"Clara's Diary" – A new mini-game for the Zepp Guide
Zeppelin Village, 1914. Care or neglect? Clara's diary shows why good planning does not always help and why there are only less bad options.
We've all been there: standing in a historic place and wondering what life was like for people back then. Not the big events—just everyday life. Weighing things up, making decisions, getting by. Bringing this everyday life to life is the idea behind the new mini-game "Clara's Diary: Care or Leave It," which has been available to play in the Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen's museum app, Zepp Guide , since the beginning of 2026.
A game about decisions – and failing to make them
The game puts players in the role of a woman and mother in Zeppelin Village—the factory settlement that sprang up around the Zeppelin factory in Friedrichshafen in 1914. Over seven rounds, they experience a daily routine that sounds straightforward at first glance: gardening, housework, shopping, socializing with neighbors. Four tasks must be completed in each game round.
But "Clara's Diary" is not a classic hit game. Quite deliberately not.
Because by round three at the latest, reality intrudes on the flow of the game: a strike cripples income. A child falls ill. Colorado potato beetles infest the fields. Suddenly there are three tasks on the list—and only enough resources for two. What gets left undone? What are the consequences? And what are those consequences?
Every decision has a price. If you spend your savings on shopping, you won't have anything left for Christmas. If you skip weeding, you'll have more work to do in the fall. If you disappoint your neighbor once, you risk having to do without help yourself.
The diary as a mirror
Each round is framed by a simulated diary entry—written in the first person, in a tone that lies between pragmatic sobriety and quiet exhaustion. At the beginning, he announces what the day will bring. At the end, he reflects on how it turned out—whether it was a success or a failure, and why that is not so easy to distinguish in the context of the time.
Failure is not a flaw in the game, but its core. It is intended to make it clear that careful planning and doing your best do not automatically lead to the best result. That in certain situations, people simply did not have any good options—only less bad ones.
Pixel by pixel: A view of Zeppelin Village
In terms of design, the game "Clara's Diary" picks up on the proven pixel look of the existing Zepp Guide games and transfers it to the Zeppelin village itself. The game world depicts a settlement with its characteristic houses, show garden, and consumer store—all based on the original architecture of the historic workers' settlement. Anyone who has ever visited the show house in real life will recognize familiar features. Those who have not yet been there may feel inspired to change that.
The game "Clara's Diary: Care or Leave" is part of the Zepp Guide, the app of the Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen, available in the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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