tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post4762897806189765422..comments2024-03-21T00:16:15.883+00:00Comments on Plot is Gameplay's Bitch: Adapting Games From Books: An ExerciseTom Juberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14570661671387482872noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-77791710095394794432010-09-13T15:09:28.210+01:002010-09-13T15:09:28.210+01:00@Xander Bennett
Babbling is what this post is for,...@Xander Bennett<br />Babbling is what this post is for, although in marketing speak we call it 'brain storming' and give ourselves all a pat on the back.<br /><br />@gregg<br />That's a beautiful picture. There's often a dificult line to tread when it comes to 'art games' which intentionally debillitate the player - it's a powerful trick that perhaps can easily be over used. This, of course, would nonetheless be the ideal application if ever there was one: there's something genuinely beautiful about the idea of of breaking that monotony with vibrant internal experiences and memories.<br /><br />I might argue, however, that even if we were comitted to that approach, it might actually belittle the story we're telling. Modelling the blink (wink if he's only got one eye?!) based communication might shout 'boredom' to the absence of all else - fear, resentment, passion...<br /><br />So what can we do with that? What if, instead of letters we were able to choose words using the same system? As a game we need some control of what sentences the player can construct, and so by using this sytem and focussing on character dialogue (as opposed to the writing of the book) we could pitch a whole new conversation system - one in which every word is vital and must be selected laboriously. This both communicates the challenge the man faced, as well as providing relevant gameplay and highlighting how fundamental his relationships with other people became.Tom Juberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14570661671387482872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-17106911142419703372010-09-13T12:27:13.013+01:002010-09-13T12:27:13.013+01:00A game whose interaction could provoke critical th...A game whose interaction could provoke critical thinking would really be something. All too often the meat of a game's meaning or purpose lies in the extraneous stuff around the interaction which is a shame and doesn't really push the medium forward.<br /><br />The Diving Bell and the Butterfly would be nigh on impossible to play as a traditional game. I'd envisage the game being more of an exploration of Bauby's memories, like a painterly montage punctuated by his debilitating reality. I've no idea how you could interactivise the actual writing of his book short of putting the player through a grueling one button mini-game where letters are individually read out to you... that would certainly get across the horror of penning a whole book with nothing but a blink.Gregg Bhttp://www.tap-repeatedly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-42697064109504996522010-09-11T12:23:52.409+01:002010-09-11T12:23:52.409+01:00For some reason, the first thing I thought of was ...For some reason, the first thing I thought of was The Time Traveller's Wife. Each level would be a short cinematic scene (think Heavy Rain) in which you'd have to find some clothes and figure out where and when you are, based on environmental clues and talking to NPCs. Then you'd disappear and flash to the next level after a random amount of time.<br /><br />You'd also occasionally meet your wife/future wife, but at different points in her timeline. So you'd have a dialogue mini-game where the aim is to remember not to give away bits of information that she doesn't know yet.<br /><br />This would all lead up to a tragic ending which you can possibly prevent, but only if you've collected enough information and pieced the clues of the different timelines together.<br /><br />Forgive me -- I'm babbling out loud. :)Xander Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05643850688983700529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-22905896769419020362010-09-10T14:53:02.393+01:002010-09-10T14:53:02.393+01:00Those aren't rhetorical questions ;-) I'd ...Those aren't rhetorical questions ;-) I'd be interested to hear your ideas.Tom Juberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14570661671387482872noreply@blogger.com