Build an economy of petty grievances
Petty Business is an idle game concept where the main currency is pettiness, called Petty Points in English. You start with a simple action: make a petty remark. The points it earns buy characters who generate more pettiness automatically.
The joke grows with the numbers: an everyday complaint becomes a neighborhood operation, then an ever larger apparatus devoted to trivial disputes. The planned loop combines clicking, buying generators, upgrading their output and reaching new milestones.
A city that fills with characters
A grumpy commuter sighs on the bus, an old lady scolds younger passengers, and a nosy neighbor keeps track of parked cars. A residents' representative puts up notices, a coffee manager argues about paying, and a middle manager copies everyone into an unnecessary email.
The generators would also appear in a simple illustrated scene that grows as you buy more of them. Bus stops, cafes, apartment buildings and offices provide settings for small repeating interactions, making progress visible beyond the counters. The final character list and scene milestones remain open.
Small upgrades, disproportionate fuss
Upgrades are intended to turn familiar phrases into production bonuses. Back in my day could boost old ladies, I know the owner could help the coffee manager, and I'm just letting you know could strengthen the neighbors.
Generator combinations could unlock shared bonuses: rush hour boosts transit characters, while a neighborhood social media group links neighbors and residents' representatives. These synergies would give players reasons to develop several parts of their petty economy. The exact multipliers and unlock conditions still need to be balanced.
File a complaint. Start again with more resentment.
The proposed prestige action is File a Complaint. Resetting the current run would award Resentment, a second currency for permanent improvements and new possibilities.
These improvements could increase production, support offline earnings or unlock further character groups. The theme follows the same escalation: an insignificant grievance becomes a matter of principle, with more effort poured into it on the next run. The reset thresholds and permanent upgrade system are still plans.
A newspaper cartoon in motion
The intended art direction is simple and expressive: bold outlines, exaggerated faces, familiar city details and short animation loops. Small scenes of pointing, sighing and eye-rolling would communicate the humor without requiring elaborate animation.
Petty Business is the chosen title; Petty Points is the English name of its main currency. The initial scope being explored is a modest set of generators, upgrades, a few synergies, offline production and one prestige layer. The supplied images are early visual and interface concepts, while the economy and progression remain to be worked out.