I always feel a little icky when I say I’m a fan of reality TV. It’s no doubt a pop-culture titan, but it’s also a genre that comes with a lot of problematic baggage. Exploitation, humiliation, hypersexualization, reinforced gender essentialism – the list goes on and on. The controversial topics the genre is tangled up in is – put lightly – a complete nightmare, but I can’t stop watching. It’s not just the drama (although I the drama, too), I also like watching humans just be human, you know? I connect with the authenticity on screen, seeing people’s emotions in their rawest form.
The Crush House reviewDeveloper: NerialPublisher: Devolver DigitalPlatform: Played on PCAvailability: Out 9th August on PC (Steam)
This duality of reality TV is endlessly fascinating. By watching these shows, what is my role as a spectator? What systems am I participating in when I tune in to watch? Self-described “thirst-person shooter” The Crush House sets out to comment on the complexity of this relationship, and successfully delivers. It’s a satirical comedy that pokes fun at the shallowness and manufactured nature of the TV genre and tops it all off with a cheeky wink and peace sign gesture. It’s fun, dynamic, and has something to say.
The Crush House puts you in the role of a TV producer of a 90s reality TV show who must film a cast of hotties and their drama in a bubblegum pink Malibu mansion for a ravenous audience. You need to record the cast each day – catching their intimate conversations, trivial catfights, and steamy romances on camera – while also keeping track of what viewers want to see. You have a targeted viewership to satisfy each day set by the omnipresent ‘Network’ and if you don’t deliver those numbers the show will be cancelled, and you’ll be asked to sashay away.
Each day begins with you picking up your camcorder in your dingy basement room (the fancy suits are reserved for the talent) and setting out into the mansion. When you start recording, audiences will begin to tune in, their comments popping up in text bubbles via a live chat on the right side of the screen. Each audience group demands different things, like how the Drama Queens want to see the cast’s squabbles or how Sexy Seekers are thirsty for an on-screen smooch. It can get pretty niche like how plants will satisfy Landscaping Lovers, swimming pools and sinks keep the Plumbers happy, and the Butt Guys want to see, well, butts. Icons on the screen indicate when you have a particular item or cast member in a shot, and your audience will react to that. When you satisfy multiple audiences at once, icons and comments start to pop off in a feeding frenzy of activity and your viewership will spike.