The article by Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn, creators of “The Path” and directors at Tale of Tales studio was inspiring. It draws upon several aspects of the medium that most people it today’s society and culture think nothing about. The technology we have at our disposal today is extremely powerful and has very few limitations. They mentioned that taste and smell were the only senses that have yet to be processed by a digital medium. The tools available today have the ability to pull from the human experience - what it is to be human - to feel, to have emotions, etc. Virtual worlds need to portray situations that really speak to that experience - they need to immerse the player in a world that is just enough unlike their own, just beyond the scope of reality, but still makes them use their human instincts and senses. Players today need to actually feel as if they are experiencing something for themselves - not through the eyes of a designer, or an avatar or a TV screen. Games today must speak to the human mind and fabricate a reality for it.
I played all the games available this week (with the exception of “Gravity Bone” b/c there was no Mac download) and they were fantastic - especially “The Path”.
Beginning with the simpler games, “Don’t Look Back” didn’t seem to follow the conventions that the article talked about - but it was fun and fast paced. The title was very fitting, I thought. Every stage that I got through, I was relived that I wouldn’t have to do again. There were definitely parts that made me do some simple problem solving to overcome, but generally the game seemed to revolve around good hand-eye coordination and quick reflexes.
The games by Daniel Benmurgui; “Storyteller” and “I Wish I Were the Moon” had outstanding concepts. I thoroughly enjoyed playing through all the different outcomes available - specifically in Storyteller. I liked how I could manipulate every stage of the storyline, which is a familiar point made by the Realtime Art Manifesto article: that life isn’t laid out, it doesn’t have a plot-line and things don’t always happen as they should - and our virtual worlds need to parallel that notion. The way these games were set-up let me create my own filler, or interpretation, of the story in between A, B and C. One thing I like to see in games is the option for player manipulation (which I spoke about in the “Rules as Art” post). It’s nice to feel like you’re in control of what happens in the game - to hell with linearity!
And last, but in no way, leas, “The Path”. A few words to describe it - innovation, elegant, beautiful, a mastery of 3D virtual space as art - drawing upon emotion and sensory values. The game-play was simple, yet fantastic. I felt compelled the explore the intricate forest and I can honestly say that I was a bit ‘creeped out’ by the look and feel of the game. There were various elements that seemed so mysterious and almost scary. At every significant landmark my mind wandered as to what it was and why it was there. Particularly the one that looked like a burning corpse hanging from telephone wires. The camera angles also brought about an aspect of curiosity - I found myself asking “what am I looking for…is something going to happen? Or is this merely to accentuate the detailed environment”. There was also an element of confusion - almost like the game was taking place in a dream state. As I walked around the map, I noticed that things didn’t always line up. For example, if I walked to the very edge of the map it would bring me back to the other side and I would eventually hit road. Also, the asphalt road and the dirt path didn’t seem to match up either - there were times I felt like I was walking in circles, lost! There’s no doubt in my mind that this is an amazing example of an Artgame and a catalyst for the future of 3D space as a new form of canvas. I can easily say that I would buy the full version of the game …if I wasn’t a poor college student…
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