RP like a little RP fusion reactor for Hathian! With my proposed event ideas above, it will begin to stand out as being a place with regularly scheduled events on the calendar that other players can RP around and give a fresh take on a new norm for business expectations by providing a sense of normalcy and routine. While of course the spontaneous improvisation will always be available, it's nice to supplement it with the allure of consistency and predictability for the players who enjoy having a routine to count on! My hope is to turn the Arcade into an actual hotspot for the characters of Hathian. Places like the Grind, Lou’s Bar, and the HPD Jail Cells have always been popular hang outs. I believe this to be mainly because they’re the places people tend to migrate and gravitate towards when they don’t know what else to do or where else to go. A prominent component of RP is that there are often lulls between storylines, arcs, events, development, or even just waiting for certain people to come online. In those lulls we often fill the time with idly standing around or we fall into the ‘slice of life’ routine just to give our characters something to do! And by adding at least a handful of interactive machines it might even give something to do while you’re between RPs and a highscore to fight for! Adding life into the Arcade would create another area where this is possible and could become a common location for people to drift to that they meet new people, weave new stories, and maybe do shady deals in the bathroom or see how many licks it takes to get to the center of a skee ball.

 

EXPERIENCE: I'm an extremely personable individual who always has a vision and a plan. I'm familiar with being flexible and adaptable to any situation as it arises and always look for solutions that benefit all parties involved rather than pitching to one side or the other. I have plenty of Real Life experience in leadership, supervisorial, and managerial positions to supplement my knowledge. As for SecondLife specifically, I have been roleplaying since 2007 and have an immense arsenal of experience to draw upon when roleplaying so that I can match the flow of an RP and keep it rolling to its conclusion! Leadership wise, I have fulfilled the following roles during my time on the grid: Lost City - Admin, GM, Mentor Shadowrun Redemption - Admin, GM, Lead Application Handler SWRP - Admin, GM, Mentor, New Player Guide Author, Dice System Exploit Specialist CoLA - GM, Storyteller, Faction Leader "The Institute" Outbreak - Storyteller, GM NOMOS - GM, Faction Leader NPD Bitterwick Harbor - Mentor Convergence - Mentor, Community Leader "Rift Hospital" Cocoon - APD Head Physician Empire of Crowns - Faction Lead "Thieves Guild"

 

IDEAS: As mentioned above in the question regarding new employees, I want to make sure that all new players and new employees feel welcome. Roleplay cannot happen without actual roleplayers, so a focus on their enjoyment is always top of mind for priorities! I would offer unfamiliar faces first-time discounts to welcome them to the city/store and invite them back to promote recurring roleplay through repeat visits. For new employees, I would OOCly interact by introducing myself and welcoming them on board! I would attempt to set up an IC interview and meeting for each new employee to make it 'official' and then provide training in the form of a roleplay scene. If there are any questions, concerns, or confusion I would make myself available and approachable to talk about these subjects as they arise. Ultimately, I want everyone to enjoy their time on the RP sim, and as a business owner I know that responsibility is even heavier!

 

OTHER: As mentioned above I would promote the new ownership of the business by creating routine, offering new customer discounts and incentives, and working with staff to try and breathe a new life and perspective into the Arcade. In addition, I would make an attempt to RP with other businesses in the area to invite their managers / employees to come in as well as speaking with people on the street to let them know about the re-opening. Through doing this, I would hope to accomplish a ripple effect of collaboration and community building that can encourage other businesses to interact as well to create a realistic community atmosphere that promotes not only more unique RP, but can weave together businesses to host more combined events like block parties!