''Steer Madness'' is an

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

inspired

adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...

developed and published by Johnathan Skinner, with the latest version released on April 24, 2023 for mobile and desktop. The original version of the game was developed under the name Veggie Games Inc. and was released in December 2004. It joined the ranks of games made by

PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...

, and others.

Gameplay

''Steer Madness'' is a

single-player video game A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the gameplay. Video games in general can feature several game modes, including single-player modes designed to be played by a single player in add ...

where the player assumes the role of Bryce the Cow, a walking, talking

bovine Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including Bos, cattle, bison, African buffalo, Bubalus, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The members of this gro ...

determined to put an end to animal exploitation and turn everyone

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

. During

gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game. The term applies to both video games and Tabletop game, tabletop games. Gameplay is the connection between the player and the game, the player's overcoming of challenges, and t ...

, the player goes on a series of missions to save the animals using many different tactics. The game is a 3D side-scroller based in a modern city environment and features several transportation methods. Players have the option to

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...

, use a

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

, or take the metro through the city to get to different areas of the game. Missions involve many gameplay elements, including puzzle solving and item collection.

Original Version

The original version of the game from 2004 was similar in theme but differed in gameplay style; it was based in an open city environment with gameplay similar to

Grand Theft Auto III ''Grand Theft Auto III'' is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It was the first 3D game in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series. Set in Liberty City, loosely based on New York City, the story follo ...

(without the guns or violence), making it a nonviolent video game. Players could drive a vehicle in select missions, and could also climb, jump, race and operate heavy machinery.

Development

The latest version of ''Steer Madness'' was developed in

London, UK London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

. The majority of the game was made by just one person, solo

independent game developer An indie video game or indie game (short for independent video game) is a video game created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A ...

Johnathan Skinner. This includes all of the programming (which was done from scratch), story, design and a significant portion of the artwork. It was noted that the game development was powered exclusively on

solar power Solar power, also known as solar electricity, is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Solar panels use the photovoltaic effect to c ...

while working off-grid aboard a

narrowboat A narrowboat is a particular type of Barge, canal boat, built to fit the narrow History of the British canal system, locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, b ...

. The game has been published for mobile on

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...

and the

App Store An app store, also called an app marketplace or app catalog, is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not i ...

, and for desktop on

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

Original Version

The original version of ''Steer Madness'' was also developed by Johnathan Skinner but in Vancouver, BC, Canada under the company name Veggie Games Inc. Also developed primarily solo, he worked on the game in his spare time for about a year and a half while working other jobs, then decided to focus all his time into finishing and publishing the game. He registered the company, rented a small office and hired an artist to help. After about 6 months of full-time development and the help of a few student interns, the game was complete and ready for release. Skinner, when interviewed by ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', hoped that the game would "sway a few people." He later said he ran the game on a shoestring budget, funding Veggie Games "with a Visa card." Taking the self-publishing route, game CDs were printed in small batches and sold through the website. Various animal rights groups in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Germany purchased wholesale quantities in order to resell the game CDs through their online stores as a form of

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

, while it was also presented at the 2004

Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo) was an annual Trade fair, trade event for the video game industry organized and presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It was held principally in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2019, wit ...

in Los Angeles.

Awards

''Steer Madness'' received two awards shortly after the 2004 release. The first award was ''Best Animal-Friendly Video Game'' from the 2004

Proggy Awards, and the second was ''Innovation in Audio'' from the 2005

Independent Games Festival The Independent Games Festival (IGF) is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the largest annual gathering of the independent video game industry. Originally founded in 1998 to promote independent video game developers, ...

Reception

Some scholars described it as an example of "an activism game" and said it aligns with "mass-market entertainment game genres." Others recommended it to "animal conscious parents" and said it encourages

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a vega ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Official ''Steer Madness'' website
2023 video games 2004 video games Adventure games Animal rights mass media MacOS games Vegetarian-related mass media Video games developed in Canada Windows games Independent Games Festival winners Vegetarianism in fiction Single-player video games