As they have become more and more widespread, many more have started to consider video games as a special kind of art form, capable of allowing for creative expression and the sharing of ideas between creator and player. Some games take this artistic property a step further, however, by making games specifically to spark creativity in the player. This is one of the goals of the upcoming game, Drawquarium. The developer, ByKaleb, and the publisher, Rokaplay, recently put out a release date announcement trailer for the game, including a small story around the art and simulation game.

Drawquarium will see players drawing designs for fish that can then be placed into a personal aquarium. According to the Steam store page, drawing can be done from scratch or by using a template and require no prior art experience to begin. Once finished, fish will move around in the aquarium, able to interact with other creations by forming friendships or rivalries. These interactions can also lead to fish getting together and making more fish to add to the aquarium. In addition to the fish, the game also allows player to add plants and customize elements like the rocks or background.

The release date announcement trailer begins with a drawing done on a computer in 1995 and follows the journey of a budding artist over the years, each time with different applications used to realize their vision. After choosing to apply to a finance college instead of an art university, the student pushes their art passion to the side as its usefulness and quality gets called into question by technology. Finally, Drawquarium gets opened and the user creates their first fish, able to mingle with the creations of other users in the game under the hopeful message that “Art is human”.

As with any artform, video games are at their most impactful when they can be shared among those who appreciate them, which Drawquarium promises to promote. The game is set to release on PC on November 13th.