With any sort of artistic creation, particularly those that one hopes to show to the world and maybe make a bit of a living off of, there always seems to come up the question of how relatable the work is. Does it speak to the audience on a personal level? Do they feel drawn in … Continue reading Relatability is Not Necessary for Good Art
Entertainment
Deconstruction, the Player, and the Played Pt. 2: “The Magic Circle”
[SPOILERS FOR THE MAGIC CIRCLE MAY BE FOUND BELOW!] Last time in this pseudo-series I talked about The Beginner's Guide and how I felt it's personal nature and sincerity worked against it on the whole; it's narration trapping the player into an ambiguity that robs them of a real connection to the game. After playing … Continue reading Deconstruction, the Player, and the Played Pt. 2: “The Magic Circle”
Deconstruction, the Player, and the Played, Part One: “The Beginner’s Guide”
[Warning: Spoilers for The Beginner's Guide may be found below] It seems we have entered into a golden age of deconstuctive, postmodern, indie games within the last three or four years. In 2013 we were given The Stanley Parable and the first act of Kentucky Route Zero, each eschewing traditional gameplay for quirky narrative exploration … Continue reading Deconstruction, the Player, and the Played, Part One: “The Beginner’s Guide”
Fun: it’s Serious Business
"Dumb Fun." It's a phrase that gets thrown around a lot. It's associated with horror movies and action flicks, with videogames, with mass-market paperbacks and bubblegum pop. It just is. It's dumb fun, a guilty pleasure, an indulgence. But why? Sure, there's plenty of media that lacks artistic substance, that succeeds because "it's so bad … Continue reading Fun: it’s Serious Business
Thinking Machines and Digital Narratives
Writing for machines is monotonous - they are born fully formed, yet stupid; requiring precise instructions for specific contexts to control their actions. As machines become more intelligent and more flexible in their programing we find that this “machine writing” may be replaced with creative dialogues. Already machines in the field of games have mastered … Continue reading Thinking Machines and Digital Narratives
A Note on Adaptation
Adaptation. The process of change, of being rewritten and reformed. It seems like people are often wary of change, especially change in something that they already enjoy: people, books, houses, all sorts of things. This is especially clear in adaptations of media where a story is reworked from one medium to another. This can partially … Continue reading A Note on Adaptation
Pen and Screen 