Hi all! I've been very not on here lately. Most of it is due to school; they've decided killing students is an effective method of raising the graduation rate, so I've been having lots of panic attacks and mental breakdowns and also craving avocado, which always seems to be absent when you need it most.
I'm at a bit of a crossroads with my writing. I'm starting to bother myself with each new creation; it all seems just a circular snippet of a rehashed character sketch scrawled in my notebook from two years ago. So I'm going to try to shoot for longer pieces with more plot, but seeing as my head is currently pounding and has been for a long while, I currently feel no motivation to start those stories.
Sorry.
I do have another project in mind which, once I find a platform, could be an interesting venture. It's a piece of interactive fiction, sort of game format, but without any real gameplay. If I pursue it, expect it maybe in summer. It will be crappy.
I've been quite interested in art games recently. I'll call them that, but they don't really have a name. Basically, games that morally challenge the player with options while being aesthetically pleasing. A few:
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Actual Sunlight I hesitate with this selection. For those of you who have experienced depression,this game will most likely be extremely triggering. For others, it will make you very sad for a moment. I say that, but I've only played the now discontinued Mac version. It appears to cost money since it's been updated, so I don't know.
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Coil Basically a very interactive story. It's open to a lot of interpretation, though rape seems a prevalent theme to me. I guess warning if you're sensitive to that or abusive relationships? Though that was only my interpretation. Short and slightly cliche by literary terms but executed brilliantly.
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Devotion Pretty platformer with pretty music about love. Simple, good impact, heartwarming.
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Every Day the Same Dream Warning: don't play if you're easily consumed by sadnessyness spurring from nihilism. Other than that, which sort of killed me but in an okay way, the game is beauty. Severe commentary on the American Dream and routine. Probably my favorite.
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The Infinite Ocean Beautiful story, beautiful atmosphere, great work of science-fiction, perfect length.... just really really good.
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Loved Another favorite. This one is in the format of a platform that deals with themes of freedom and individualism At least one ending is very uplifting. Not too long and not too hard, but very engaging. For my own project, I'm drawing a lot of inspiration from the voice of this piece.
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OFF This is a long game requiring download and time. It's very atmospheric and to me, the story, characters, and puzzles are enjoyable. Battling is pointless and dumb. Music pretty. It's worth a play, but not if you're not with some commitment. I wrote an analysis of it
here in case you've finished it and want to discuss.
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pOnd I may be biased because I just
just played it, but beautiful. Interesting message, interesting interactions, confusing, but rightfully so.
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Prior Nice atmospheric dystopian piece. You gets fairly emotionally attached to Mr. Black Box. This was probably my first of these types of games I played, and it's stuck with me. Short, fun, good. Play it.
That's all I've got for now. I'll use this list for personal reference and edit it without notice. Other than that, I should be more active after about four weeks. I will anticipate reading and looking at many beautiful art things soon!
Sta.sh
