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You think crockery is boring? "Plaite" proves the opposite
by Pia Seidel
"Têt: virtual Vietnamese cuisine
30.9.2019
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Stephanie Tresch
Chop tofu, peel carrots and roll rice cakes. Geneva designer Charlotte Broccard's cooking game is simple, funny and very personal. "Têt" is a tribute to her Vietnamese roots.
She has always seen herself as Swiss, says Charlotte Broccard in our phone interview and laughs. When she was a child, and played around with self-portraits, she tended to draw herself with Western features. "I'm only Vietnamese for my cooking. I grew up with it and didn't realise until later that it was part of my cultural heritage", says the 25-year-old. Her mother is Vietnamese, her father Swiss. She doesn't speak Vietnamese, but Charlotte remembers perfectly the smells and sounds of her Vietnamese grandmother's kitchen, which she brought to Paris three generations ago. To create "Têt", the interaction designer, Charlotte, was inspired by her past and a trip to Asia.
Vietnamese "WarioWare"
"Basically, I'm not a gamer," admits the designer. "So my game is quite simple. It's inspired by my favourite game 'WarioWare': you have to solve lots of small tasks in a given time". The only Swiss element of "Têt" is that the hungry guests arrive right on time. Behind the scenes: a dinner to celebrate Têt, the Vietnamese New Year. The colourful, simple and slightly wacky style of the illustrated game fits in with the festive theme and is well received. Charlotte Broccard presented the game at the Design Biennale in Zurich, at the "Fantoche" Festival in Baden and even at the "Game Developers Conference" (GDC) in San Francisco.
"Têt" is both a game and art. Initially created for her bachelor's work, she developed it at ECAL (the cantonal art school in Lausanne). Programming a game isn't easy, because Charlotte Broccard is first and foremost a designer. At a game designer meeting in Lausanne, she met Etienne Frank. The developer supports her with programming.
One of the challenges is money; Charlotte receives no funding. One funding application was rejected on the grounds that the project had not developed sufficiently since the last application. At the time, the designer was busy with internships and had little time to work on 'Têt'. "This was my first attempt at applying for funding. In future, I'm going to do it differently," admits Charlotte. She received help in another form. Thanks to the Pro Helvetia foundation, Charlotte Broccard was able to present her game in San Francisco at the GDC trade fair. The specialist magazine CNET even decreed "Têt" one of its highlights.
Currently, she's mostly working on completing "Têt" and, on the side, teaching "Unity" to interested parties. This is the software in which the game is programmed. "I hope to be able to finish 'Têt' next year," she adds. After that, Charlotte has plans for other versions of "Têt" with Japanese or Indian cuisine. But she's not touching Swiss cuisine in her virtual world just yet.
"Têt" will be released in 2020 for iOS and Mac OS. Other versions are planned.
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
Gaming
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